Kraken Game Facts
This Evening: Seattle Kraken at Ottawa Senators
Where: Canadian Tire Centre
When: 4 pm pacific
TV/Radio: ROOT Sports NW / FM 93.3
Key Factors:
Starting goalies: Joey Daccord vs. Anton Forsberg
The Kraken visit Canada’s capital city, well, a rink about 30-minutes outside of the city, for tonight’s tilt against the Senators. Although the club doesn’t get the attention and coverage seen by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, the Senators are never short on drama. This season they have a new owner and they’ve cycled through numerous injuries, finding themselves in last place in the Atlantic Division with 16 points.
After losing in regulation to a struggling and rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks team and then losing in a shoot-out to the top-heavy Maple Leafs, the Kraken find themselves desperately needing a win on this road trip. The Hawks are a last place club, as are the Sen’s, and Seattle’s next opponent, the Montreal Canadiens, are next to last in the Atlantic.
One caveat; because of scheduling quirks, the Senators have only played 18 games this season, easily the fewest in the NHL and six less than the Kraken. Their records aren’t that much different.
The Senators played last night and lost 4-2 in Columbus to the Blue Jackets.
With veteran winger Jaden Schwartz out of the Seattle line-up for six weeks with a lower body injury, Firebirds captain Max McCormick was called up from Coachella Valley of the AHL to help the cause.
Winger Brandon Tanev skated this morning and is apparently a game time decision while Andre Burakovsky remains out having missed 18 games.
Who’s Hot? And Not …
Top winger Jared McCann has six points over his last five games for Seattle including a two-goal night against the Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Rookie winger Tye Kartye has a three-game point streak going.
First-line center Matty Beniers continues to seek some consistency in his offensive game. Although more engaged the past two weeks with his complete 200-foot efforts, the reigning Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie-of-the-year has put up just four goals and eight assists in 24 games this season.
Tim Stützle is a one-man wrecking crew against the Kraken. He tallied a hat trick in Seattle on January 7th, 2023 and has seven points in four career games head-to-head. The German forward leads his club in scoring with 22 points.
Otherwise, Ottawa’s scoring is well balanced with nine players in double-digits, reminiscent of the Kraken last season.
Special Teams
The Seattle power play went 1-for-5 in Toronto two nights ago and posts a solid 21.8% success rate for the season.
Seattle killed off two of three Maple Leafs power plays as the penalty kill slipped to 74.7% on the season. That’s seventh worst in the league.
Ottawa’s man advantage finds success 19% of the time which is 19th best in the NHL. The PK ranks 30th at 72.1%.
Coming In:
Kraken: 8-10-and-6 after Thursday’s 4-3 shoot-out loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
Senators: 8-and-10 after blowing a two-goal lead and suffering a 4-2 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.
Recent Kraken:
— High Energy Kraken Radio Man Fitzhugh Rolls Into His 3rd Season
