Release the Kraken! Seattle Crushes Arizona 8-1
The Seattle Kraken laid a beat down on the Arizona Coyotes 8-1, setting the stage for the final six games of the regular season. The push for the playoffs comes down to the next few games, starting tonight against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Coyotes were never in this game. Seven different Kraken players scored (Jared McCann with 2, Jordan Eberle, Carson Soucy, Will Borgen, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Morgan Geekie, and Ryan Donato), which has been the theme this season.
The team currently has 13 players with double digit goals, and five with 19 or more (McCann has 37). The distribution of scoring has created matchup nightmares for the opposition. It doesn’t matter who is on the ice, the Kraken are a threat to score.
The team has scored five or more goals 20 times this season. Good lord that’s a lot of goals! When they score, they score a lot. The team has also been shut out just once this season.
Not too shabby.
Milestone stats from last night’s game include Vince Dunn’s 50th assist, and McCann’s 37 goal. He is now three away from the 40 goal plateau. Goalie Phillipp Grubauer collected his 33rd career Kraken win, pulling further away from Martin Jones as the franchise’s all-time leader.
Enough stats though. If you watched the game last night, it was fun seeing the team firing on all cylinders again. The team dominated from start to finish. The Stanley Cup Playoffs often are dictated by a team that sneaks in and finished the season red hot. Take a look at the Montreal Canadiens a few years ago. They had zero business playing in the Cup Finals. Especially against another Eastern Conference team in Tampa Bay.
Weird.
The Kraken need to get hot now and carry this scoring momentum into the post season. The goalies need to continue to play like they have been the past six games (allowing more than 1 goal only once).
The team takes on Vancouver tonight at 7:00pm PT.
The two teams are only 142 miles apart (or about a three hour drive) and geographically should be rivals. Vancouver (34-35-7) are not a .500 team. This game should be very winnable for the Kraken.
We need these 2 points.
Martin Jones will start tonight in net, while Collin Delia will man the crease tonight for the Canucks.
The Kraken win if…
McCann stays hot and gets on the score sheet. Dude is three goals away from 40. Let’s go!
Matty Beniers puts one in the net. This feels like a Beniers night. The probable rookie of the year is going to get it done.
Martin Jones plays like the Martin Jones from the first half of the season, not like the Martin Jones from the past few season. He has been spectacular at times and just good enough to win at times. He needs to play somewhere in between for the team to win tonight.
The Canucks win if…
Martin Jones has a breakdown or brain fart and lets in a lot of goals. He has done this too many times this season. The team has bailed him out too, but how many times can the offense carry them?
J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, and Elias Pettersson all score. It could happen. It might happen. Jones, don’t let me down.
Collin Delia plays like he is trying to win the Vezina Trophy. The Kraken can score. If he has a career game, its game over for the Kraken.
The puck drops shortly. Lets get a W
Fear the Deep!