Analytics with Alison: Quarter Season Check-Up

Exactly one quarter of the way through the season, some things have gone the Kraken's way while other events have become obstacles the team has had to work to overcome. So, what is going well or as expected, what might need work, and what looks to be on track to improve?

Let's dig in.

The Offense

On a team level, Seattle is scoring just as they should. In 5-on-5 play according to Evolving-Hockey.com, the Kraken should have scored just under 36 goals and going into Monday's game in Buffalo, they have just under 35. With a team shooting percentage of 7.73 that places them 15th overall in the league in terms of finishing, there's room for improvement as always, but this is a group of skaters that is getting the scoring they've earned.
Individually, there are different leaders in each of the elements of what creates offense for the team.
Jordan Eberle doesn't just lead the team in goals (11), he's tied with Jaden Schwartz for total points, is tied for tenth in the league in goals scored, and ranks in the top five in overall finishing right now according to HockeyViz.com.

That's a solid offensive presence that's supported by Schwartz (most overall shot quality of any Kraken skater: 3.52 5-on-5 expected goals) and Ryan Donato and Brandon Tanev who, on a per game basis, produce top overall shot quality.
In terms of shot volume, look to Donato, whose 16.26 individual shot attempts per 60 minutes of play leads the team (he's also among the top in terms of high danger shot attempts), while Alex Wennberg holds the top spot in terms of offensive zone possession time (:42 per game) narrowly beating out Yanni Gourde (:41 per game).

The Defense

Defensively, Seattle has found a way to quiet opponents on the ice. In 5-on-5 play, the team ranks fifth in the league in unblocked shots against per 60 minutes of play and eighth in shot quality against. Sportlogiq also ranks them number one overall in terms of limiting inner shot slots against (4.7 per game in all situations).
While it's hard to measure the prevention of something happening (which is what defensive play is all about!) Carson Soucy, Marcus Johansson and Wennberg rank top three for the team in terms of limiting unblocked shots against. Colin Blackwell, Haydn Fleury and Mark Giordano are your leaders in terms of limiting shot quality against. And the latter two (Fleury and Giordano) have the best results tilting the ice overall, meaning, when those two defensemen are on the ice, the Kraken gain the largest share of overall shot quality.

Goaltending

Adjusting to a new team has taken some time for both Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger. Overall, the two have not yet reached the level of performance they showed in prior NHL seasons, but there has been some adjusting to do.
"It's trying to figure out where the high danger shots come from, what we give up in certain situations," Grubauer said in October. "It starts in the offensive zone and how we backcheck, what are our forwards doing, where are we pressuring and where don't we pressure. Where's the defense playing off some guys and where's the defense switching with the forwards…stuff like that. It's reading what's presenting to you in which situation."
When it comes to what kinds of high danger chances the goaltenders were facing, rush chances against made for some very challenging situations, but Seattle has found a way to quiet those of late. And it bears mention that over the past three games, in terms of exceeding expectations in terms of save percentage based on shot quality faced, Grubauer and Driedger have each had their best games of this young season.

Special Teams

While goaltending has been an area to improve in 5-on-5 play, it's been top ten in the NHL this season when it comes to penalty killing. Add on top of that that the Kraken take the fewest penalties per game of any team in the league, and we see how Seattle has been able to keep opponents' power plays completely off the scoreboard in seven of their last eight games.
As for the power play, while it took a while for the team to find the goals, the groupings have been doing the right things all season. The Kraken currently rank second overall in terms of power play shot quality (per Evolving-Hockey.com), and they rarely give up shorthanded opportunities with the lowest shot quality against.
What may have been fighting Seattle early in terms of seeing power play results is, in part, the dreaded "puck luck." On the season as a whole, the Kraken have the 18th best shooting percentage when playing with the man advantage. If you are doing the underlying things right (like getting the shot quality), you can expect that finishing ability to, at the very least, get up to league average.