GDT: Game 64: Seattle Kraken(19-38-6) @ Arizona Coyotes(20-38-4) - 7:00 p.m. PT / 10:00 p.m. ET

[RainyCityHockey]

After giving up five regualrs in and around the trading deadline the Kraken are headed to Arizona to play the Coyotes who're on the exact same number of points(44) like the Kraken and last place Montreal.
It will be a challenge for the team and coaching staff given that they'll have to figure out new line combinations and have to find some chemistry to go along.

This will also be the third matchup with Arizona and the Kraken will be keen to win this one, trying to avoid being swept by an equally bad team that had given up on the season even before it started.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where are they playing?
Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona

When does the game start?
7:00 p.m. PT / 10:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 a.m. CET

How to watch?
RootSportNW, BSAZ, NHL Game Center, ESPN+

-------------------------------------------------------------

3 Keys to the game

1) Find chemistry
This will be a tough one for a Kraken roster which hasn't played together like this and needs to find chemistry within those lines.
Because of that Hakstol will have to simplify everything and try to find combinations that work. So maybe putting a guy like Donskoi on Gourde's line(who lost both of his wingers) might make some sense.

2) Try to stay solid and sound on defense
With all the moves made passing and offense might be a bit erratc(yeah, even more) which makes playing solid defensive hockey even more important in order to win a game or two.

3) Goaltending
Grubauer has been better as of late but no matter which one of the guys starts, they all still need to improve and given the players that were just traded away, the team will need all the stops they can get in order to win games.

-----------------------------------------------

Top Scorers:
Yanni Gourde: 16(G) - 22(A) ---> 38 points
Jared McCann: 23(G) - 13(A) ---> 36 points
Jordan Eberle: 15(G) - 20(A) ---> 35 points

Work Load:
Adam Larsson: 21:51 TOI/Game
Vince Dunn: 19:58 TOI/Game
Jamie Oleksiak: 19:02 TOI/Game

Netminders:
Philipp Grubauer: 14-26-5 / .889(SV%) / 3.20 GAA
Chris Driedger: 5-9-1 / .886(SV%) / 3.37 GAA
Joey D'Accord: 0-3-0 / .858(SV%) / 4.12 GAA

Top Scorers:
Clayton Keller: 27(G) - 34(A) ---> 61 points
Nick Schmaltz: 18(G) - 24(A) ---> 42 points
Phil Kessel: 7(G) - 32(A) ---> 39 points

Work Load:
Jakob Chychrun: 22:59 TOI/Game
Shayne Gostisbehere: 22:03 TOI/Game
Dylan Mayo: 20:53 TOI/Game

Netminders:
Karel Vejmelka 16-18-6 / .905(SV%) / 3.35 GAA
Ivan Prosvetov: 0-1-1 / .893(SV%) / 3.84 GAA
--------------------------------------------------

Should this be a fun one?
I don't really know given all the players that have been traded and the fact that the Kraken will probably need some time to figure things out.
Though, at least we'll see guys like Borgen, Fleury and now Lind(Francis said he'll be with the NHL team for the rest of the year) on a regular basis and can also have a look at newcomers Daniel Sprong and Viktor Rask.

Also, as the Kraken, Coyotes and Canadiens are currently tied at 44 points each(five points behind New Jersey and Ottawa) for the worst record, this will be another one of those games deciding who's going to enter the draft lottery at which spot.
Though, losing this one would also mean that the Kraken would get swept by the Coyotes and therefore another low point in this underwhelming(looking at the on ice product) season.

Anyways, let's still have fun and remember that we at least have an NHL team to follow, cheer for and moan about.

And of course....

Click to read more...

 

[The Marquis]

Glad we have a game to watch tonight.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

This is going to be fun today.

 

[wraparound]

excited to see what Sprong can bring & who Hak lines him up with. go squid!

 

[The Marquis]

Most I've been excited for a game in a while. 1. The only games I've missed were the two Arizona games. 2. It's a new look Kraken, so there'll be some new things to pay attention to. 3. Two teams fighting for the bottom.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Looks like Sprong is available for the game. No Rask though.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Grubauer in net. Seems like Driedger only plays if there are back-to-backs or maybe three games in five or six nights....

