Driedger Enters Protocol

When the Kraken stepped onto the ice at Climate Pledge Arena Sunday morning in preparation for Monday's 2 p.m. matinee matchup with Chicago, Philipp Grubauer manned one net but there was a different, yet familiar, face at the other end of the ice.

Seattle goalie coach Andrew Allen strapped on Chris Driedger's pads to take shots during the practice session. It was a fun moment in practice but the reason was not enjoyable.
"Chris entered the protocol this morning," coach Dave Hakstol said. "That'll mean, for tomorrow's game, obviously, we have to recall a goaltender. Most likely, just due to some logistics and actual weather, it will be [Antoine Bibeau] to be recalled for tomorrow's game."
Driedger is coming off a second straight strong start for the Kraken. He made 19 saves, allowing two goals, against the Los Angeles Kings during a 3-1 loss on Saturday that included a late empty-net goal for L.A.
Bibeau has yet to appear for the Kraken. In 10 games with the Allen Americans of the ECHL, he has a 6-2-1 record with a goals-against average of 2.74 and a .928 save percentage. Over his career he's played four NHL games - two games each with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2016-2017) and the Colorado Avalanche (2019-2020).

Kraken Looking to Solve One-Goal Games

Saturday's
3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings
was a tough, tight and defensive struggle in which the Kraken came up on the short end. Acknowledging the Kings' third goal was scored on an empty net in favor of a sixth Kraken attacker, the game was effectively a one-goal game.
It was the same as Thursday's 2-1 loss in St. Louis and a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche last Monday.
Hakstol says they are continuing to work on improving their performance in tight contests.
"We're competing and battling and as you get into those tight one-goal games, little things make the difference," Hakstol said. "Finding a little bit more offense is part of it, but we have to just continue paying attention to detail and paying attention to the defensive side of the game. We can tighten up a little bit more.
"On the other side, we have to find a way to generate a little bit more offense. We scored one goal [Saturday]. We had some other opportunities, but not enough. We didn't generate enough, especially 5-on-5 in that hockey game last night. So, it's something that will be a focus for us [Monday]."
It's not just Hakstol who said the Kraken are playing competitive hockey. Kings coach Todd McLellan was impressed with how hard Seattle worked Saturday.
"It was a battle, a fight for ice both ways," McLellan said. "They checked hard. They closed the gaps [between onrushing opponents and Kraken players, typically defensemen].
"They took space away, won some races to the pucks. We did the same thing. Very tight game and then both goaltenders made some good saves when they had to."
The Kraken need to keep that battle level high but find one or two more timely goals, including getting a second goal if they score first. That's how Los Angeles finished the Saturday matchup on top.

Lines tweaked Sunday, or Are They?

Hakstol's line combinations looked a little different Sunday than they did for Saturday's game.
Jared McCann was still centering a line with Marcus Johansson and Jordan Eberle but the second line featured Ryan Donato playing on Yanni Gourde's wing opposite Calle Jarnkrok. Alex Wennberg skated with Joonas Donskoi and Mason Appleton on the wings. Alex True remained at center on a line with Riley Sheahan and Colin Blackwell.
Were these combinations an attempt to generate more offense?
"We just went out and got a good skate in," Hakstol said. "What you saw out there today wasn't necessarily indicative of what will be tomorrow."
With no morning skate Monday before the 2 p.m. start (ROOT SPORTS Northwest, KJR-950, iHeart) fans will most likely not know the actual lineups until the team hits the ice for warmups.