One: Lean into Poise and Puck Management
ANAHEIM – When San Jose scored just 36 seconds in the third period Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead, no doubt lots of Kraken fans were thinking, “not again.” The reaction on the Kraken bench was defiant rather than defeatist.
“That’s obviously been a little bit of an issue here lately, our third periods,” said defenseman Ryan Lindgren, whose first goal for Seattle proved to be Saturday’s game-winner. “We gave up one early there. We did a good job just sticking to it and not getting down on ourselves. You know, it seems like we've done that a little bit in the past. When we give one up, we have a hard time getting one back.”
Lane Lambert liked the no-quite attitude on the bench and made a point to remark that every player contributed. He offered one example as a late-game shift for the fourth line of Ben Meyers centering Jacob Melanson and Tye Kartye, in which the trio kept puck “down low, killing off time” in the Sharks zone.
When asked about the difference between Saturday’s comeback/holding the lead compared to the wrong end of third periods against Colorado and Calgary earlier in the week, Lambert was quick with a reply.
“We did a better job of managing the puck in that moment,” said Lambert. “I thought our bench was good. I thought everybody was completely on board with how we need to play. It was nice to see. We made sure we managed the puck well ... let's hope we continue to grow from that and understand what it takes to win.”
Two: Gaudreau, D-men Embrace Shot Mentality
With injuries and illness thinning the Kraken roster, Freddy Gaudreau is excelling as a right wing on the second line. That versatility is one big reason why GM Jason Botterill traded for the veteran forward during the summer. Gaudreau is a highly respected center with formidable faceoff skills and results, often taking right-side circles while linemate Chandler Stephenson takes all left-side puck drops. In the win over San Jose, Gaudreau led the team with five shots on goal, while Stephenson chipped in three SOG, and Eeli Tolvanen maximized his one by scoring the game’s opening goal. That’s nine total from the “Stevie” line.
Right there with the second line were Kraken D-men, who totaled eight shots on goal with memorable scores from both the aforementioned Lindgren and Ryker Evans, who was tops among blue-liners with three SOG. Those defenders provided Exhibits A and B for getting pucks on net, and good things can happen. Both shots were accurate and placed in challenging spots for Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who entered the night tied for the NHL lead in goalie wins since Nov. 1.
During a post-game conversation with Gaudreau, Kraken Hockey Network personality and colleague Piper Shaw suggested the Evans and Lindgren were picture-perfect examples of what can happen when sending pucks to the net.
“It's huge,” said Gaudreau, referring to shot mentality. It's one of those things that a shot might not go in, but it might create something positive for your team. There’s never a bad shot. And tonight was proof of it with a couple of good bounces on our side there.”
Three: Know the Foe: Ducks, Quenneville First in Pacific
Going into Monday's action, Anaheim is atop the Pacific Division with a 21-13-2 record for 44 standings points, including a 12-5-0 home mark. Vegas sits in second place, two points back with two games in hand, but there is no mistaking that new Ducks coach Joel Quenneville has this group squarely in playoff-contender mode. After getting trounced by Dallas, 8-3, Friday night, Anaheim responded with a Saturday winner over Columbus and the just-traded Mason Marchment (who scored on a second-period tip-in). The Ducks cinched the game with a late goal, making it their fifth win against four losses and one overtime loss in their last 10 games.
Anaheim features plenty of youth and scoring power. Twenty-year-old Leo Carlsson leads the team with 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points (all tops among teammates). Cutter Gauthier, 21, acquired in a trade with Philadelphia, is next with a point-per-game average (18G, 18A) for 36 points. Beckett Sennecke, 19, has notched 11 goals and 17 assists in his rookie season to date, placing him fourth among Ducks scorers between veterans Troy Terry and ex-NYR forward Chris Kreider, who has struck for six power play goals among his 13 total scored.
Projected Lines (not official)
Kakko - Beniers - Eberle
Tolvanen - Stephenson - Gaudreau
Nyman - Wright - Winterton
Kartye - Meyers - Melanson
Dunn - Larsson
Lindgren - Oleksiak
Evans - Mahura
Grubauer
