3 Keys to a Kraken Win Over the Capitals – The Hockey Writers – Seattle Kraken

On Tuesday, Jan. 27, the Seattle Kraken are preparing to host the Washington Capitals to close out their season series. Their first matchup of the season was on Oct. 21, where the Capitals won 4-1 at Capital One Arena. The Kraken will look to even the season series in this game. 

This game marks the fifth of the Kraken’s current six-game homestand. They just beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Sunday, which was a huge confidence boost for Seattle, following their 4-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in the previous game. The Kraken have a chance to keep that momentum going on home ice against the Capitals today. Here are three keys to a Kraken win. 

Kraken Can’t Allow Any Unnecessary Penalties

In the Kraken’s last game, against the Devils, both of the Devils’ goals were scored on the power play. The game got a little heated, with the Devils accumulating 23 penalty minutes and the Kraken having 13. Despite the Kraken having 10 fewer penalty minutes, the Devils managed to capitalize on the chances they did earn. 

The Kraken have the second-worst penalty kill in the NHL, sitting just above the Vancouver Canucks with a 71.6% success rate. When they commit unnecessary penalties, it’s almost like they are giving the other team a free goal with their poor penalty kill performance. Yes, tensions run high, but the Kraken cannot let their emotions get the best of them if they wish to play a successful 60 minutes. 

The Capitals are 26th overall on the power play, which is a strong indicator that the Kraken can do a good job on the penalty kill in this game. 

Kraken Need to Keep the Power Play Strong, Too

The Kraken may have an abysmal success rate on the penalty kill, but their power play is where they hold strong. Seattle just cracks the top 10 with a 22.4% success rate. As mentioned above, the Devils had 23 penalty minutes last game, which is over a full period of play throughout the 60 minutes of regulation. The Kraken didn’t score a single goal on the man advantage, despite their successes on the power play throughout the season. 

Related: 3 Takeaways From the Kraken’s 4-2 Win Over the Devils

The Kraken need to draw penalties against Washington and capitalize on the chances they get. The Capitals are only ranked 22nd in the penalty kill, which is higher than the Kraken’s, but it also means Seattle has a better chance of scoring on the man advantage. 

Although the Kraken were down a goal after the first period against New Jersey, they brought it back with a tying goal in the second period. Seven minutes into the third period, Matty Beniers gave the Kraken their first lead of the game with a goal thanks to an assist from Jordan Eberle. Just 18 seconds later, Berkly Catton scored an insurance goal to give them a two-goal lead.

Jack Hughes managed to score on the power play just a minute later, but Eberle’s empty-net goal in the final minutes made sure the Kraken ended the game with the win.

The Kraken didn’t allow Hughes’ power-play goal to rattle them, and they stayed strong throughout the game. The momentum from Beniers and Catton’s two goals within 18 seconds carried them through to the end of the game. In the third period of this game, the Kraken only had five shots on net, and three of them resulted in goals. The Kraken need to capitalize on their chances, just like they did against the Devils. They need a strong momentum swing to keep them in the game and the confidence to help them beat the Capitals.