Kraken Chronicle
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The Heat is on! Seattle Kraken Split First Two Games With Calgary

By Chris Donovan

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 27: Will Borgen #3 of the Seattle Kraken roughs Andrew Mangiapane #88 of the Calgary Flames during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena on January 27, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 27: Will Borgen #3 of the Seattle Kraken roughs Andrew Mangiapane #88 of the Calgary Flames during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena on January 27, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
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Seattle Kraken hockey is back! Oh that feels good to say. The first games of the preseason tonight against the Calgary Flames were samples of who the Kraken are.  We got a chance to see the boys pick up where they left off last season. The team had a split squad event where players were looking to make an impression on the coaching staff.

Players looking for a chance to gel with current/probable roster players got a taste of NHL action. Half of the staff made the trip to Calgary, while the other half stuck around and hosted the Flames  at home.

Awesome night.

Preseason wins are fun, and the goal every night is to win a hockey game. The largest take aways from the preseason games are the individual efforts and plays (ask the Coyotes’ forward Logan Cooley how he’s feeling). Afterall, the team record does not matter once the regular season starts.

Road Game Highlights

At Calgary, the Kraken walked away with a 5-3 victory. That’s Kraken hockey baby! The big take aways included Spokane, Washington native Kailer Yamamoto scoring 2 goals, Tye Kartye picking up where he left off last season with a goal, and the defense chipping in 2 goals (one from Will Borgen and the other from Cale Fleury) from the blueline.

Kraken fans rejoiced when the hometown kid scored his first goal. Yamamoto’s second goal now has me believing that he is capable of contributing in a big way on this squad. He is a former 20-goal scorer with the Oilers, and I believe he has 25-30 goals in him this season. This is not wishful thinking, the kid can play.

It was fun to see players like Shane Wright, Ryker Evans, and goalie Chris Driedger. I am a huge Driedger fan and am pulling for him this season.

Home Game Highlights

Back home, the Kraken had more of the established fan favorites on the ice. Forwards Matty Beniers, Jordan Eberle, and Jared McCann, defenseman Vince Dunn, and goalie Philipp Grubauer all played tonight. Fans hoping to see their favorite players were treated to a pretty solid hockey game, that went to a shoot out.

The Flames won this one 3-2.

Last year’s 3rd round pick, defenseman Ty Nelson logged over 18 minutes in regulation and looked pretty solid most of the night. Keep an eye on this kid. The Kraken massively outshot the Flames 37-21.

Beniers and rookie 4th rounder Tucker Robertson scored regulation goals for the Kraken. Grubauer surrendered both goals, while backup goalie hopeful Joey Daccord looked impressive.

Not a bad night of Kraken hockey. We won one game, and lost a shootout.

Next up is a preseason matchup between the Kraken and the Vancouver Canucks. I hate this team. Regular season game or not, let’s beat them down. Thank you lord, we have hockey back.

Fear the deep!

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