One: Fourth Line’s Forward Progress
CALGARY – The buzz coming out of the Friday night Seattle win at Vancouver included lots of talk about the fourth line of Ben Meyers centering Ryan Winterton and Jacob Melanson. The trio connected for a pivotal goal as Melanson started the scoring play with a high hockey IQ feed to Winterton, who skated deep right corner into the Canucks zone to then send a flawless centering pass to Meyers’ stick blade net front. Neat and tidy, a point for each forward, with Melanson now riding a three-game point streak.
Meyers also provided a full-body screen of VAN goalie Thatcher Demko on D-man Cale Fleury’s first NHL goal since November 2019. No official assist, but the goal likely doesn’t happen without Meyers.
Post-game, Kraken Hockey Network personality Piper Shaw asked coach Lane Lambert what he likes about Meyers’ game: “His speed, his hunger, he wants the puck. He has poise with the puck. He had a number of scoring chances tonight, especially late in the game, when we were looking for some push and some poise.”
To Lambert’s point, Meyers finished with a team-high eight shots on goal, followed by Fleury’s three shots. Fans are clearly getting a good feel for how the AHL affiliate, Coachella Valley, is positively influencing the Kraken’s seven-game point streak. The scoring punch from the Meyers line is welcome and not without reason. All three forwards have excelled as goal scorers from their junior/NCAA days through to the AHL.
Two: Updates: Scratches for Kartye, Injuries for Schwartz, Murray
Fellow fourth-liner Tye Kartye, a healthy scratch the last three games, is another points producer at developmental levels. He was named AHL rookie of the year in 2022-2023 after finishing the regular season with 41 points in his last 41 games. His scoring line over 72 games was 28 goals and 29 assists for 57 points. Kraken fans no doubt remember that Kartye scored his first three NHL goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs that season, filling in for the injured Jared McCann. There’s nothing Kartye did to not dress for the three Kraken contests.
“His situation is fine,” said Lambert. “I thought before coming out of the lineup, he was playing well. He played well in Anaheim and LA [before the holiday break]. He’s doing his job. When you have extra players, it’s a luxury and creates competition. I think since Winterton has gone in for him, he’s played well too. I expect that when [Kartye] returns to the lineup, he will play well. It’s a good problem to have.”
As for veteran forward Jaden Schwartz, who was playing some of his best hockey as a Kraken before getting hurt, Lambert reported the Seattle alternate captain was cleared to be a full participant at what full effort meant for Schwartz. Goalie Matt Murray is in a similar place with coaches and trainers aligned on both players being 100 percent healthy before returning to action. The current point streak is encouraging, given that both Schwartz and Brandon Montour have been absent.
Three: Know the Foe: Calgary Climbing Back in Wild Card Race?
The Flames are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, just one standings point off the 6-3-1 mark Seattle has put up in the last 10 games. But it’s important to note that Calgary has played two more games than the Kraken and is still battling to re-enter the wild-card race after a slow start to the season.
Lambert described the Flames as a “big and heavy” team that ranks in the top third of the league in expected-goals for and expected-goals against. They prospered at home in December, but lost Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome when Nashville scored with 28 seconds remaining to prevent Calgary from getting at least one standings point. CGY forward Blake Coleman scored his team-high 13th goal in the loss. The Kraken’s last regulation loss came up here in Alberta on the first game of a four-game Pacific Division swing in which Seattle swept three California franchises.
Projected Lines (not official)
Kakko - Beniers - Eberle
Tolvanen - Stephenson - Gaudreau
Catton - Wright - McCann
Winterton - Meyers - Melanson
Dunn - Larsson
Lindgren - Fleury
Evans - Oleksiak
Grubauer
