One: McCann Meshes and Mentors Young Linemates
Since Kraken all-time leading scorer Jared McCann returned from the injury list right after the winter holiday break, coach Lane Lambert has deepened his appreciation for the player first re-signed by Seattle. A couple of times on the road trip, he referred to McCann making the sort of pass few NHLers can execute. Overall, McCann has scored five goals and added six assists in 12 games since Dec. 28. But his value doesn’t stop at scoring.
“Canner has been good here since he got back,” said Lambert earlier this week. “He makes plays, he makes poised plays. He’s trustworthy on the walls. For a guy who’s as skilled as he is, he’s a very good wall player.”
Lambert expanded on his positive evaluation during Sunday’s media session ahead of Monday’s matinee Kids Game against Pittsburgh. He weaved in his preference, at least for the time being, to keep McCann with young forwards Shane Wright and Berkly Catton. He was juggling lines in the second period of Saturday’s loss in Utah, leading to tying the game with two scores. But the line combinations did not click in the final period.
“I like Jared with Shane and Berkly,” said Lambert on Sunday. “We'll see where we go from here in terms of mixing things around potentially [with the four forward lines]. But I've grown a real appreciation for Jared McCann's game, just the different facets of it and his intelligence level. He's a really valuable piece with Shane and Berkly at the moment. I think they've been playing well.”
Two: Reset Needed. Next Nine Games Against Contenders
The Kraken starts a six-game homestand Monday and then plays three divisional/wild-card race games (Vegas, Anaheim, Los Angeles) on the road before the Milano Cordona Winter Olympics break. Every opponent on this home stretch is in the postseason hunt, five in the Eastern Conference and Anaheim in the West. It adds up to nine games in 17 days, all of which represent a formidable litmus test for the Seattle playoff run. Short-term memory is needed about the 1-3-1 road trip, including one loss in Boston that Lane Lambert called one of his “favorite” games of the season for how his squad played, adding Sunday, he thought the Kraken deserved to win that matchup.
“We just need to get refocused,” said Lambert. “I thought on the trip we had ample opportunity to win hockey games that we didn't win, which is positive, but we did not win them. There were reasons for it that we went over with the guys today, and we've got to be better.”
Lambert was particularly unhappy about the Kraken not mustering a shot on goal in the first 12 minutes of the third period, when the game was tied, followed by mistakes in coverage in the defensive zone that led to two late Utah goals.
“It's pretty hard for me to accept that you can't stay mentally focused for four or five shifts before you get on the plane and go home after a nine-day road trip,” said Lambert. “I get it, it is a grind, but that's where our team and our group has to get over that hump. That's part of playing winning hockey.”
Three: Know the Foe: Pittsburgh 6-2-2 Last 10 Games
Sidney Crosby is 38 years old, but is any avid hockey fan surprised that he is scoring at more than a point per game with 26 goals and 27 assists for 53 points in 49 games? He’s playing an average of 20 minutes per game, and he already has notched 10 man-advantage goals for a Pittsburgh power play that ranks third in the NHL. As for the Penguins’ penalty kill units, they rank fifth-best for preventing goals. These are all reasons why Pittsburgh is squarely in the playoff-contender mix, and why the Kraken need to come up with even-strength goals. Seattle is the Pens’ first stop on a four-game road swing that goes to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver after Monday.
Projected Lineup (not official):
Kakko - Beniers - Eberle
Schwartz - Stephenson - Tolvanen
Catton - Wright - McCann
Winterton - Meyers - Gaudreau
Dunn - Larsson
Lindgren - Montour
Evans - Oleksiak
Daccord
