The Seattle Kraken are back in action tonight against the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers shut out the Kraken in a chippy affair, and they'll be without Mason Marchment tonight, who was at the forefront of many of those skirmishes. 

Marchment is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and did not travel with the team to Edmonton. With the 30-year-old out of the lineup, the Kraken are looking towards their youth to replace him, and tonight, that opportunity goes to their young finish sniper, Jani Nyman. 

Nyman has been out of the lineup since Nov. 23 and has played just 15 games this season. He's yet to get going and show the level of skill he demonstrated in his 12-game stint last season.

This campaign, Nyman's notched just three goals, but in his 12 games last season, he posted three goals and six points. 

A contributing factor is opportunity and the system, but Nyman is a high-level finisher whom the Kraken desperately need to score. This season, the 21-year-old is averaging just 10:14 of ice time, over three minutes fewer than he did last year when he averaged 13:59. 

"As I’ve said over and over again, Jani is a guy who needs to score goals, so we need him to score goals,” said coach Lane Lambert. “I think from a systematic, structural standpoint, he has to be solid and spot on with that. As we go along here, he’s growing in that area. The one thing I’m not worried about with Jani is his compete level. His willingness and want to get pucks. I’m looking forward to seeing him play."

If the previous practices are any indication, Nyman is slated to skate alongside Shane Wright and Kaapo Kakko on the third line. Stylistically, it's a good fit. Wright and Kakko are solid playmakers who are attentive on both sides of the puck. They should be able to find Nyman in high-danger areas if he can find open ice.

Unfortunately, the ice time opportunity isn't likely to increase. Wright and Kakko remain fighting for additional ice time, averaging 14:02 and 13:05, respectively. 

The ice time may still be low tonight, but he is playing with highly skilled players. If he can make the most of the opportunity, Nyman could begin to find himself on the ice far more often than in the press box. 

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