One: Stop the Shorthanded Goals, Go-Ahead Goals
The Kraken have set a dubious franchise record of allowing shorthanded goals in three straight games. That trend needs to be halted. After Pittsburgh made it three in a row Monday afternoon, head coach Lane Lambert said the penalty killers had watched video of how teams are looking get shorthanded chances against the Kraken.
“We have a faceoff battle in Utah [Saturday] and they end up coming out of that with a three-on-two. We played that very poorly [on Monday]. We knew [the Penguins] were locking their bench side with one of their forwards, and that the forward was going to step [toward the neutral zone for a shorthanded rush if Pittsburgh wins the faceoff]. That was pre-scouted for our players. That was indicated to them. They saw a video on it. And [Pittsburgh] stepped, got a breakaway [goal]. We’ve got to be better.”
After the early shorthanded goal, the Kraken snuffed two more efforts by the Penguins' power play, which ranks second in the NHL. It might not be a coincidence that penalty killer extraordinaire Ryan Lindgren was in the box on the shorthanded goal after hooking Sidney Crosby. Along with the shorthand goals and issues, and subsequently chasing leads, Seattle recovered to tie games (Monday and on the road trip). But too often the foe has responded with a go-ahead goal.
Reversing that trend would be welcome and necessary as the Kraken have slipped out of the wild-card second spot, two points behind division rival San Jose, though Seattle has a game in hand. For what it’s worth, Tampa Bay slowed down the Sharks on Tuesday, winning 4-1 in Florida.
“We did a good job of getting back into it [Monday],” said Lindgren post-game. “Then they get the one quickly after. We do our best to try to move on and forget about it. We’ve just got to be better than that. When you do tie it up, we’ve got to lock it down defensively and keep playing our game.
Two: Winterton Rising: Goal, Six Assists Last 12 Games
Rookie and 2021 third-rounder Ryan Winterton and his fourth-line mates have impressed teammates, coaches and fans over the last month-plus. In Winterton’s case, he has the likes of Lane Lambert and Brandon Montour praising his work on the forecheck and bringing toughness to his role.
Lately, Winterton has delivered a scoring punch that was a big part of why Seattle drafted him in the early third round in the team’s inaugural draft. He registered his first two-point Monday, assisting on Ben Meyers' opening goal along with new linemate Jaden Schwartz, then earning the primary assists with hard-nosed netfront work to get the puck to the aforementioned Lindgren to tie matters at two goals apiece. He now has a goal and six assists in his last dozen games, a pace that, if continued, would make for impressive rookie-year totals.
“I think I was just playing fast,” said Winterton, who has worked hard in offseasons to improve his skating and physical bulk. “I think today was a good example, just getting on pucks, [forcing turnovers], then playing in the O-one longer. Just being quick in the D-zone to get out of there and get to playing offense fast.”
Three: Know the Foe: Islanders Second in the Metropolitan Division
The last time these two teams met in Long Island back in November, both Joey Daccord and journeyman goalie David Rittich recorded shutouts, with NYI winning in a shootout. This time around, it’s likely New York’s No. 1 goalie, Ilya Sorokin, who will be in the net to face Philipp Grubauer. Both goalies have been stellar this season. Sorokin is third in the NHL with a .915 save percentage in 29 games played based on goalies who played at least 20 games. Grubauer checks with a .917 save percentage to date in 18 starts. Sorokin is 16-11-2 while Grubauer has posted a 15-9-4 record.
The Islanders have stayed in the divisional automatic bid race by limiting any losing streaks to three games or less. They 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and appear to be in sync with second-year coach Patrick Roy. WHL Seattle Thunderbirds star, Mat Barzal, leads his squad with 40 points (11 G, 29 A) while 18-year-old phenom defenseman Matthew Schaefer is second with 13 goals and 21 points for 34 points. Bo Horvat has missed 15 games but still leads the Isles with 21 goals. It is a well-balanced attack.
Projected lineup (not official):
Kakko - Beniers - Eberle
Schwartz - Stephenson - Tolvanen
Catton - Wright - McCann
Winterton - Meyers - Gaudreau
Dunn - Larsson
Lindgren - Montour
Evans - Oleksiak
Grubauer
