One: Powering Up the Points
The Kraken have now earned nine of a possible 12 points in their last six games. It’s not a coincidence the squad’s power play success has ramped up along with the 4-1-1 record against playoff contenders and/or postseason mainstays. The official power play percentage of success in this stretch is 35.7, pretty much double Seattle’s mark over the first 25 games of the season. Vince Dunn’s return to the power play has certainly been a difference-maker. Coach Dan Bylsma’s take is the second goal in Thursday’s decisive 5-1 win over Boston as a power play goal of sorts; Jaden Schwartz’s wicked backhanded upper corner shot scored just four seconds after the power play ended.
The second one wasn’t a power play goal, but you only get so many opportunities on the power play in games,” said Bylsma post-game. “It came right after our third power play [of the first period]. I count is a power play [with penalized Tampa Bay forward and Liberty Lake, WA, native Tyler Johnson not back into the play]. It was huge to those two early goals.”
Two: Wright On, Same for Bjorkstrand and Tolvanen
The Eeli Tolvanen-Shane Wright-Oliver Bjorkstrand line continues to look even more in sync, scoring a textbook goal in the third period. It started with Wright keeping the puck in the Boston end by winning puck battles along the right sidewall. Seconds later, Wright was behind the goal line to support Tolvanen, who won his own puck battle, moving the puck to Wright, who rapidly set up Bjorkstrand at the high slot for the Danish forward’s second goal of the night and 11th of the season (now tied with Jared McCann). Plus, Bjorkstrand had wheeled into the scoring spot after being under the goal line himself to help on the forecheck. Bjorkstrand have five goals in his last five games and Wright’s line is 6-5-11 in the ten games since his reset.
“That line is feeding off of each other,” said Bylsma. “The stability of Tolvi and Oliver [as linemates] is something Wrighter feeds off of. They feed off the physicality Tolvi brings every night. It allows that line to be a good offensive-zone line. I’ve seen them off the ice, talking to each other, going over their game. They are more engaged as a group.”
Three: Know the Foe: Tampa Bay 5-4-1 in Last 10 Games
Tampa Bay looks to be finding its groove on a four-game road trip that ends in Seattle on Saturday, beating Vancouver (4-2) and Calgary (8-3) while falling 2-1 at Edmonton in between. The TBL stat totals are eye-popping to understate it. Brayden Points has 19 goals, and Brandon Hagel has 13 and 20 assists. Nikita Kucherov notched his 14th goal Thursday in Calgary and added five assists (not a typo), tying a franchise record, and now has 30 assists on the season. Jake Guentzel had a hat trick Thursday and is scoring at a point-per-game clip in his first year with TBL, including 16 goals. All that, plus goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is looking like his elite self after early-season struggles. With Philipp Grubauer being the first goalie off the ice at morning skate and Joey Daccord staying out for a longer workout, it appears Grubauer gets the start, coming off his best game (5-1 over Boston) of the season per Dan Bylsma post-game Thursday.
