Time: 7:00 p.m. PT | Watch: Kraken App & Website (live stream) | Listen: 950 KJR
One: The Balance Between Build and Battle
Going into the final week of camp, Dave Hakstol said that the primary focus was to build cohesion within the team both with each other and to the team’s systems, while also providing opportunity for the individual battles for roster spots to play out.
There are two pre-season games left including tonight’s contest, and as is the case with most NHL training camps, the final game is expected to be as close as possible to a dry run for the opening night roster. That means that this matchup against the Canucks is one of the final chances that players will have to stake their claim to a place with the NHL club.
Hakstol said after Monday’s game that the coaching staff would put a lot of thought into “who’s earned another opportunity or what spots we can get guys in.”
“We’re down to limited opportunity there,” Hakstol said. ”The final pre-season game is in the next few days…you start turning your attention to getting ready, to getting prepared to open your season in a week.”
Two: In Transition
With four pre-season games behind them, Hakstol has seen a lot of good things from his group. In Monday’s game versus Edmonton, the head coach liked his team’s mentality in the offensive zone. The Kraken generated the majority of shots taken on the ice (61% of 5-on-5 shot attempts) and were getting looks from the more dangerous areas (63.6% of 5-on-5 high-danger chances). But one area of Seattle’s game that still needed some fine tuning according to Hakstol was transitional play. After all, getting into the offensive zone and gaining possession is an essential precursor to any scoring chance.
“We’re a little bit slow (in transition),” Hakstol said Monday night post-game. “(That will come with) repetition and cohesion and getting back to it. We had some good (moments) but consistently we have to be quicker.”
Expect the continued presence of Andre Burakovsky to be part of that improvement. In the 49 games that the winger played last season, he led his team in carry-ins that led to a shot on net, and carry-ins that led to a scoring chance.
Three: Change of Scenery
These two teams are familiar to one another, but they’ll be meeting in a somewhat unfamiliar place. Tonight’s game takes place in the Abbotsford Centre, the home of Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Located 118 miles north of Seattle right across the US-Canada border, this will be a fun opportunity to connect to another franchise’s developmental roots.
The location won’t be the only difference. Kraken faithful can catch all of the game action on the team website or via the Seattle Kraken app where the Vancouver feed will be live-streamed. Seattle fans may recognize a familiar voice on the call as Dave Tomlinson, radio color commentator for the past two seasons, has joined the Canucks broadcast as an on-air analyst.