 

[The Marquis]

I kind of like those lines. Definitely looking forward to seeing them on the ice.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Interested to see how that 3rd pairing works out for sure. Also what Sprong can do.

Hope that Rask atleast gets a good look before the end of the season. We are already paying for him and have no cap issues, so why not give it a shot. He could easily play over Lind or Kuhlman on the roster.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Those lines look horrible. I'd be surprised if this team can win 3 games the rest of the way. They're going to need the D and goaltending to carry them to any victories if they do get them.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Those lines look horrible. I'd be surprised if this team can win 3 games the rest of the way. They're going to need the D and goaltending to carry them to any victories if they do get them.

LOL. What did you expect. We lost Johansson, Blackwell, Jarnkrok, Appleton. Those are part of our top-9 and 2 of them were arguably part of our best line in recent weeks with Blackwell-Gourde-Appleton.

It's going to be ugly for the rest of the season and I don't expect otherwise. I truly don't think the D losing Gio makes that much of a difference because the D has showed multiple times this season that they can play well without Gio. Lauzon is probably addition by subtraction at this time. No change in goalies.

 

[NiagaraKraken]

McCann on the 3rd line makes absolutely no sense

 

[NiagaraKraken]

Schwartz - Wennberg - Eberle
McCann - Gourde - Lind
Donato - Geekie - Donskoi
Sprong - Sheahan - Kuhlman

 

[Irie]

After giving up five regualrs in and around the trading deadline the Kraken are headed to Arizona to play the Coyotes who're on the exact same number of points(44) like the Kraken and last place Montreal.
It will be a challenge for the team and coaching staff given that they'll have to figure out new line combinations and have to find some chemistry to go along.

This will also be the third matchup with Arizona and the Kraken will be keen to win this one, trying to avoid being swept by an equally bad team that had given up on the season even before it started.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where are they playing?
Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona

When does the game start?
7:00 p.m. PT / 10:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 a.m. CET

How to watch?
RootSportNW, BSAZ, NHL Game Center, ESPN+

-------------------------------------------------------------

3 Keys to the game

1) Find chemistry
This will be a tough one for a Kraken roster which hasn't played together like this and needs to find chemistry within those lines.
Because of that Hakstol will have to simplify everything and try to find combinations that work. So maybe putting a guy like Donskoi on Gourde's line(who lost both of his wingers) might make some sense.

2) Try to stay solid and sound on defense
With all the moves made passing and offense might be a bit erratc(yeah, even more) which makes playing solid defensive hockey even more important in order to win a game or two.

3) Goaltending
Grubauer has been better as of late but no matter which one of the guys starts, they all still need to improve and given the players that were just traded away, the team will need all the stops they can get in order to win games.

-----------------------------------------------

Top Scorers:
Yanni Gourde: 16(G) - 22(A) ---> 38 points
Jared McCann: 23(G) - 13(A) ---> 36 points
Jordan Eberle: 15(G) - 20(A) ---> 35 points

Work Load:
Adam Larsson: 21:51 TOI/Game
Vince Dunn: 19:58 TOI/Game
Jamie Oleksiak: 19:02 TOI/Game

Netminders:
Philipp Grubauer: 14-26-5 / .889(SV%) / 3.20 GAA
Chris Driedger: 5-9-1 / .886(SV%) / 3.37 GAA
Joey D'Accord: 0-3-0 / .858(SV%) / 4.12 GAA

Top Scorers:
Clayton Keller: 27(G) - 34(A) ---> 61 points
Nick Schmaltz: 18(G) - 24(A) ---> 42 points
Phil Kessel: 7(G) - 32(A) ---> 39 points

Work Load:
Jakob Chychrun: 22:59 TOI/Game
Shayne Gostisbehere: 22:03 TOI/Game
Dylan Mayo: 20:53 TOI/Game

Netminders:
Karel Vejmelka 16-18-6 / .905(SV%) / 3.35 GAA
Ivan Prosvetov: 0-1-1 / .893(SV%) / 3.84 GAA
--------------------------------------------------

Should this be a fun one?
I don't really know given all the players that have been traded and the fact that the Kraken will probably need some time to figure things out.
Though, at least we'll see guys like Borgen, Fleury and now Lind(Francis said he'll be with the NHL team for the rest of the year) on a regular basis and can also have a look at newcomers Daniel Sprong and Viktor Rask.

