Seattle Kraken (13-25-4) at Pittsburg Penguins (27-10-5) 01/17/22 Full Game Live Reaction
11#CSP #NHL #KRAKEN
The Seattle Kraken's nickname does not mean sacrificial lamb in some obscure language, and the Pittsburgh Penguins probably shouldn't assume it does.
But it sure looks like a mismatch on paper when the Penguins will host the expansion club on Thursday night.
Pittsburgh has won six straight games and 17 of its past 19 and trails the first-place New York Rangers by only one point in the Metropolitan Division.
The Penguins shored up some defensive concerns during Tuesday's 6-3 win against the Arizona Coyotes.
"We've had a lot of track meets the last handful of games," Pittsburgh forward Evan Rodrigues said. "And I think (Tuesday) we were a lot better defensively. ... We played the right way for 60 minutes. A lot better than it has been."
Defenseman Kris Letang also called it "a responsible game for 60 minutes."
Which means Seattle could face a skilled club that is not only winning but is steeped in confidence. More to the point, a club that is starting to gather buzz as a candidate to make a long playoff run.
"The expectations inside our locker room are extremely high, and so there's never a sense of satisfaction," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "We're always hungry for more."
And that's with a franchise trying to find its footing coming to town.
The Penguins breezed to a 6-1 win over the Kraken in Seattle on Dec. 6.
Seattle is coming off a 4-2 loss Tuesday against the Nashville Predators, a result that capped a 3-3-0 homestand. That's progress, considering it accounts for nearly a quarter of the team's 13 wins.
"I really like the formula that we've had through this homestand, and the purpose that we've played with," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said.
The feather in the team's cap during the homestand was Sunday's 5-3 win over the red-hot Florida Panthers.
The Kraken have shown signs of building chemistry.
"It takes everyone for this team to win a hockey game. ... That's what we've got to bring every single night," Kraken forward Yanni Gourde said.
Hakstol credited the play of his team despite the result.
"We played our tails off; we played a good hockey game," he said. "Mistakes happen throughout the game, but overall, we gave up a little on speed early in this game and shut that down and shut down the middle of the rink. We generated good opportunities, building a lead in the first and building that lead again in the second. I really liked the way our team played."
Hakstol tipped his hand that Philipp Grubauer likely will start in goal against the Penguins. The coach noted that Grubauer's 23-save performance Tuesday was "not at his best. He'll need to be better in Pittsburgh."
Projected Team Lineup Kraken:
Forwards
Marcus Johansson - Jared McCann - Jordan Eberle
Calle Jarnkrok - Yanni Gourde - Mason Appleton
Ryan Donato - Alex Wennberg - Joonas Donskoi
Karson Kuhlman - Riley Sheahan - Colin Blackwell
Defense
Mark Giordano / Adam Larsson
Vince Dunn / Will Borgen
Haydyn Fleury / Jeremy Lauzon
Goalies
Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord
Scratches: Carson Soucy, Jamie Oleksiak (day-to-day injury), Morgan Geekie
COVID Protocol: Chris Dreidger
IR: Jaden Schwartz, Brandon Tanev
Projected Team Lineup Penguins:
Forwards
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Danton Heinen - Evgeni Malkin - Kasperi Kapanen
Brock McGinn - Jeff Carter - Evan Rodrigues
Zach Aston-Reese - Brian Boyle - Dominik Simon
Defense
Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson - John Marino
Mike Matheson 9 Chad Ruhwedel
Goalie
Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith
Scratches: Mark Friedman, Radim Zohorna
COVID Protocol: none!
IR: Drew O’Connor (week-to-week, lower body injury), Jason Zucker (week-to-week, core surgery), Louis Domingue, Teddy Blueger (broken jaw, out 6-8 weeks)
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