Head Coach Dave Hakstol started goaltender Chris Driedger in net with his shiny new custom set of pads.

The game immediately started off much like the wild west, as Ryan Donato and Isac Lundestrom scored 12 seconds apart to go along with a fight between Jamie Oleksiak and Nicolas Deslauriers. The Kraken took a 2–1 lead late in the first period on a goal by Vince Dunn, which they took into the first intermission. Anaheim led in shots 11–6, but Driedger held the lead.

The Ducks came out in the second period and took a 3–2 lead after another goal by Lundestrom and a power play goal from Rickard Rakell. Donato tied the game back up late in the second with his second goal of the game, as his teammates outshot the Ducks 15–11.

In the third period, both teams fought for the lead in a tightly contested, low-event 20 minutes. The Kraken led in shots 6–5 and the only goal was the eventual game-winner from Jordan Eberle with 1:48 remaining in regulation. This turned out to be a much-needed tough win against a good opponent for the Seattle team.

Anchor points

Donato has been such a great find for this club. He led the Kraken in overall Corsi with 63%. I would love to see them lock him up for a couple more years to bolster the middle six. He can likely be had for a reasonable salary, one would assume.

I am still leaning toward Driedger in net for the Kraken. He was under fire in close all night and kept them in the game long enough to pull out a win. He just seems to give them more of a chance to win night in and night out. Unfortunately, it seems like salary is going to dictate the rotation more than actual results. The stats are not lying. If they want to continue to tank and try to get Shane Wright, I am not opposed to that, but if they are really trying to win some games, they need to play Driedger more.

Austin Czarnik dressed for his first game with the Kraken and was a big part of Donato’s first goal. I am more of a believer in Czarnik than some, and he could turn out to be a shrewd waiver claim. He only played 10:45 and had 60% overall Corsi, which was good for fourth overall on the Kraken.

The Kraken crushed in most 5-on-5 metrics except faceoffs. You have to give them credit for battling, but this is clearly not sustainable or a long-term plan for success.

5-on-5 Corsi (total shot attempts) 55%–45%
5-on-5 Fenwick (Unblocked shot attempts) 56%–44%
5-on-5 High-danger chances for 80%–20%
5-on-5 Expected goals for 66%–34%
Face-off percentage 56%–44%

The Kraken are off until Monday when they will host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Climate Pledge Arena. The puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. PST.

The post RECAP: Kraken come back on the road to beat Ducks 4–3 appeared first on The Rink.

The second game of a back-to-back are always difficult, which is why the Kraken’s lackluster first period was no surprise. They managed only six shots on Ducks starter Anthony Stolarz, who was carrying a five-game home winning streak.

The Duck put up all the scoring they would need in a six-minute span of the opening frame against Kraken starter Philipp Grubauer. Zegras and Derek Grant put the home team up 2–0 late in the first period and anaheim never looked back. Grant’s goal was of the shorthanded variety, while Zegras’ goal was even strength.

Terry put the Duck up 3–0 early in the second period, on the power play, which probably had the Kraken faithful wondering if the game was going to end up being a blowout.

Recently red hot Ryan Donato (say that three times) ended any hopes of a Stolarz shutout late in the second period on a great cross-ice pass from Jordan Eberle while on the man advantage. That would be all the offense that the Kraken could manage, though.

Donato’s seventh goal of the season is now the second-best goal total of his NHL career in just 26 games, after 14 goals in 62 games with the Wild in 2019-20. A total that it looks like he will eclipse some time this season.

Donny with goals in back-to-back games pic.twitter.com/XFW9iw6zLD

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) December 16, 2021

The third period seemed like both teams just wanted to get over this game without any injuries as they combined for only 11 shots. Anaheim’s Sam Carrick added an additional insurance goal off the skate of third period replacement Chris Driedger to increase the lead to 4–1, but clearly, Anaheim took their foot off the pedal and the Kraken had nothing left in the tank.

Anchor points

Grubauer did not play terrible, but he certainly wants the shorthanded Clark goal back.  The first goal was not his fault, as Jared McCann was nudged into him and the third goal was a loose puck right in the slot that Terry buried.  What can you do when your team only scored one goal?  Driedger did not fare much better, with his team running on fumes by the time he came into the game.

