Seattle look to extinguish the Flames: previewing the Kraken hosting Calgary
By Silvia Leija-Rosas, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - After a big home win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday October 17th to begin this five-game homestand, the Seattle Kraken will face the Calgary Flames tonight at Climate Pledge Arena at 7PM PDT as they host their first ever Hispanic Heritage night. Amazon Prime members in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska can watch the game on Prime Video or on Tegna-affiliated channels, including KONG TV for Seattle-area viewers.
It's been an uneven start for the Kraken, who have alternated wins and losses to start the season. Seattle's two wins have come with some huge scoring with five goals against the Wild, seven goals against the Predators, putting them second in the league for total goals-for. When the top three lines are producing, the whole team seems to wake up, but there is just something about the Kraken defense that continues to be a thorn in the teams side. Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans have definitely stepped up, especially with Vince Dunn’s ice team being reduced before going day-to-day, the small lapses in defense leave the Seattle goaltenders out to dry and there is only so much stretching for a puck a guy in all those pads can do.
With a Calgary team that is so far undefeated and with a league-leading +9 goal differential, the Kraken will want to make sure that puck stays clear out of their zone. The Flames are also leading the league in shooting percentage, so they are obviously creating opportunities that have resulted in this perfect start. In fact, the Kraken need to take a page out of the Flames book and start taking chances when they’re right up against the goal. Say it with me everyone: net front presence! The Kraken need to start treating that blue paint like their best friend. It’s how Jordan Eberle scored his team-leading fourth goal against the Flyers. Through their first few games, Calgary’s most-likely starter in net, Dan Vladar demonstrated a weakness for shots net-front. That chemistry Seattle is finding will yield results, especially against a team like Calgary if they can keep the puck tilted in their favor.
Tonight’s players to watch
Yes, it’s me, the Kraken’s fourth line’s biggest fan. Yanni Gourde’s line has controlled 66.7% of the shot quality through the first five games so far. His pass fight for the puck against the boards and subsequent pass to McCann set up Eberle’s second period goal on Thursday. In five games, he’s notched three assists and already recorded two fights. Again, when the top lines aren’t at their full capacity, Gourde and his wingers are coming in to make up the difference.
Jared McCann is also one goal away from netting his 100th goal in Kraken colors. McCann comes into tonight’s game with goals in back-to-back games for a total of five points over that span. Add defenseman Brandon Montour to the list of players as well, as he tonight’s game after netting his first goal as a member of the Kraken in Seattle's game versus Philadelphia last time out. He leads all Kraken skaters in shots (19) and is tied for fourth in hits (8). Montour joined the Kraken during free agency after winning the 2024 Stanely Cup Playoffs with the Florida Panthers. The blueliner has five assists in 17 career games against Calgary.
The Flames’ Matt Coronato has yet to play a regular season game in Seattle, but left the Sept. 22 preseason game with three points (1G-2A). And despite only playing two out of the four wins for Calgary, the 21-year-old is arriving to CPA with a +4 rating. With Sam Honzek still out, Coronato will remain in line with Calgary’s top unit and definitely a fun game to watch. Another Calgary skater to keep an eye on is Rasmus Andersson. Andersson enters tonight’s game leading all Flames skaters in points with six (2g/4a). He netted his second goal of the season on Oct. 13 in Edmonton, recording his 24th goal on the road, which ties him with former Calgary blueliner, T.J. Brodie, for the 7th-most by a defenceman in Flames franchise history. Andersson also recorded a team-high 24:58 TOI in Edmonton. He has 10 points (2g/8a) in 11 career games against the Kraken.
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