The Seattle Kraken are kicking off their second East Coast road trip of the season with a matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. Seattle just ended their three-game homestand with a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.
Related: Kraken’s Kaapo Kakko Placed On Injured Reserve, Frederick Gaudreau Activated Off IR
This game marks the first of a three-game homestand for the Red Wings. Their last game saw them defeat the New York Rangers 2-1 in the Big Apple. The Red Wings will try and bring that energy back to Little Caesars Arena now.
Kraken Storylines
There is some good news: The Kraken have activated Joey Daccord from Injured Reserve (IR). The goaltender was out for about a week after missing the Kraken’s latest road trip. As this one is a little longer, five games as opposed to two, the fact Seattle has their starting goaltender back in the lineup is a great sign.
However, a not-so-great sign is that Matt Murray is now on IR. One goaltender comes off, another comes on. Murray was injured against the Sharks on Saturday, exiting the game early in the first period. Philipp Grubauer came into the net and put up a strong showing, stopping all 19 of the shots he faced. Murray has potential to be another strong backup for the Kraken but has not gotten to show off all his skills just yet. Unfortunately, he will have to wait a little longer to earn his first win with the team.
On top of Murray being placed on IR, the Kraken sent Ben Meyers back to the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He had a strong performance on the fourth line, but with Frederick Gaudreau officially back in the lineup, unfortunately Meyers’ time in the NHL has come to a close for now. After his performance to start the season, Meyers shouldn’t have to wait too long before coming back; he should be the first forward on Seattle’s radar when they need to call someone up from the American Hockey League.
Seattle Kraken surround defenseman Jamie Oleksiak celebrates with the bench after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks (Kevin Ng-Imagn Images)
The player to watch in this game is Jamie Oleksiak, who has been a strong pillar on the blue line. While he is not an offensive defenseman, he recorded two secondary assists against the Sharks on Saturday. With five points already to his name for the season, he has been off to a strong start.
Team Stats
Seattle Kraken
Season Record: 9-4-5
Top Scorers:
Jaden Schwartz – 7 goals (G), 7 assists (A), 14 points (P)
Jordan Eberle – 7 G,6 A, 13 P
Chandler Stephenson – 4 G, 8 A, 12 P
Vince Dunn – 3 G, 9 A, 12 P
Matty Beniers – 2 G, 10 A, 12 P
Goalie Stats:
Joey Daccord – 6-2-3, 2.83 goals-against average (GAA), .900 save percentage (SV%)
Philipp Grubauer – 3-0-1, 2.21 GAA, .903 SV%
Matt Murray – 0-2-1, 2.21 GAA, .922 SV%
Detroit Red Wings
Season Record: 11-7-1
Top Scorers:
Dylan Larkin – 11 G, 12 A, 23 P
Alex DeBrincat – 9 G, 12 A, 21 P
Lucas Raymond – 5 G, 15 A, 20 P
Moritz Seider – 2 G, 9 A, 11 P
Patrick Kane – 3 G, 6 A, 9 P
Goalie Stats:
John Gibson – 4-5-1, 3.31 GAA, .87 SV%
Cam Talbot – 7-2-0, 2.71 GAA, .896 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers’ projected lineup article.
Seattle Kraken
Mason Marchment — Matty Beniers — Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz — Chandler Stephenson — Ryan Winterton
Eeli Tolvanen — Berkly Catton — Shane Wright
Tye Kartye — Frederick Gaudreau — Jani Nyman
Vince Dunn — Adam Larsson
Ryan Lindgren — Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans — Jamie Oleksiak
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Josh Mahura, Cale Fleury
Injured: Matt Murray, Kaapo Kakko, Jared McCann, Max McCormick
Detroit Red Wings
Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Larkin — Lucas Raymond
Emmitt Finnie — J.T. Compher — Patrick Kane
Marco Kasper — Nate Danielson — Mason Appleton
Michael Rasmussen — Andrew Copp — James van Riemsdyk
Simon Edvinsson — Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot — Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Albert Johansson — Travis Hamonic
Cam Talbot
John Gibson
Scratched: Jonatan Berggren, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Elmer Soderblom
Injured: Shai Buium
Next Up for the Kraken
The Kraken will continue their road trip, stopping in Illinois to take on the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
