The Seattle Kraken have shown two things this season. One, that they can go on extended winning streaks. And two, that they can go on extended losing streaks. The Kraken stormed out of the gates this season and maintained a playoff spot for quite some time. That hot start was immediately followed by a stretch of games where points were tough to come by. Then, around the Christmas break [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/seattle-kraken/latest-news/five-things-the-seattle-kraken-want-for-christmas], the Kraken turned things around and put themselves back into a playoff spot. By the looks of it, the Kraken are continuing the trend, as they are losers of their last four games, three in regulation, and now sit outside of a playoff spot. These struggles with finding consistent results can likely be attributed to the Kraken’s lack of offensive production. They are currently scoring 2.75 goals per game, which ranks 25th in the NHL. Additionally, they rank 28th in shots on goal per game with 25.6 and rank 19th in shooting percentage, converting on 10.8 percent of their shots. If the Kraken want to be a defensive team that doesn’t shoot the puck very much, they need to convert on their scoring chances far more frequently. Their opponents tonight, the New York Islanders [http://thn.com/nyislanders], are a stout defensive team, ranking third in goals allowed per game at just 2.69. Shane Wright and Anthony Duclair (Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/15ae1e43-98af-4aa3-ab9c-20d040dcef1e.jpeg] Shane Wright and Anthony Duclair (Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images) Ilya Sorokin is playing at a Vezina Trophy level [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-vezina-trophy-rankings-islanders-sorokin-leapfrogs-capitals-thompson] this season, posting a .915 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average in 29 games. Offensively, the Islanders rank below average, ranking 22nd in goals scored per game, 18th in shots on goal per game, and 23rd in shooting percentage. On paper, it’s a fairly even matchup, but the Islanders enter tonight’s contest with a 6-3-1 record in their last 10; meanwhile, the Kraken are 4-4-2 in their last 10. Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. PST at Climate Pledge Arena, and a win would put the Kraken in a four-way tie for third place in the Pacific Division. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/17e77b75-782e-480a-8bca-104ab991225e.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
