Two: Getting Defensive
The aforementioned Dunn and whether he plays Sunday is a question mark but no one in the locker room or coaches quarters is doubting poised, looks-like-he-belongs rookie Ryker Evans won’t deliver more solid shifts. It’s more that Dunn has grown into a catalyst role with Seattle, prompting Dave Hakstol to offer in a recent interview that Dunn is a player who consistently delivers in big moments, carry-the-team-on-his-back sort of shifts or periods that Hakstol rarely assigns to any of his players. Dunn has been missed, no question. But testing Evans in the interim (with more than passing grades on most shifts given all NHL rookies learn on the fly and make mistakes – the latter one that steeled veterans now how to process quickly and get ready for the next play, shift or game – is a (granted, unwanted) byproduct of Dunn’s absence that will pay dividends for this season’s playoff hunt and Kraken seasons to come.
Another carry-on-his-back player on this roster is goaltender Joey Daccord, who has delivered the goaltending of Kraken hockey operations dreams since Philipp Grubauer went on the injured list. Grubauer, on long-term IR but mostly to afford some cap room if needed during a week with uncertainty of a team fighting off illness, did the same clutch work during last year’s playoffs. Grubauer was on the ice as a full participant for Saturday’s practice, and so was Chris Driedger. In sum, expect Daccord to be in the home crease for, take note, Sunday’s 6 p.m. puck drop.
Three: Know the Foe: Toronto on Second Night of Back-to-Back Games
Toronto is loaded with scoring talent and Auston Matthews (37 goals) is a legitimate American-born star. But no fans should overlook the scoring wares of Mitch Marner (20 G, 30 A) and William Nylander (leading the Leafs with 23 goals and 38 assists for 61 points) among others, such as future Hall of Famer John Tavares (12 G, 22 A). The Maple Leafs dropped a 6-4 affair in Vancouver Saturday night, mostly due to a low-energy first period. Toronto looked much more like a Stanley Cup Playoffs qualifier during the ensuing 40 minutes and the Kraken no doubt will be expecting that scoring-chances machine from the first shift Sunday. Marner called the Leafs’ first period in B.C. “pathetic” and will be top of mind for the visitors looking to stay apace in the rugged Atlantic with Boston comfortably in first, Florida with a bit of separation in second, and Tampa Bay, Toronto and resurgent Detroit (where Steve Yzerman openly has referred to building a roster of depth scoring modeled on what GM Ron Francis has done in SEA) all battling for the third-place guaranteed playoff spot. Ex-Kraken goalie Martin Jones has started 10 of the last 11 for Toronto, bringing his winnings to an unstable goaltending situation earlier in the season. But he played Saturday and the up-and-down Ilya Samasnov (.863 save percentage with five wins in 16 appearances) is expected in net.
