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For the first time in more than a month, the Seattle Kraken did not earn at least one point. Now, their roster depth may be tested a little more.
After seeing their team-record 13-game points streak end and nine-game winning streak stopped on Monday, the Kraken continue a six-game road trip Tuesday night when they visit the New York Rangers.
Seattle followed an eight-game losing streak (0-6-2) from Nov. 24-Dec. 10 by going 11-0-2, a stretch that included wins over the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. The Kraken scored at least three goals nine times in the streak but were blanked for the fourth time this season when they took a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
After rallying three times to keep the streak going with a 7-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, Seattle took its first loss since Dec. 10 while playing without leading scorer Vince Dunn, along with Matty Beniers and Andre Burakovsky, and mustered 22 shots on goal.
Dunn leads the Kraken with 35 points and the defenseman notched 13 points during the team’s points streak. But he could miss Tuesday’s game as well due to an undisclosed injury. Beniers and Burakovsky are day-to-day with a lower-body and undisclosed injury, respectively, and both may be out again against the Rangers.
“I just didn’t think we executed well enough,” Kraken center Jaden Schwartz said of Monday’s game. “We looked a little tired at times. Just didn’t have that same jump and energy.”
The Kraken may also be without defenseman Adam Larsson due to an undisclosed injury; they ended Monday with five available defensemen.
“You’ve got five guys to go play,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “Those guys did a pretty good job. Our (defensemen) did a surprisingly good job, the five guys that were in tonight. We didn’t manage the puck well enough up front.”
New York scored the final four goals of its 4-1 win in Seattle on Oct. 21 as part of its 11-game points streak and 18-4-1 start that vaulted them to an eight-point lead atop the Metropolitan Division through Dec. 3. Since then, the Rangers are 9-9-1 but are coming off one of their better defensive showings of late.
On Sunday, New York snapped a season-high four-game losing streak by holding the Washington Capitals to 25 shots on goal and blocking 23 others en route to a 2-1 win. It was the fourth straight game the Rangers allowed fewer than 30 shots on goal but they got a big game from goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who allowed nine goals in his previous two games.
New York picked up its 12th one-goal win by getting goals from Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere in the first period and surviving an 0-for-5 night on its power play despite getting 12 shots on goal with the man advantage. It was the second time this season the Rangers went without a power-play goal in consecutive games and the Rangers are 4-for-25 on power plays in their past nine games.
“Nobody wants to lose hockey games; you know what I mean?” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “You lose one, you want to get the next one. You lose two, you want to get the next one. And so when that (losing streak) mounts a little bit, I think the urgency grows.”
The Rangers are 4-0-1 all-time against the Kraken.
–Field Level Media
