Kraken nearly mount fierce comeback, cannot overcome self-inflicted mistakes in 5-4 loss to Senators
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – A desperate and cagey Ottawa Senators team came into Climate Pledge Arena, looking to gain valuable points in their pursuit of a playoff berth while dealing with the task of ending Seattle’s five-game win streak. Ottawa pounced on the home team early, punching in three goals within the first ten minutes. The Senators nearly blew that lead in stunning fashion, as Seattle scored the next four goals unanswered. The Kraken were able to battle back in a scrappy way, but ultimately Seattle’s failure to clear the puck from their zone and mistakes in said zone resulted in numerous self-inflicted wounds that they couldn’t overcome. It’s been a storyline that the Kraken have lived out a few unfortunate times this season, including in the teams epic battle with the Boston Bruins in February. Seattle’s ability to finish off games like that Boston game, and tonight against Ottawa, are a factor in what will differentiate the Kraken from being good to great.
Things were chippy between the two teams all night (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Defensive duds destroy Seattle’s hope for a win
The Kraken’s defensive play has been their primary issue throughout their existence, and even during their win streaks as well as overall turnaround this season, that remains an issue. Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn was the one that compared tonight’s loss to the one the team suffered against Boston last month, and he’s right to do so. Considering that both contests saw the Kraken fight hard, score plenty, but ultimately fall because of they simply were not on their game defensively. Ottawa’s goals tonight all fall into two ugly categories: Seattle’s failure to clear the puck from their own zone and leaving a Senators skater unmarked/alone, sometimes both in the same play. The Kraken started the game out making those sorts of mistakes, and those horrendous ten minutes of screw ups set them back too far. Had the course been different and Seattle got out of the gate on the right foot, that lead never mounts and the Kraken settle in to play their game, likely coming away with two points.
“I think we were a bit casual and relaxed in the first ten minutes. Our recipe is pretty simple; it’s pucks north and establish a forecheck, that’s when we start to build our game and we definitely didn’t do that in the first 20 minutes as a whole. We turned it around, gave ourselves a chance to win, we just need to find a way to do it.”
“The start put us in a big hole, the penalty kill did a good job. They found a shorty that helped us out a little bit… we didn’t start on time tonight… we didn’t get out of our own end, and it cost us… we scored enough tonight, that wasn’t the issue. we gave up too much.”
Seattle’s defensive issues may be more than meets the eye, as Vince Dunn discussed after morning skate today. Dunn discussed how difficult it really is to have to make that split decision whether of covering a pass or trying to get in the crease. It’s not as easy as just pushing a skater out of the crease, Dunn mentioned. While players parking themselves in the crease has been an issue for the Kraken this season (and it still needs to be fixed), Seattle dealt with other “defensive duds” in this game. Not being able to get the puck out of your zone and up ice, while also leaving skaters open is an easy-bake recipe for goals against. We’ll go in order of goals, and discuss the different ways that the Kraken broke down similar to that of a nature valley bar on the defensive end. Firstly, defenseman Carson Soucy had his back to Ottawa’s Shane Pinto, leaving him wide open and free to tap in a pass as he had no resistance back door.
Kraken defenseman Justin Schultz tries to get the puck out of his defensive zone (Photo by Bryan Saldana)
“Goaltender groans”
As it seems I have to do nearly every game, I want to address the goaltender position. Yes, I’m addressing both tenders in this segment, just like a combo meal. I’ve been a documented supporter of Philipp Grubauer for a number of reasons, whether it be the lack of goal support he’s gotten while he’s been a Kraken, the tough positions he’s been put in, how he’s been hung out to dry by his defense. The German Gentleman has taken the criticism and sometimes hate (If you have hatred for the guy, you’re a lost cause. If you call yourself a fan of this hockey team, I don’t understand how you can openly spew hatred for the guy. Be better) in stride, never once making public comment about it. Instead he’s worked hard and had a pretty solid season since 2023 began as a calendar year. Now, I don’t think that he should have started tonight. After he was hung out to dry on the first two goals and he did let that third goal squeeze under his arm, Grubauer made many key, timely saves to make sure that lead didn’t grow as Seattle scored four unanswered goals. Considering that this was the fifth game he’s participated in a row (four straight starts, and finished the game before that first start as Martin Jones was pulled in Detroit), Grubauer is being thrown out again and again as a “hot hand,” which isn’t fair to him. If it was Jones, I’d say the same thing.
“He battled up through the PKs and did his job to help us dig back up.”
Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer vs Ottawa (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Martin Jones has done his job for being a rental meant to fill in until Chris Driedger returns and more, amassing a spot in the top ten of the league for wins. He played some solid games, was never really elite, but did his job as a fill in and it seems he’s started to lose any sort of magic that he seemed to have during his early season success. Jones has poor puck management, got beaten on several shots he saw all the way through when the team was in Detroit, and just doesn’t look very comfortable in the crease anymore. His time as a Kraken is up, and that shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody if they knew that he was just signed to be a fill in. Like I said in the Grubauer paragraph though, he should have started this game in order to 1) get back into his groove and start since he has been out since that Detroit game 2) Grubauer has been playing a lot as of late. Goalie management is important, and it’s something that Dave Hakstol was criticized for when he arrived here in Seattle. Making sure that you don’t “ride the hot hand” until it’s turned to embers is key, and you also get both goaltenders involved/keep them in a sort of rhythm. Jones should’ve started tonight, and while Grubauer did what he could, that mistake is on Hakstol.
The stills of Vince Dunn’s goal, and the celebration (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Vince Dunn has earned an extension
Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn is playing through the last year of the deal he signed with Seattle in the offseason prior to their inaugural season, and while general manager Ron Francis said that the organization has decided to push off signing any extensions or deals until the offseason, there shouldn’t be any debate on bringing back Dunn. Granted that he is amidst a career season points wise and expecting exact replication of those numbers can be foolish, his value to this team on multiple levels has grown apparent as the 2022-23 campaign has sailed along. Dunn has displayed leadership, offensive value, and is on the teams top defenseman pairing with Adam Larsson. In addition to those three notes, Dunn will be a restricted free agent offseason, so Seattle gets first crack at giving him a new contract to sign anyway. That should be an easy decision, and I’m hoping that Francis has the draft of that contract already ready to go in his computer inside the team offices at the Kraken Community Iceplex.
Dunn offensive toolkit was on display tonight, from the assist he notched thanks to his hard hit puck from the blue line that Jaden Schwartz tipped in for Seattle’s second goal to Dunn’s goal in the third period that gave the Kraken their only lead of the night. Dunn’s heavy shot from the blue line has been a helping factor in Seattle’s waves of scoring this season, and that has continued into the late months of the regular season when it’s needed most. While some may scoff at the fact that I’m discussing offensive input of a defenseman, Dunn also posted an impressive +4 plus minus rating. Considering that Ottawa put up five goals, that Dunn plays on the top defenseman pairing, and that the only player close to that plus minus on his team was a forward, that’s a damn solid night for the former St. Louis Blue. There should be no debate about whether or not Dunn “deserves a deal.” The next step in this process should be seeing how much dough Dunn will be receiving once the team opens up the check book.
“We responded well. I think overall we gave ourselves a chance to win it, just like that Boston game we couldn’t find a way to close it… those goals were on us… I thought we worked pretty hard… really tough to swallow that one… I think maybe just throw this one behind us… there was a lot of good, we know where it wasn’t so pretty… we need to get every point we can right now… we’re getting everyone’s best game. We can’t take anyone lightly.”
The Kraken celebrate Jared McCann’s first goal of the night (Photo by Bryan Saldana)
McCann making the moment his
Seattle forward Jared McCann is on some kind of tear, not only setting career marks but in doing so giving his hockey club the best chance that they can get. The Kraken have seen many different faces play a part in their offensive contributions, and it has hardly ever been just one skater, but it’s hard to downplay what McCann has been doing since the calendar year of 2023 began. McCann, on today which is the year anniversary of him signing a five-year extension with Seattle, has tallied 17 points over the course of a 14-game stretch and 30 points over 31 games since January 1st. He’s been an incredibly valuable piece to this offensive attack, and you could potentially argue that he’s helped fill in the hole left by injured forward Andre Burakovsky. Taking that into consideration, with Burakovsky taking the ice this morning skate before the main group practiced, you have to imagine the immensely positive impact that Burky will have once he’s back in the starting lineup for Seattle.
McCann has bloomed into a better, more complete hockey player as a member of the Kraken organization. When you think of Canner you’re often imagining his wicked snipe of a shot, among the league’s best in finishing. The former Maple Leaf, Panther, and Canuck has developed into so much more than that, contributing to Seattle’s penalty kill as seen tonight and becoming a player that affects all 200 feet of the sheet of ice. Perhaps on it’s only fitting that the forward had a standout performance on the date of that aforementioned extension. McCann recorded two goals on the night, the short handed pinball-esque goal that got the Kraken on the board, and the goal that tied things up and erased the three-goal deficit with some more pinball wizardry. Seeing this level of play and improvement in his game from the 26-year old is incredibly encouraging to see, especially in year one of his five year extension.
