The Seattle Kraken are in a tailspin. It’s not pretty. It never is.
Hockey games and seasons can be sources of great frustration when things aren’t going right. The Kraken are feeling it now after another loss, this time 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday night.
Joel Eriksson Ek led the way with a goal and two assists as the Wild handed the Kraken their sixth straight loss, the last five in regulation. Seattle forwards Chandler Stephenson and Eeli Tolvanen both finished a minus-3, keeping in mind, two of Minnesota’s goals were empty-netters.
The defeat comes on the heels of more bad news from earlier in the day; that rookie forward Berkly Catton was out week-to-week with an upper body injury.
Like the slumping Vancouver Canucks up the highway, injuries have impacted the Kraken in a big way. Seattle has definitely suffered fewer than its Canadian neighbors, but the Kraken’s lack of upscale talent means the impact is felt almost the same. They can’t afford to be missing many, if any bodies.
That said, the big issue against Minnesota wasn’t health related, nor was it goaltending. Philipp Grubauer kept his Seattle club in the game. The “assessment” according to Seattle’s captain and head coach postgame was that the team “needed more from everybody”.
That’s unfortunate and concerning. Particularly during times of struggle, an NHL team can’t afford to have passengers. The Kraken need to reestablish their identity.
For the 2nd consecutive game, the third period proved to be the difference. After Marcus Johansson gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 8:12, Tye Kartye had a Seattle goal disallowed after he knocked the puck in with a high stick. Minnesota’s empty-net goals followed.
Two nights earlier, Patrick Kane’s game winner for the Red Wings over Seattle came with 2:29 remaining in regulation.
Micro-scale and macro-scale adversity: The Kraken need to get over it quickly.
Earlier Kraken:
— Seattle Five Games Into A Swoon
Earlier Canucks:
— Red Wings Shut Down Canucks 4-0