Kraken (8-9-5) at Blackhawks (6-13-0)  | 5:30 p.m.

One: Go the Distance

One thing Dave Hakstol wasn’t pleased with in Friday’s loss to Vancouver was his team’s ability to move the puck up the ice and into offensive position. It was something he had the Kraken work on in a brisk practice Saturday before they headed to Chicago. “Our transition wasn’t very good last night…(we worked on) a couple pieces in practice for that.” The Blackhawks could provide an opportunity for Seattle to get back on their game – they rank 20^th in the league in allowed zone entry success rate (even strength play), although they are a little more stingy with zone exits allowing a 78.3-percent success rate against (16^th highest). Keep your eyes on Adam Larsson and Vince Dunn as well as Yanni Gourde who lead the Kraken in successful exit rates, as well as Alex Wennberg who leads the team in successful entries.

Two: Possession is 9/10 of the Law

The saying goes that when you physically possess something you have a stronger claim to it and that can loosely translate to hockey as well. If you can get the puck – you can work to create scoring chances -- something your opponent can’t do if you’ve kept the puck from them. Getting the puck is something the Kraken have been successful at this year. The team has led the league most of this season in Takeaway plus-minus (number of takeaways minus number of giveaways) and they will be playing against a team that has had 20-plus giveaways in their last two games (averaging 9.78 per 60 minutes of play). But getting the puck can’t be the only priority. As much as the Blackhawks give the puck away, they have the second-highest rate of takeaways per 60 minutes of play. Being heavier on the puck and keeping it on Kraken sticks will need to be a focus especially after the game versus Vancouver where the Canucks generated eight scoring chances off Seattle turnovers.

Three: Know the Foe – Chicago

The Blackhawks are in a rebuilding phase but that doesn’t mean this is a game to take lightly for Seattle. One of the newest players on the Chicago roster is the 2023 first overall draft pick, Connor Bedard whose electric play and ability to create something out of nothing has been the stuff of numerous internet highlight clips. In fact, among all NHL forwards this season, he creates the tenth most scoring chances per game (3.6 per Sportlogiq). He’s also generating the fourth most rush chances per game. There’s another rookie on the blue line Seattleites might recognize. Kevin Korchinski, who played for the Thunderbirds the last four seasons, and it looks like the 19-year-old is sticking at the NHL level.

For the team as a whole, the Kraken will need to be on their game in terms of puck battles and possession. Chicago has found the sustained ability to create off the forecheck – getting 2.8 scoring chances per game that way (third most in the NHL). On the special teams side, the Kraken will need to be focused on 5-on-5 play. Chicago doesn’t take a lot of penalties – just 3.4 per game which is the ninth lowest in the league – so power play opportunities may not come easily.