3 Game Essentials | Kraken vs. Islanders | Feb. 22

One: Getting Out of the Defensive Zone

Then Vancouver pushed back hard in the second period - "we knew they were a desperate team coming off a couple of bad losses," Giordano said. The Canucks' pressure (forechecking in the Kraken zone, skating harder to loose pucks, disrupting Kraken passes) proved the difference in the outcome, reversing the one-goal lead.
"We were spending our energy playing defense," coach Dave Hakstol said before heading onto the plane back to Seattle. "Our play with the puck wasn't clean enough to get up ice."
Giordano explained a formula to apply Tuesday in the first of a two-game homestand: Every NHL team is aggressive on the forecheck (opposing forwards looking to win pucks back). It's up to the defensemen (most of time) to first handle the puck for a zone exit. The next play, passing or carrying out, can involve the other defenseman or the center and forwards but must be executed with the intention of getting up ice.

Two: Focus on Kraken: Which Forwards Get Inside

Fans watching the last two Kraken games viewed a lot of opponents net-front, looking for tips and rebounds to get past either Philipp Grubauer or Driedger. A key factor to watch as Seattle returns to Climate Pledge Arena is who gets to the net and/or center "slot" lane for the Kraken. The Seattle offense needs to generate more chaos in front of the opposing net.

Three: New York Islanders (18-20-7, 6th in Metropolitan Division)

The Islanders are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and coming off a home shootout loss to Montreal (which after months of losing way more than getting standings points has now won three straight for the first time this season). NYI is coached by one of the league's best, Barry Trotz, but the team's playoff hopes are dim in the rugged Metro and Eastern Conference wild-card races.
"We're going to need consistency," Trotz told the media Monday. "Like us not to be trailing after the first period it seems every game and we just need the consistency."
Big news Tuesday: The return to Seattle ice for forward Mathew Barzal, who starred for the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds from 2013 to 2017, helping them win the WHL championship in his final season. He has 12 goals and 21 assists in 42 games this season.
"It's cool coming back here," Barzal said Monday. "I texted our assistant coach for when I was playing here. I think the whole Seattle Thunderbirds team's coming and all the staff. It's just honestly just awesome to be back."