Earning two victories and four standings points against the Capitals and Hurricanes is bound to boost the output level of SEA players and coaches going into Florida for back-to-back games. Two outstanding games in net from Philipp Grubauer (he turned 30 on Thanksgiving Day) is perhaps even more energizing.
Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour talked about the Kraken after Wednesday morning skate: "They're a hard-working team with a consistent approach throughout the lineup. I'm sure they would like to see the goaltending be a little better. If that averaged out, I think you would see a few more wins."
Dave Hakstol, of course, liked what he saw from Grubauer: "The big thing is he is seeing the puck. He looks calm and settled."
The key element for Seattle's visit to Tampa Bay is a familiar one. The Kraken must stick to their system of what suddenly hot goal scorer Jared McCann calls "defense-first mentality." It's telling to hear the rally cry for defending from one of the Kraken's most offensively talented players.
Hakstol calls it "skate and defend." What needs to be done Friday, Saturday and every night:
+ Play fast with the puck, use your skating speed.
+ Keep shot attempts to the outside as much as possible; make sure the goalie has sightlines.
+ Forecheck consistently, both disrupting opponents' defensive zone exits and generating Kraken scoring chances by winning back the puck.
+ "Manage the puck well," says Hakstol, meaning fend off pressure from the other team.
+ If Tampa scores first, stick to the game plan, focus on preventing quality shots, block shots, establish puck possession in the neutral and offensive zones as a best type of defense.
+ Be patient, offense can be generated from the defense-first mentality.
+ Keep up the recent surge of team confidence and feeling comfortable in close games.
