3 Game Essentials | Carolina at Kraken | Oct. 17 | 7p.m.

One: Student of the Game

Limiting turnovers is something we all see and understand, especially when losing the puck coming out of the defensive zone leads to sudden 2-on-1s or breakaway scoring chances for the opponent. The soft chips and "on-time arrivals" are both ways for the Kraken to gain/continue puck possession in the offensive zone. That's important against Carolina for two primary reasons: More SEA scoring chances and limiting the Hurricanes' offensive pushes.

Two: Figuring Out Faceoffs

The faceoff win percentage for Kraken centers was subpar: 35 percent overall with Matty Beniers (6 wins, 16 losses) and Morgan Geekie (6-17) topping Gourde and Alex Wennberg. After Sunday's practice, Dave Hakstol made an insightful point about how faceoff "wins" and "losses" can be misleading.
"The spotlight is on the center," said Hakstol. "But you know in a lot of cases, if you're not able to win draws cleanly, it becomes trying to create 50-50 battles. That's where linemates are important. It's not all on the settlement. That's something we have to be clear about. It starts with [the center] for sure. We have to be better there. And then everybody around has to help as well."

Three: Challenging Week Ahead

The Kraken face a busy week against three of four strong opponents. Two home games in the next three nights feature Carolina, a media favorite to make the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, and St. Louis, a perennial playoff contender and participant. To follow is a road trip to play Colorado Friday night and Chicago at what equates to an 11 a.m. Sunday puck drop. Colorado, of course, is the star-studded defending Cup champion while Chicago is undergoing a major rebuild.
We will see how the goaltending workload shakes out during the four-game week. Philipp Grubauer gets his first home start of the year Monday.