With the Seattle Kraken struggling, the team acknowledges the importance of this stretch of games before the Christmas break.
With just two wins in their last eight games, the Seattle Kraken are reeling, and tonight's contest only intensifies their struggles.
The Kraken will host the NHL's league-leading Colorado Avalanche and their abundance of talent. Nathan MacKinnon is firing on all cylinders this season, leading the NHL in goals and points, Cale Makar is on pace to record 100 points, and secondary scorers Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen are on pace for career-highs.
They blend offense and defense better than any team in the NHL and will be the toughest test for all 31 other teams all season long.
The Avalanche are the last team anyone wants to face when struggling, but they are next on the docket for the Kraken, and picking up two points before a road trip is vital.
“Tonight is a big test. These next five are crucial,” said defenseman Brandon Montour.
The Kraken's team defense hasn't been as potent as it was earlier in the season, but by no means is it what's holding them back. Their 32nd-ranked (league-worst) offense is. The Avalanche average four goals; the Kraken, on the other hand, score just 2.47 goals per game. They don't generate enough shots, and they don't generate enough high-danger chances at 5-on-5. They've become reliant on their power play, and they are only clicking at 25.4 percent.
“The message doesn’t change for us. Our offensive game, clearly, we need to score more goals. That’s going to have to piggyback off our defensive play tonight,” said coach Lane Lambert.
Chandler Stephenson and Devon Toews (Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)The Kraken will live and die by their defensive structure, but they need to find ways to turn their defensive structure into offensive chances. Forcing turnovers and reacting quickly in transition are ways to utilize their defensive abilities to create offensive chances. Lately, they haven't been able to do that.
It's hard to find a team in the NHL that plays as fast as the Avalanche, but if the Kraken can find ways to use their speed against them, they could generate some easy offense.
Following tonight's fixture, the Kraken depart for a four-game road trip before the Christmas break. On this trip, they'll take on the Calgary Flames before contests with the three California teams, the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kraken need wins because they've seen themselves slide down the standings rapidly, ranking sixth in the Pacific Division and 29th among all NHL teams.
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