“Just wasn’t good enough, start wasn’t good enough. We didn’t come ready. It was a pretty simple message; if we wanted to get back in the game, we had to figure it out, and we did that. At the same time, we have to have a full 60-minute effort.”
Kraken kept themselves afloat after nearly sinking early, which is an encouraging sign
Yes, I get that it’s frustrating that this team lost a game like this and has done so before, like the Boston game we keep mentioning. Yes, these defensive issues that continue to persist such as failing to clear the puck, D-zone turnovers, and leaving skaters open like it’s a nudist beach are incredibly frustrating because of the fact that they persist. Yes, it is tough because of how tight the race in the Pacific Division is, let alone the Western Conference. I want to let it be know that I see that, it is felt, and it is acknowledged. I choose to look at a loss like tonight this way; Seattle showed tremendous fight, got grimey goals, and showed their mettle against a Senators team that is playing with their backs against the wall. There are some great positives to take from this game in terms of the fight shown from the Kraken, being able to rally from down by a three goal deficit, seeing Philipp Grubauer play solid after that deficit was mounted, the improvement on the penalty kill, etc. I have said it before in prior articles but it rings true, seeing progress in games like tonight are key foundation builders for the future of this franchise and the journey that they are headed on. It is really great that the team is pushing for a playoff spot in the second year of it’s existence, and they likely make it! But, they don’t live and die on this years potential playoff berth.
The goal, and it does seem like Ron Francis’ goal after all, is to build this franchise so that it’s stocked with talent for the present and the future. Not sacrificing the future in order to gain reinforcement in the present, hence why they stayed put at the trade deadline. Games like this help the team learn and it gives them character. For example, take the Kraken in overtime periods. They were winless in overtime before the team spent some hard time working on their free-hockey units and those overtime losses definitely sat with the players. Now, the Kraken have won the last seven games decided in the overtime period that they have played. It may have gotten lost in all the winning that this team has done, but they are still going to experience growing pains. Failing to close the lid on potential wins like this is a growing pain, and in due time (sooner rather than later, please!) it’ll be fixed. Another piece of the puzzle put together towards the greater goal of lord Stanley being hoisted inside of Climate Pledge Arena. It takes time, and these sports are about moments. These moments will build towards a greater goal, so enjoy them. The Kraken are working on solving that puzzle right now, enjoy this ride. It makes the journey more fun.
Quick notes
The Kraken went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill tonight. The team is now 30-for-31 on the penalty kill (96.8 percent) dating back to Feb. 14.
Jared McCann netted his 32nd and 33rd goals of the season tonight and now has 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in his last 14 games played. He has recorded at least a point in 12 of those 14 games.
Tonight's multi-point game is his tenth of the season.
Tonight was McCann’s fourth multi goal game of the season
He has scored a goal in each of the four games Seattle has played against Ottawa since the start of the 2021-22 season.
McCann's first-period shorthanded goal is his second of the season and third as a Kraken, setting a franchise record.
Jaden Schwartz extended his point streak to five games with his second-period goal. He now has seven points in the last five games (three goals, four assists).
Vince Dunn extended both his assist streak (six games) and point streak (eight games) and becomes the first Kraken defenseman to reach 50 points in a season. This is now his 12th multi-point game of the season.
This is his sixth game this season in which he has tallied at least one goal and assist in the same game.
He now has nine points (three goals, seven assists) in nine career games against the Senators. He has recorded at least a point in each of Seattle’s four meetings with the Senators since the start of the 2021-22 season, totaling seven points (two goals, six assists) in those games.
He’s the third Kraken to reach 50 points this season.
Daniel Sprong added a fourth point in his last three games against Ottawa with his assist on McCann's second goal. He has recorded a point in every game against the Senators since being traded to Seattle (two goals, two assists in four games played).
Tonight marks Yanni Gourde's eighth multi-point game of the season, with his assists on McCann's and Dunn's goals.
Yanni Gourde has joined the 30 assist club. Now three Kraken players with 30+ assists.
What’s next?
The Kraken will hit the practice rink tomorrow, looking to clean up some of their issues prior to the first of two big battles when the Dallas Stars come to town for two matchups in three days. The first of those two comes on Saturday, March 11th with a puck drop at 7PM PST. It will be a tall task for the Kraken to turn things around and be fully prepared for this Dallas team, who is coming off a 10-4 victory tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. To close out the month of March, Seattle will play nine games and seven of them are against teams that are jockeying for their playoff lives. Points will be harder and harder to come by for the Kraken, so they’ll have to find another gear quickly.