The Kraken’s 32 shots on goal Thursday night actually matched the Edmonton Oilers’ total and was only one away from matching their season-best output during a shootout loss in Ottawa on Oct. 16.
But when you surrender a franchise-high nine goals, that doesn’t really matter.
“We were sharp with the puck, made some plays, created,” Kraken captain Jordan Eberle said Saturday morning. “But obviously, (when) you give up nine, you’re not going to win in any league.”
Four came at the expense of the Kraken’s penalty kill, which sank to last place in the league at 65.7% efficiency. Eeli Tolvanen’s goal Thursday appeared to dribble in just as a Kraken man advantage expired, but it was later labeled a power-play goal. So Seattle has scored one power-play goal in their past five games and 17 tries, which looks better, but not by much.
The power play needs to at least “create momentum for your group,” Eberle said. And at the very least, don’t give opponents a short-handed breakaway right off the faceoff; one of those allowed Matt Savoie to make it 4-2 Oilers on Thursday. That squashed any hopes of a comeback.
So the special teams floundered and the goaltending faltered. The Kraken have another crack at the resurgent Detroit Red Wings (14-11-3), who beat them 4-2 on Dec. 18, on Saturday night. More important, the Kraken have a chance to break out of their longest slump of the season.
“Obviously, 9-4, it’s not what you want,” Eberle said. “You’re gonna go through adversity throughout a season. I’ve never been on a team that hasn’t, it’s just how you come out of it.”
It feels like an important moment for the Kraken (11-8-6), who have been in playoff position for much of the season but have dropped four straight, three straight in regulation. Two were shutouts, and the most recent pair of games — both against the Oilers — were ugly.
“It’s tough when you go on a little bit of a skid. You lose your swagger a little bit,” coach Lane Lambert said. “We have to go back to playing confident.”
The Kraken got in from Edmonton late Thursday and got Friday off to reflect and refresh. Before Saturday’s morning skate, they looked at film of what they hope is rock bottom in Edmonton.
Lambert’s staff appears to be using more than words. Jamie Oleksiak, a mainstay on the Kraken’s blue line since the expansion draft, appeared headed for a healthy scratch in morning skate. Fellow defenseman Josh Mahura was in the rotation in Oleksiak’s place; Mahura has been a healthy scratch for just over a month.
Oleksiak was a team-worst minus-three on Thursday against the Oilers, which means he was on the ice for three even-strength goals against and none of the goals the Kraken scored. Penalty killers are not dinged in that stat, but for what it’s worth, Oleksiak was on the ice for a power-play goal against as well.
Lambert declined to comment on what he called a “game-time decision.”
With or without Oleksiak, it’s time for the Kraken to either pull themselves up by their skate laces, or confirm what most major outlets suspected before the season — this team doesn’t have enough talent to contend right now.
They got off to a hot start, gritting out close win after close win. The lack of scoring chances caught up with them a few weeks ago and hasn’t resolved. The common refrain around the Kraken rinks is that as soon as they start generating more chances, they’ll be just fine.
That’s the real trick, isn’t it?
It’s time to act desperate, Eberle said.
“Game 26 tonight. It’s early season, but you see the standings — things start to shift,” he said. “Essentially, I see it as we win a game tonight, we’re back to where we need to be in the playoff spot. So you try and get back on the horse.”