By Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA – Similar to their first matchup in January that saw the Kraken march into Boston and shutout the Bruins (still the only team to do so this year), the rematch was exhilarating from start to finish. Seattle and the Bruins traded haymakers throughout the 60 minutes, as a total of four response goals were exchanged between the two teams. Ultimately Boston was able to take advantage of Seattle’s numerous mistakes, eventually scoring the game winner on a tip in by Jake DeBrusk in the final minutes. The Kraken, just like in that first matchup with Boston, proved that they belong amongst the NHL’s elite. In order for them to truly establish themselves in that tier and cement their spot, Seattle must clean up their mistakes and improve on their specialty teams units. The inside of Climate Pledge Arena rocked all night long, both “Let’s go Bruins” and “Let’s go Kraken” chants rang out, with an atmosphere that was the closest thing to playoff hockey the Kraken have experienced.

Kraken forward Oliver Bjorkstrand is knocked down, causing a scuffle (Photos by Liv Lyons)

Kickstart my heart, Matty

Massachusetts native Matty Beniers was quiet in the first game that he faced his “hometown” team, registering just two shots, a block, and a giveaway in Seattle’s victory over Boston on January 12th. Beniers made sure that his impact was felt by Boston immediately this time around, leading the Kraken on a rush that caught the Bruins off guard. As Seattle got the puck out of their own defensive zone, it seemed as though Boston sat back to watch the Kraken move up the ice. Seattle had a three on one opportunity just 40 seconds into the game, and before many fans had settled into their seats, Beniers had buried the puck into the Bruins net. A stunning start for Seattle, as the circumstances for this contest weren’t exactly in their favor. Coming off of an ugly loss to a bad and depleted team, playing the best group in all of the NHL, and wearing their reverse retro jersey’s that they had a record of 0-2-1 in. Beniers bashed the door in and dashed any idea that this game was going to begin poorly due to those circumstances, thanks to his quick start.

Bruins crack down on Kraken’s critical mistakes

Coming off that embarrassing shutout loss to a depleted San Jose Sharks team, Seattle needed to see a drastic change in effort and execution when they faced off against the Bruins. The Kraken were able to do (mostly) just that, pushing the pace against Boston from the minute that the puck dropped. Seattle was able to hold their own against the Bruins, but the iceberg that sunk Seattle’s vessel was the mistakes that they made in critical areas. Of the six goals that Boston tallied in the game, three of them came from Bruins' skaters who were left unmarked, while another was off a turnover at the blue line while the Kraken were on the power play. Mistakes happen in virtually every game, but the ones that Seattle made were far too critical, and they did so against a team that will make you pay for those errors every single time. While Seattle made numerous quality stops on Boston attacks, those few mistakes proved to be the difference between Seattle getting two of the biggest points in their existence as a franchise, and a heartbreaking loss in a thriller.

Two of Boston’s goals can be solely attributed to the talent and skill of the Bruins, those being David Pastrnak putting defenseman Adam Larsson on a highlight reel and Jake Debrusk’s wicked tip in that turned out to be the game winner. The puck handling and goal scoring ability of Pastrnak was on full display as he tallied his 42nd goal of the season, essentially dangling the puck in Larsson’s face like a ball of yarn, a nod at the defenseman’s “big cat” nickname. Debrusk’s tip looked like the puck had been remote controlled up and off of the pipes into the net as it came off of a quick snap pass by Charlie McAvoy at the blue line. A veteran team with a winning pedigree and a talented roster will get goals like that, the key to beating them is to not give away any “freebies.”

A reoccurring theme in those three goals that Seattle allowed where Boston skaters were left unmarked. was the inability of the Kraken to clear the puck out of their own defensive zone. Seattle failed to get that important clear down the ice or a break heading the other way, and it cost them big time. Boston’s ability with the puck already makes them dangerous, but when they’re able to cycle the puck and sustain offensive zone time? The best team in the league gets even harder to beat, if you can fathom that. Boston was able to stretch the Kraken out after numerous attempts, resulting in David Krejci being left wide open for his goal. Seattle was unable to clear the puck after a huge save on a wraparound, the Bruins shot a puck from the blue line and the resulting rebound bounced right to an unmarked Brad Marchand for his goal. Brandon Carlo’s goal came as his fellow defenseman Hampus Lindholm found him left unmarked on the backdoor for an easy chip in. Three goals, three unmarked men, three times Seattle left goaltender Philipp Grubauer out to dry like Sunday laundry. Those mistakes are ultimately what cost the Kraken this game.

Hanging with the heavy hitters

While it’s a loss that doesn’t give the Kraken any help in the standings (they fell to the first wild card in the Western Conference) this game should be looked at as more than just a notch in the wrong column. Seattle once again showed that they belong with the NHL’s elite and very well can topple one of them on any given night. Yes, the shutout loss to a bottom feeding team like San Jose is embarrassing, but the rebound effort against the league’s very best is encouraging as we head into the final two months of the regular season. Displays of selfless defense, versatile offense, and phenomenal goaltending showed what this team is capable of. In addition, all of tonight’s efforts were done without the help of forward Andre Burakovsky who is still week-to-week. A source confirmed to me earlier today that Burakovsky’s injury will likely keep him out for three more weeks, with the potential of him to come back sooner. While the Seattle forward lines have still been able to produce at a solid rate, getting the player that Burakovsky is back, adds a big punch to the lineup that can help push the team over the edge.