The power play is clicking for the Kraken (or at least maintaining). Donato’s power play goal in the second period has Seattle on the verge of climbing into the middle third of the league at 17.7%.

I am not sure who’s brilliant idea it was to put the Kraken on the national game in the second game of a back-to-back but it was a terrible idea before the game, and certainly a terrible idea after the fact. A late west coast game where neither team managed more than 24 shots on net had to tank the ratings.

Advanced Metrics
5-on-5 Corsi (total shot attempts) 56% – 44%
5-on-5 Fenwick (Unblocked shot attempts) 60% – 40%
5-on-5 High Danger Chances For 75% – 25%
5-on-5 Expected Goals For 64% – 36%
Faceoff Percentage 55% – 45%

The Kraken are off until Saturday, when they return home to Climate Pledge Arena to face Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and struggling Edmonton Oilers. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT.

The post RECAP: Young Ducks power Anaheim to dominant 4–1 win over Kraken appeared first on The Rink.

Kraken lines vs Ducks –

Schwartz – Geekie – Eberle
Tanev – Gourde – McCann
Johansson – Wennberg – Jarnkrok
Donato – Sheahan – Donskoi

Giordano – Oleksiak
Larsson – Lauzon
Soucy – Dunn

— Marisa Ingemi (@Marisa_Ingemi) November 12, 2021

Anaheim wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as 18-year-old rookie Mason MacTavish continued his great play five minutes into regulation play with his second goal of the season. This was a lead that the Ducks never lost. MacTavish’s goal was the only one of the first period, but Anaheim poured the pressure on all period. Shots on goal wound up 16–4 in favor of Anaheim, which tells you all you should need to know about momentum.

The flood gates opened in the second period as far as goal scoring and physicality went. Seattle got a goal by Jaden Schwartz sandwiched between Anaheim goals from Terry and Josh Mahura before defensemen Josh Manson and Jeremy Lauzon took to fisticuffs. Lauzon had taken a double minor against Ducks forward Max Comtois, which meant he was probably going to have to answer the bell shortly after.

Jared McCann cut the Ducks’ lead to 3–2 for about 10 minutes, but veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk scored his fourth goal of the season late in the period to take the teams into the intermission as Anaheim held a 4–2 lead. The shot totals were slightly more balanced than the first period with the Ducks still holding a lead 11–7 and an overall lead of 27–11.

The third period was as wide open as the second, with just a bit less physicality. Jordan Eberle continued his hot play with a goal four minutes into the third period, which temporarily cut Anaheim’s lead to one goal at 4–3.

wenny with the sauce, ebs with the finish! pic.twitter.com/9eU4AbOxxJ

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 12, 2021

The two Pacific Division rivals then traded goals from Hampus Lindholm and McCann’s second of the night, just a minute apart. This led to a 5–4 game with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation, which led to Head Coach Dave Hakstol pulling the goalie with under three minutes remaining.

Empty net goals by Sam Carrick and Terry made the score look much more lopsided than it actually was, but the Ducks walked away with their sixth win in a row nonetheless. For Terry, it was his 13th straight game with a point, and for Seattle, it was their third straight loss.

Anchor points

The two empty-net goals were not on Philipp Grubauer, but he still was not up to the level that the Kraken need him to be at. He stopped 29 of 34 shots, but this is not going to keep Seattle afloat. They are going to need his save percentage above .900 (preferably .910) if they are going to compete in the Pacific. Mahura let his goal go from the blue line and Grubauer swatted at it like it was a bunch of flies. Shattenkirk’s goal was nothing special and also outside the face-off dot. Lindholm’s goal was also from the blue line. He did make some nice stops sliding across his crease, but he needs to stop more of the simple long ones.

It is not fair to harp on the power play too much in this game. There were only two power plays combined. That said, if Seattle was able to convert, this game was tied heading into the final minutes.

With the shot disparity, Anaheim led in analytics across the board (58% Corsi, 58% Fenwick, 58% high-danger chances for and 60% expected goals for). Hakstol tinkered with the lines, but just about any line with Alexander Wennberg centering was pretty good analytically. Morgan Geekie and Yanni Gourde had rough nights with anyone they played between.

The Kraken will have today off and host the Minnesota Wild Saturday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.

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