Finding His Gruuuuuu-ve?

Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer made a statement with his play Sunday, helping his team snap a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 win against his former Washington Capitals team at Climate Pledge Arena.
In fact, he made 37 statements.
Grubauer recorded 37 saves, 22 of which came in the third period with Seattle holding on to a 4-2 lead. It was the kind of performance the Kraken envisioned when they signed Grubauer to a free agency contract in July.

When the final victory horn sounded, Grubauer was rushed and congratulated by every Kraken teammate, barely skating out of his crease during the kudos. Jared McCann hugged him first, lots of light helmet to helmet taps followed, then several more hugs (many from defensemen) and finally a bear hug from fellow goalie Chris Driedger.
This is a goalie that his teammates like and believe in. That's clear from more than the post-game celebration Sunday. Various forwards and defensemen have stood by Grubauer-and Driedger too-during the now-over losing streak.
"It was good, obviously it's not just for me, its for the whole group," Grubauer said during Sunday's post-game media availabilities. "We build on that, that's the standard we set, and we have to do the same against a really good hockey team here coming up in Carolina. Everybody is doing the right things. Doesn't matter if it's good reads, blocks, PK [penalty kill], power plays, we'll build on that."
Grubauer and the Kraken goaltending overall was not where it needed to be during the early portion of the season and through the six-game losing streak, whether based on impressive 2020-21 seasons for Grubauer and Driedger, advanced analytics or more traditional goalie statistics.
Grubauer's save percentage coming into the Washington game Sunday was .875, well below his career mark of .918. He's played in 229 games spanning seven full seasons and never has experienced a save percentage below .916.
After Sunday's performance his save percentage was up to .882, trending in the right direction.
Grubauer has talked about the adjustment to learning a new system and new players. Knowing where the defensemen and forwards are going to be and, as a result, where the shots are going to be coming from, that's taken some time. The German-born goalie has said he worked through a similar adjustment when he switched from his first NHL team, the aforementioned Capitals, to the Colorado Avalanche.
Sunday, both goaltender and skaters were in sync.
"We did a phenomenal job today of boxing guys out and getting underneath guys and not letting them have too many chances," Grubauer said.

Kraken coach Dave Hakstol spoke often during the losing streak about the need for a timely save from his goalies. It felt like whenever there was a chance against, the pucks were going in for goals and decidedly at the wrong times during games.
The Kraken allowed the first goal Sunday. The Capitals were looking to take a momentum grabbing 2-0 lead minutes later. After a Seattle turnover, Washington forward Connor McMichael had the puck and a stride or two on the Kraken defense.
It looked like the script was going to repeat itself. Despite the Kraken playing well in the period, it appeared they might well fall behind by two goals early. But Sunday was different. Grubauer skated out of his net to cut down the angle in a confident stance. McMichael took a shot and Grubauer, not leaving open the "5-hole" or open gap between his lower legs, kicked out a leg pad to deflect the puck to safety.
The Capitals would not extend their lead. In the end, the Kraken tied the game on a Jared McCann backhander power play goal and rode the momentum to a string of four unanswered scores.
Grubauer was excellent in the third period to stave off a Capitals push but that early save set a tone. It gave his teammates confidence in him and the belief they could win.
"It's a heck of a save at the right time and that's important," Hakstol said. "It really gets us through that first period, we feel good coming out of that period and a lot of it has to do with that save.
"Then the work that he did on the PK to finish out the period. I believe that had a huge impact on why we were able to extend the lead in the second period."
Grubauer was quick to acknowledge his teammates for the outcome Sunday. They blocked shots, made hits and found loose pucks in front of the net.
For the Kraken, they are hoping Grubauer's Sunday performance is a harbinger of things to come, that he's getting comfortable with his teammates and there will be more saves coming.
"I think after the first one, then you've got to make the next one, the next one, and the next one," he said. "It's all about plays at the right time and the right moment. It doesn't matter whether it's a save, a hit, or blocking shots. I think that was huge today."
After the game, Grubauer was named one of the three stars and got to launch a plush salmon into the crowd. The atmosphere in the arena Sunday was outstanding and their support didn't go unnoticed.
"Even last game, we score our first goal, it's 7-0 and the fans cheer us on. I've been in places where they throw beer cans at you," Grubauer said jokingly ["you know what I mean"]. That's incredible to have that support, we wanted to come out and give the fans what they want."