Also, as the Kraken, Coyotes and Canadiens are currently tied at 44 points each(five points behind New Jersey and Ottawa) for the worst record, this will be another one of those games deciding who's going to enter the draft lottery at which spot.
Though, losing this one would also mean that the Kraken would get swept by the Coyotes and therefore another low point in this underwhelming(looking at the on ice product) season.

Anyways, let's still have fun and remember that we at least have an NHL team to follow, cheer for and moan about.

And of course....

I have to LoL that with all of the fans who live in or around Seattle, RainyCity, a guy in Germany, is easily our hardest working Kraken fan.

Thank you for all the GDT primers. You, my friend, deserve our HFB Kraken fan of the year award. (Is that a thing? Can we make it a thing? )

I gotta ask, what time is it where you live when the puck drops here in Seattle? That is some serious dedication.

While I know I have given you props in the past, I don't say it often enough. Your work is greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[Irie]

Looks like Sprong is available for the game. No Rask though.

Typical Hakstol.

The Kuhlman-Geekie-Sheahan line has been excellent at creating chances as a fourth line, so he breaks them up.

And same ol' same ol' of riding one goalie everywhere he's been to the detriment of the team, despite the entire hockey world questioning his decisions.

Guy is as stubborn as a mule.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Typical Hakstol.

The Kuhlman-Geekie-Sheahan line has been excellent at creating chances as a fourth line, so he breaks them up.

And same ol' same ol' of riding one goalie everywhere he's been to the detriment of the team, despite the entire hockey world questioning his decisions.

Guy is as stubborn as a mule.

Or is he playing 4D chess because he wants Wright to be a Kraken.

i genuinely don't care about this season any more. All I am going to be looking at individual performances and see how they do. Yeah, the lines don't make any sense but this is really not a real NHL roster. LOL.

 

[The Marquis]

It still rules to have the NHL in my home state. Still stoked and no less than I was in the very beginning. Hell, more even.

As for the lines. It looks like he's putting a highly effective line of vets together in the 1st and the rest are "developmental lines", or lines where young guys are playing with vets to perhaps help them improve and give them better opportunities to show what they can do. Now's the time to mess around with lines.

 

[The Marquis]

Or is he playing 4D chess because he wants Wright to be a Kraken.

i genuinely don't care about this season any more. All I am going to be looking at individual performances and see how they do. Yeah, the lines don't make any sense but this is really not a real NHL roster. LOL.

If the day after the expansion draft you took me in a time machine JUST to look at the lines in the above post and tole me they were from the first game after the first trade deadline, when I went back in time I'd know... without a single doubt, that the Kraken were going to be very very very bad.

 

[Irie]

Or is he playing 4D chess because he wants Wright to be a Kraken.

i genuinely don't care about this season any more. All I am going to be looking at individual performances and see how they do. Yeah, the lines don't make any sense but this is really not a real NHL roster. LOL.

Not sure Hakstol can spell 4D chess

Yeah, but the NHL is a team sport. Individual efforts are not a good thing in this sport.

Donato goes out and tries super hard with his indivdual effort every game, but he has poor chemistry with just about all his linemates. (there is a reason he is on his 4th team in 4 years - he scored 39 points in 84 games in Minnesota. he had 20 in 50 for a terrible Sharks team). Yes he puts up points and I absolutely love his effort, but if we look at his linemates production with and away from him, they almost all produce better away from him than with.

I want to watch forward lines that have chemistry and read off each other and make plays together. Not guys crashing into scrums in front of the net and when the puck luckily bounces on their stick they score. With the former, the scoring chances are consistent, if not the goals. The later, the goals and chances come in streaks and go cold for weeks at a time.

I am a firm believer in forward pairings. Find a center and a wing that have chemistry, and you can play them with almost any third wing, as long as the new addition understands their role, and the line will click.

That type of chemistry can take months of playing together to develop. Hakstol switches his lines up every 2 to 3 games. Guys that show chemsitry for three straight games are broken up when they go a game and a half without a goal, even if they are producing chances. It has made zero sense all season long.

