Kraken Ahead
We’ll try not to get ahead of ourselves with the Seattle Kraken and their six game winning streak. Ahead, as in looking too close at the match-up in Boston Thursday night against a Bruins team that hasn’t lost a home game in regulation this season (19-0-3).
Could the spunky, determined Kraken lads from the Pacific Northwest get ‘er done?! It could be very interesting.
For now, how about win number-five out of five on this seven-game road trip that has included victories over the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, and Buffalo Sabres.
“We just keep working on it, that’s all this is,” Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said Tuesday night after the 4-3 win in Buffalo. “We’re not quite halfway through the year. These guys work hard together, they care about having success together. You have games like this, on a back-to-back, it doesn’t look all that good. It doesn’t look pretty, but that’s a great win. It’s a great win for our group to be able to stick together and find a way to get it done. We get a quick day off and we go into one of the toughest buildings in the league.”
“We kind of grinded this one out tonight, but it’s two points, and we’ll take off,” Kraken defenseman Justin Schultz said postgame. The 32-year-old contributed a goal and an assist for the second time in three games.
After the Boston challenge, the Kraken finish up the road trip in Chicago on Saturday against the struggling Blackhawks.
Coaches Named
When Kraken rookie forward Matty Beniers dresses for the Pacific Division All-Stars on February 3rd and 4th in Florida, his coach will be Bruce Cassidy of the Vegas Golden Knights. By virtue of being the first place team at the midway point of the season, the man they call “Butch” gets the honor.
The NHL also announced that Jim Montgomery from the Boston Bruins will coach the Atlantic Division, Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes the Metro, while Pete DeBoer of the Dallas Stars will lead the Central.
— Check out: Cool Details on the Seattle Kraken hosting the NHL’s next Winter Classic.