Speaking of that defensive prowess, a point of emphasis for the Kraken will be transitional play. After the loss to Montreal, Hakstol pointed to an inability to execute in the neutral zone. That obviously affected Seattle's success in getting into the attack zone and creating offense. That area of the game will again be challenged against a Capitals team that plays a 1-3-1 forecheck in the neutral zone that sets up closer to their own blue line to try to limit entries against. If you can find a passing or skating lane against Washington, you're likely to get into the zone. They allow the most controlled carry-ins and passes against in the league. But, that neutral zone is going to be clogged up, and if you try to dump the puck through that defensive scheme, it's going to be hard to get it back. Only two other teams are better than the Capitals at limiting opponents' ability to recover pucks that are dumped in and if you are able to win that battle, while you may get a shot attempt off, it's likely not going to be a quality chance. Recovered dump-ins lead to scoring chances just 16.2-percent of the time when you're playing Washington (third lowest in the NHL).
"We have to move the puck quickly," Jared McCann said. "We can't let them get set. We have to get in the zone quick, put it behind their D. We have to put the puck in good spots so we can get it back and I feel like that's going to be a huge test for us."