 

[The Marquis]

I'm having a good laugh. Imagine if, the day the season started that somebody told you that at some point in the season, the Kraken second line was going to be Donato-Gourde-Kuhlman... I think at that point you'd be pretty well sure they were going to suck. I love my new NHL team, I really do, and I hope they do well, but lol. That's no slight on the players... but that ladies and gentlemen, is the Kraken's second line.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Not sure Hakstol can spell 4D chess

Yeah, but the NHL is a team sport. Individual efforts are not a good thing in this sport.

Donato goes out and tries super hard with his indivdual effort every game, but he has poor chemistry with just about all his linemates. (there is a reason he is on his 4th team in 4 years - he scored 39 points in 84 games in Minnesota. he had 20 in 50 for a terrible Sharks team). Yes he puts up points and I absolutely love his effort, but if we look at his linemates production with and away from him, they almost all produce better away from him than with.

I want to watch forward lines that have chemistry and read off each other and make plays together. Not guys crashing into scrums in front of the net and when the puck luckily bounces on their stick they score. With the former, the scoring chances are consistent, if not the goals. The later, the goals and chances come in streaks and go cold for weeks at a time.

I am a firm believer in forward pairings. Find a center and a wing that have chemistry, and you can play them with almost any third wing, as long as the new addition understands their role, and the line will click.

That type of chemistry can take months of playing together to develop. Hakstol switches his lines up every 2 to 3 games. Guys that show chemsitry for three straight games are broken up when they go a game and a half without a goal, even if they are producing chances. It has made zero sense all season long.

I hear you but hard to count on keeping lines for the remaining 19 games when we know things are going to change next season anyway. You get better players (on paper) and they are likely to push the worse players down on every lineup irrespective of the chemistry the line has. I mean look at the TDL acquisitions teams make. It's more about what a player is bringing than counting on chemistry to make things happen.

My hope is that next season COVID is not a factor and we have a fresh start where we can establish enough chemistry in development camp and pre-season so we can stick to lines. Right now, I think its more about showing Francis what you can do (for RFA/UFA players) so he can decide whether to re-sign them or not.

Oh and I know players in a line-blender is the first sign that coaches are at a loss on how to get things work. When you have chemistry through majority of the season but then lines get changed during small slumps, I find it hilarious that coaches try to mix things up to get better results instead of counting on the players to get the chemistry of a line that was already working back.

 

[The Marquis]

I should add, even if McCann-Geekie-Lind were the second line I might be worried, but with that line, at least at the start of the season we were all pretty high on the potential of these guys. A time machine would tell me "hey, maybe this worked out pretty well". As much as I like every guy on the Gourde line... it just feels so... I don't know... different.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

I should add, even if McCann-Geekie-Lind were the second line I might be worried, but with that line, at least at the start of the season we were all pretty high on the potential of these guys. A time machine would tell me "hey, maybe this worked out pretty well". As much as I like every guy on the Gourde line... it just feels so... I don't know... different.

I am very curious to see how we start out tonight. I would say Jarnkrok, Blackwell and Gourde have been one of the hardest working players for us this season. This team plays well when we come out hard and play with energy. Blackwell and Jarnkrok were a big part of that.

I would not be surprised to see a quick goal against us today if they come out slow. Also, what the hell is it with not starting Driedger. Tell Hakstol that the season is done and going 50-50 or atleast 60-40 between Gru/Driedger for the rest of the season should be fine.

 

[The Marquis]

I'd imagine he wants Grubauer to get his Vezina candidate mojo back, which can only happen if he plays, though I'm definitely going 50/50 the rest of the season just to see what I have in Driedger. Make them competitive for the spot. Might bring out the best in one or both.

 

[Irie]

I'd imagine he wants Grubauer to get his Vezina candidate mojo back, which can only happen if he plays, though I'm definitely going 50/50 the rest of the season just to see what I have in Driedger. Make them competitive for the spot. Might bring out the best in one or both.

This would be a good strategy imo. But listening to Philly fans, Hakstol absolutely ran Mason into the ground. I know in N. Dakota, he played McIntyre 42 games his last season and Johnson only twice. The following year, after Hakstol was gone, Johnson played 34 of 48 and led them to a NCAA championship, so it wasn't like there wasn't a decent option to allow his starter some rest.

Now the college schedule is shorter and the load is lighter, but 42 of 44 games for one goalie is nuts.