One: First and Fore (Checking) Most
Seattle head coach Lane Lambert was blunt and correct when talking to the media after dropping the second game of the road trip in St. Louis on Thursday. He was effectively devising his game plan for Saturday night on the spot. He was all about his squad preventing quality scoring opportunities, starting by being more active in winning back pucks in the offensive zone.
“We couldn’t establish offensive zone time,” said Lambert, matter-of-fact.
“We couldn’t establish our forecheck. We dumped the puck in their zone poorly [allowing Blues goaltender Joel Hofer to play the puck some five to seven times each period].
“We had our chances [in St. Louis]. The chances against are my concern. Just too many of them. We didn’t handle their netfront presence at all. We gave up more interior chances than we are used to doing. We have to win more individual puck battles.”
What Kraken fans can watch for is whether the Kraken forwards are disrupting Vancouver zone exits in Saturday’s first of a six-game homestand that features Carolina, St. Louis (again) and Ottawa in the next week. Seattle was winning games before the Olympics break in large part because of working hard and successfully on the forecheck.
Two: Celebrating Black Hockey History
There are all sorts of fun activities and surprises before and during Saturday’s match-up to honor both the history of Black players in the NHL and the impact of the Black community on our city and region. Check out this story for many of the details, and on a personal note, don’t miss the two songs performed right before puck drop.
A standout feature is the artist-designed look, feel, and wow factor of the futuristic Black Hockey History jersey, designed by local artist Damon Brown.
Brown was all smiles when asked to describe his process for creating Saturday’s latest entry in the Kraken Common Thread program, “First, I wanted to understand the history of the Kraken and the history of Black athletes who are hockey players. I thought I might focus on a character to represent Black players who broke down barriers in the NHL, such as Willie O’Ree in 1958. Then I thought, “How about shifting to what hockey will look like for us in the future, for players of color, for fans and for the jerseys.’ I took it from there and started sketching what the [Kraken marks] might look like in decades ahead.”
The result is a kinetic, spirited “S” that appears capable of traveling to the reaches of outer galaxies with an anchor lofted high up in the atmosphere rather than dropping deep into the sea.
Three: Know the Foe: Canucks Last in Pacific
Canucks fans have been monitoring trade possibilities for defenseman Tyler Myers in recent days, while recognizing their record doesn’t point to a Stanley Cup Playoffs berth. Vancouver lost in overtime to Winnipeg in its first game back. Until proven otherwise, the Canucks will always be a tough out versus the Kraken, home or away. But it is hard to overlook the VAN troubles: Our neighbors to the north have the worst record in the NHL. They are 20-something points out of a playoff spot. They have given up 210 goals, the worst in the NHL and have a -61 goal differential. Yet this is the Pacific Northwest, and Vancouver rallies for these games.
Projected lineup (not official):
McCann-Beniers-Eberle
Catton-Stephenson-Tolvanen
Schwartz-Wright-Kakko
Winterton-Meyers-Gaudreau
Dunn-Larsson
Oleksiak-Montour
Mahura-Evans
Daccord
