3 Keys to Victory for Seattle Kraken at Carolina Hurricanes
Coming off of the most exciting game of the season, the Seattle Kraken (2-4-1) are heading to Carolina to take on the ‘bunch of jerks’, also referred to as the Hurricanes (3-4-0). These two squads faced each other last week with the Kraken coming away with their first win of the season, a 7-4 blowout.
The Kraken have not played very well this season. The penalty kill has been outstanding, the defense has done their job, and for the most part the goalies have been great. Offensively though, they have been dreadful leading to me saying they have not played very well. It is hard to blame anybody other than the offense when the majority of the games the team has scored 1 or fewer goals.
Carolina on paper seems to have the opposite problem. The team has zero issues scoring goals, but can’t seem to keep them out of their own net. Both of their goalies have a goals against average above 4.14, and a save percentage below .820, yikes.
These numbers once again bode well for the Kraken’s chances to win this game. Coming off of a huge win in Detroit how can the Kraken use that momentum to win against the Canes? Let’s take a look at the 3 Keys to Victory for Seattle Kraken at Carolina Hurricanes.
Seattle Kraken need goals
This is pretty simple, we need to score goals to beat Carolina. The last time Seattle faced them (as in last week), Carolina was missing their best player Sebastian Aho. This time, he is in the lineup. Carolina put up 4 goals in Joey Daccord without their best player, so this team can score.
If the Kraken are going to win they will need at least 5 goals. That may seem like an impossible task, but in the games that the Kraken have scored more than 1 goal, they have put in at least 5 (if that makes sense). The Kraken score in bunches, they did that last season as well. Tonight they will need to bring their best.
Last game the Kraken big guns finally showed up and Seattle put up 5. Let’s hope that they are awake now and out of their respective slumps. Matty Beniers, Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, and the should-be-captain Jaden Schwartz need to score. I’ll go specific here- if all 4 of these guys score, the Kraken will win.
The Kraken need to limit the penalties
The Kraken penalty kill has been outstanding this season. Last game was the first time that they allowed a power play goal (they gave up 5), and showed signs of slowing down. The Kraken almost beat themselves with the stupid penalties. Against Carolina they will need to play smart, disciplined hockey.
This starts with not panicking and moving their feet. Majority of stupid penalties are retaliations, hooks/holds out of desperation, or a player caught out of position and trying to make up ground. Just play smart, disciplined, mistake free hockey. One shift at a time, one period at a time.
If the Kraken commits 3 or fewer penalties and the PK can stop all three power play opportunities, then the Kraken will skate away with a win in this one.
Vince Dunn needs to continue his Norris Trophy level play
Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn is already having an incredible season just 7 games into the campaign. This season he has scored 1 goal, 6 assists, and 7 points, to lead the team in scoring. He has also been solid in the defensive zone.
Dude is worth every penny of his 4 year, $29,400,000 contract that he signed on July 21, 2023. Carolina has slipped since playing the Kraken, I called them out, they are massively overrated. But they can score, and the Kraken can’t. Dunn is going to need to have an all-star caliber game for the Kraken to shut down the high scoring Canes, as well bury the puck in the Carolina net. He is the straw that stirs the drink, and the team needs him play like a Norris Trophy defenseman.
Kraken injuries
Brandon Tanev- IR (OUT)- Lower body injury
André Burakovsky- OUT- Upper body injury
This game is an early one, the puck drops at 4:00 PM PDT at PNC Arena on ROOT-NW. Let’s go boys!
Fear the deep!