Kraken Game Facts
This Evening: Minnesota Wild at Seattle Kraken
Where: Climate Pledge Arena
When: 6 pm pacific
TV/Radio: ROOT Sports / FM 93.3
Key Factors:
Starting goalies: Filip Gustavsson vs. Joey Daccord
The Wild have had their ups and downs this season. Big ones in fact, resulting in the 2nd in-season coaching change of the 2023-’24 NHL campaign. (The Edmonton Oilers swapped coaches earlier in November).
John Hynes won his first four Wild games after taking over for Dean Evason on November 27th and then lost his next two. That’s where he stands as Minnesota hits Climate Pledge Arena ice this evening. He told us about the transition in a conversation after the morning skate. (see video below)
Minnesota has the worst penalty kill in the NHL.
The Kraken have tied the second longest winless streak of their existence, seven games (0-5-and-2).
Goalie Philipp Grubauer went down to injury near the end of the 2nd period Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning and is out. Chris Driedger was called up Sunday from the Coachella Valley Firebirds to back up Daccord.
D-man Justin Schultz was hit in the face with a puck against the Bolts and is out. Big blueliner Jaycob Megna was also called up from the Firebirds.
Who’s Hot? And Not …
Left wing Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist against the Edmonton Oilers two nights ago while winger Marcus Johansson and rookie D-man Brock Faber both had two assists.
Little Norwegian winger Mats Zuccarello leads the club with 27 points. Russian star Kirill Kaprizov is next with 23.
Jared McCann has been one of the more consistent Kraken, picking up another goal on Saturday night and leading the team with 13. He has four over his last five games. Defenseman Vince Dunn is Seattle’s leading scorer with 22 points and is a point-a-game player on home ice.
Spokane native Kailer Yamamoto has just six points in 28 games, part of the Kraken’s collective lack-of-scoring in the bottom six.
Special Teams
The Wild went 0-for-2 on the power play in Edmonton on Friday while giving up two Oilers goals on four chances while on the penalty kill. The Wild PP overall is 22nd in the NHL with an 18.2% success rate. Their PK is the worst in the league at 70.8%.
The Kraken went 1-for-5 against the Bolts on Saturday night which put the season PP rate at 21.1%. The Seattle penalty kill held Tampa Bay (0-for-2) off the board, and the overall PK rate of effectiveness is gradually improving, now at 76.3%.
Seattle has killed off nine consecutive opposing power play chances on home ice through four games.
Coming In:
Wild: 9-12-and-4 after a 4-3 loss to the Oilers on Friday night.
Kraken: 8-13-and-7 following their 4-3 overtime defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning last night.
Game Day Kraken:
— Sunday’s exclusive “Simmer’s Morning Skate” with Wild head coach John Hynes …
