Analytics with Alison: Half Season Check-Up

Sunday's
win over Florida
marked the mid-way point in the Kraken's inaugural season. While the team's record may not be what they want it to be, the recently concluded six-game homestand included three wins that showed some of the team's best play thus far.

"We feel like our purpose is there on a night-to-night basis," Dave Hakstol said. "There are still going to be ups and downs within that…we've really had that (purpose) over the last month whether the results have been there or not."
So, aside from the scoreboard, how is the team playing? What's working, who's leading the way, and where are areas to improve?
Just as we did at the season's quarter mark
, we're taking a look at the underlying play of the Kraken by the numbers.
Let's dig in.

OFFENSE

Quick Look: In 5-on-5 play, the Kraken is actually outperforming expectations when it comes to what they create. Given how much shot quality the team has generated, Evolving Hockey has Seattle scoring 69.7 goals. Through 42 games, the Kraken have 74. The good news there too is that it's not just luck driving those results. The team has the 16th best shooting percentage in the league at present (8.05). Overall, Seattle's goal production ranks 25th in the league.
Notable Performances:
Jordan Eberlehas been a key part of the Kraken attack. When the season was 21 games in, he led the team in points and goals. Another 21 games down and the assistant captain is second on the team in points (all situations), has the best total shot quality of the season and, when rated out per 60 minutes of play, he's still second overall.

Jared McCannscored his 16th goal of the season Tuesday. That's the most on the team. He's also tied for the lead in 5-on-5 points and is outright first in points in all situations. He's right behind Eberle in individual shot quality, too.

Ryan Donato was a quarter season leader in shot quality and volume, but he wasn't yet getting the results. Now he is. He's built up a stat line that is third best in 5-on-5 play and is still shooting with the second best shot quality on the team.

DEFENSE

Quick Look: In terms of limiting what opponents can create, Seattle ranks eighth in the league in 5-on-5 shot quality against. According to Sportlogiq, they are top 10 in limiting not just shot attempts, but any shot on net, or any kind of shot from the slot. The Kraken are fourth overall in limiting rush chances (something that plagued them early in the season) and seventh in preventing cycle chances or any kind of quality chance.
Notable Performances:
Colin Blackwell had just come into the lineup after recovering from a lower body injury when we did our quarter season checkup, but he was already showing signs of making a defensive impact. That has continued through the first half of the 2021-22 campaign. With more games under his belt, Blackwell is still top two among Kraken skaters in terms of limiting opponents' shot quality and is top four when it comes to tilting the ice his team's way by not just preventing offense against, but creating more for his side.
Haydn Fleury and Will Borgen are two defenders who have been in and out of the lineup, but when they play, they are contributing. In terms of shot volume against, no Seattle skater has a lower total than Fleury, and Borgen boasts the lowest shot quality against among his teammates.
Who is tilting the ice the most? Borgen comes in first overall in shot quality percentage, followed by Jamie Oleksiak, Riley Sheahan and Blackwell.

GOALTENDING

Seattle's goaltending hasn't always been where any netminder or the team has wanted it to be, but three of Philipp Grubauer's best starts in terms of allowing fewer goals than what he was expected to based on the quality he faced have come in the last week in wins against Chicago, San Jose and Florida. His best game of the season was the Nov. 24 win over Carolina. The German goaltender turned away 2.32 goals more than expected.
Chris Driedger's season has been hampered by injury, but, like Grubauer, when he is on his game, the Kraken win. His best performance came on Dec. 14 in the 3-1 win over San Jose (1.55 goals saved above expectations), followed immediately by the 4-1 win over the Panthers in Florida (1.25 goals saved above expectations).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Penalty Kill: Even with a recent stretch of more penalties per game, the Kraken have played quite disciplined as a whole, taking 2.9 penalties per game, the fifth lowest rate in the league. And while the penalty kill ranks 21st with a success rate of 77.8% on the season, thus far, January has been the second best month for Seattle when playing as a unit of four with a success rate of 77.1% (the team's strongest month was October (85.7%). Who plays on the PK the most? Adam Larsson and Joonas Donskoi.
Power Play: The Kraken don't take a lot of penalties. They also don't draw a ton, clocking in with 2.9 penalties drawn (24th most in the NHL). November was the group's best month when the Kraken were scoring on one of every four power plays they had, but recent play has been quieter with four goals on 32 opportunities in the month of January. Your time of ice leaders are Eberle and Mark Giordano.
All data via Evolving-Hockey.com and Sportlogiq.