Three keys to win in first game in Seattle against the Kraken
With the Carolina Hurricanes going to face an unfamiliar foe, this is a somewhat historic occasion for the franchise. Tonight is the inaugural meeting against the first-year Seattle Kraken. Going to the 2nd newest arena in the NHL, Carolina will face the wrath of a new fanbase in the emerald city. In recent times, the Canes have faired well against the new boys to the league, but that’s not a certainty to continue.
Seattle is a team that is vastly underperforming, but specifically in the net. On paper, their goaltenders and defense should be the strength of the team as they push for the playoffs. But that accompanied by their lack of a truly game-breaking talent makes this a very important game to win. There’s an opponent here that struggles to score goals and is leaking them at the back.
Now, to say they’re leaking goals is a little unfair, but both Kraken netminders have a sub .900 save percentage. They’re not keeping up to the standard they set with their previous teams, but that is not the Carolina Hurricanes issue. What is the issue is that they need to find a way to get two points in a city that they have never been to before as the Canes take on the Kraken.
This is a Seattle team that is better than its record suggests. They’re good enough to beat anyone when they get the goaltending they thought they were getting when they signed both of the deals their goalies are on. Carolina will have the ability to take advantage of that as they head to America’s Emerald City for the first time to take on the newest team to the NHL, the Seattle Kraken.
Carolina’s stars need to be the difference
When you look at Carolina’s roster and Seattle’s roster, you will notice two major differences. Carolina’s netminders have been excellent this season, but the other is the one I want to talk about here. On the top line of the Carolina Hurricanes, you will find some of the top talents in the NHL. Carolina’s high-end talents will need to carry them through this one.
Players like Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov will be needed to guide the team through this game. Seattle does not have top-end to combat them if they are at their best. Seattle won’t be able to keep up in a shootout. They have a lot of good players in their top nine, but they don’t have a genuine star on the team like Carolina does. Now, this is why they make the big money.
Winning a game like this in a new building, hearing voices they’ve not heard before in the crowd, against a new team, this has the makings of a trap game. This is where you give your stars the time and space to guide you through this game. They need to make the difference and break this game open. Seattle will be resilient, but they’re still an expansion team.
For the Canes, do whatever you have to do to escape Seattle with two points and get back to the east coast. It’s obvious that the team has struggled with issues in their own zone, so getting the puck behind the goaltenders and forcing the issue all night is going to be in the team’s best interests. They can push and control this game as they need to if they score first, and can dominate.
Carolina turn back to Frederik Andersen for this one
After he was rested in the 2-1 overtime loss in the Shark Tank, Carolina turns to the Great Dane that is Frederik Andersen to get the team back to winning ways. Freddie played both games in Southern California and will be tasked with the final game in this west coast trip before the team heads back east. Carolina turns back to their early season Vezina candidate to restore normality to the lineup.
Obviously, Andersen cannot do it all himself and will need someone to put the puck in the net at the other end. If he gets the same run support that the Canes didn’t get for their goaltender when they were in San Jose, this game is going to be very cagey at best. Carolina cannot afford to leave their goaltender out to dry again. They have been too good this season to not give the support to.
Score three goals and this game will be over if Freddie plays anywhere near as well as he had during the rest of the season. He’s been the reason that the Carolina Hurricanes have gotten two points in a lot of games. Give him the support he needs and Andersen has shown that he can shut the door and keep the lead for the Canes. He’s not been leaking goals like previous netminders.
Tonight, Andersen hopefully won’t be needed too much, but having someone like Andersen ready to go when they need him is very reassuring. He’s been so hot and he’s already remade his highlight reel with the Carolina Hurricanes. He makes timely saves, again and again, to bail the team out of trouble and will be tasked with backstopping the team to victory again tonight.
Don’t look past Seattle
Carolina will be going to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle for the first time ever. It’s very important that the team doesn’t look past this opponent because they have the ability to beat teams and do it well. Seattle is far from a pushover, and it will take a performance from the Canes worthy of beating them to leave the state of Washington with two points for the standings.
We can debate how important a game on November 24th is at the end of the season, but winning tonight means that the Canes don’t lose two in a row. While they got a point from their last loss, two points are better than one, especially against an opponent that they should be beating like Seattle. Not to say that the Kraken are bad, but their poor run of results needs to be compounded by Carolina.
If Carolina wants to stay in the hunt for the league’s top spot in the standings, they need to win tonight. Obviously, no one gives a flying pig about regular season trophies. The trophy you want is the one you get for winning 16 playoff games, but that cannot be won in November. It can be lost in November, but the Hurricanes hot start has helped them avoid that case here.
In Seattle, Washington, Carolina will take on a new opponent. With the Kraken consisting of a former Carolina general manager, a former Carolina Hurricanes play-by-play voice, and multiple former Carolina Hurricanes players. This is going to be a clash of familiar faces, and I cannot wait to see some of the former members of this franchise as we approach game time.
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