Kraken Dip?
Based on what we’ve seen so far from coach Dave Hakstol’s Seattle Kraken hockey club, it seems unlikely the team would experience a letdown at this stage of the season. It does, and likely will, happen during the course of the grind that is the 82-game NHL season, but now would seem a bit premature.
Why bring it up? Because when a team is sailing along with a 6-1-and-1 road record and coming off an impressive win against the Vegas Golden Knights at “The Fortress”, one could see a bit of an emotional dip Sunday evening in a much quieter Honda Center against a last place Pacific Division rival that has earned only 13 points. The Anaheim Ducks are 6-14-and-1.
The Seattle Kraken then play the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night to finish off the three-game trip. While we wait …
Let’s Skate !
The Edmonton Oilers moved to within five points of the Seattle Kraken in the Pacific Division standings on Saturday afternoon by scoring four unanswered goals in the third period to beat the New York Rangers 4-3 at Madison Square Garden.
Trailing 3-0 after two periods, defenceman Evan Bouchard scored twice, Dylan Holloway tallied his first NHL goal, and Leon Draisaitl scored a power played goal with two minutes remaining to finish off the comeback win.
The Oilers have the 4th most points in the division, 22, in twenty-one games played. The Kraken stand in second place with 27 points and will play their 21st game against the Ducks in Anaheim on Sunday evening.
Under Water
We’ve had a pandemic postpone hockey games, we’ve seen heavy snow postpone NHL games on occasion, and now a water main break becomes the culprit. The Nashville Predators have postponed two games thus far, Friday night against the Colorado Avalanche and Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, due to the event level at the Bridgestone Arena being under water.
The last home game played by the Predators was back on November 21st, a 4-3 shoot-out win over the Arizona Coyotes.
Make-up dates will be announced.
Greatness Personified
When we lose an NHL legend, we always hear countless stories of what made the particular player fantastic on and off the ice. In the case of Maple Leafs Swedish legend Borje Salming, we take things to a different level.
Salming went through a substantial level of physical and verbal abuse when he arrived on North American shores back in the early 1970’s. Undaunted by anti-Euro bias, the workhorse defenceman battled his way through to a Hockey Hall of Fame induction.
My words don’t due justice – my condolences to our mutual friends and acquaintances who knew him very well and can share endless stories of his greatness, and to his family and fans. Salming died Thursday at age-71 after a battle with A.L.S.