This Kraken team, and its franchise, has the wheels of success set in motion and the journey from here is a very promising one. There have been rumblings that the franchise has been linked to forwards such as Ryan O’Reilly, Timo Meier, and Bo Horvat, but I doubt that Seattle makes that big swing to acquire a new forward. The logical trade that makes sense would be a defenseman, and with the knowledge that contract talks with Carson Soucy aren’t going well, that is where my money would lie. But, all that considered, the most likely option is that the Kraken stay put at the trade deadline. This group is not perfect, but a change right now might not be the best course of action. Certainly upgrades could be made, but disrupting the situation that Seattle has may hurt more than it may help.

Kraken forward Yanni Gourde and Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron get down for a faceoff (Photos by Liv Lyons)

Continued room for improvement on specialty teams

While the penalty kill has seen some solid success as of late for the Kraken, particularly at home where Seattle has not allowed a power play goal in it’s last nine contests, the Kraken power play continues to look for it’s spark. The specialty team units have oft been viewed as what could truly take Seattle to the next level as a team, with their power play and penalty kill units ranking in the bottom half of the league for the vast majority of the season. The Kraken have tried a few different things out on their man advantage, but largely have failed to see much success and that leaves something to be desired. Is it too late in the season to continue to test out new options and looks on the power play, or is there belief that eventually what is being rolled out now will work at some point in time? As stated previously, the Kraken power play leaves something to be desired, not only for the way that it’s been run, but also because of the personnel that Seattle has for it’s man advantage play.

The Kraken penalty kill only came out once tonight, which is a good sight in it’s own right. Seattle avoided having to deal with Boston’s seventh ranked power play, which is a great way to avoid any issues with bringing out your 31st ranked penalty kill. Seattle has shown some solid effort on the man disadvantage, with killers like Brandon Tanev sacrificing their body in order to close lanes and makes the selfless plays that keep pucks out of the net. That unit has shown some steady, consistent improvement though unlike the power play. Had Seattle been able to strike on more than one of it’s four chances on the advantage, that one being a deflected Yanni Gourde pass off the stick of Charlie McAvoy and into his own net, the Bruins would have lost this game. That wasn’t the case, so the argument remains that with good special teams units, the Kraken would be an established top team in the NHL.

Where the Kraken stand after a shutout loss and this bruising battle

While yes there are positives to take away from this loss, the Kraken do fall out of the third spot in the Pacific Division and into the first wild card spot after tonight. Edmonton has climbed into the second overall spot, while Los Angeles now occupies third. These final 24 regular season games for the Kraken will dictate whether or not this group, made up of established Stanley Cup winning veterans, young talent that is getting better each shift, players fighting for a new contract, and those looking to redeem themselves after a rough campaign, can exceed expectations and reach the postseason. While there are several key matchups down the stretch that are worth circling (March 11th and 13th vs Dallas, March 18th vs Edmonton, April 1st vs Los Angeles, and the final two games of the season in April 11 @ Vegas and 13th vs Vegas), the Kraken currently have the “easiest” remaining strength of schedule the rest of the way. While that is nice to think about considering just how tight this divisional race is, the Kraken need to make that race matter. Seattle needs to play their game, play selflessly, and hold themselves accountable. We cannot be talking about defensive lapses leaving skaters unmarked in the months of March and April, it simply will not fly if this team wants to reach May hockey. Who knows, maybe a matchup with the Bruins is in the cards if the stars align just right.  

Quick notes

• Massachusetts native Matty Beniers' goal in the first period is his 19th of the season. He now has five points in the last four games (two goals, three assists). His goal also marks his 50th career point.

  • Beniers' 40 points lead all rookies, with Mason McTavish trailing with 32 points.

  • Tonight also marks his third consecutive multi-point game at home with his assist on Yanni Gourde's power-play goal. He tallied two points each against Philadelphia and Detroit.

• Jamie Oleksiak secured a career-high tonight with his second-period goal, marking the first time in his 11-year career that he has scored seven goals in a season.

• With his assist on Gourde's goal, Jordan Eberle notched eight points (three goals, five assists) in his last six games played.

• With his assist on Beniers' goal, Jared McCann has points in four consecutive home games (one goal, three assists).

• Vince Dunn's second-period goal marks his 10th of the season. He is now the 12th Kraken skater this season to score at least 10 goals.

  • According to NHL PR, Seattle became the first team with a dozen 10-goal scorers prior to its 60th game in a season since the Capitals in 1991-92.

• Jesper Froden notched his first point as a Kraken player and first NHL assist with his assist on Oleksiak's goal. This is his eighth NHL game, while the prior seven were with the Bruins.

• Tonight marks Yanni Gourde's fourth point in as many games. He had three points (two goals, one assist) against Philadelphia.

• Jaden Schwartz has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 14 career games against the Bruins, which leads the Kraken in career goals against Boston. 

The next stop on their voyage?

The Kraken will get a day off and a practice day prior to their next contest, a showdown with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like their contests against Boston, the Kraken marched into Toronto last time around and stunned the Leafs, now looking to do the same in Seattle. The Maple Leafs and Kraken will face off against each other for the second time this season on Sunday, February 26th with a puck drop of 4PM PST. Toronto will look a little different this time, as they made a blockbuster move for forward Ryan O’Reilly in an obvious win now move prior to the trade deadline. Seattle will aim to get some positive momentum rolling before they head into a four game, eight-day road trip.  

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