SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 23: Mason Appleton #22 of the Seattle Kraken skates against the Vancouver Canucks during the franchise's inaugural home game at the Climate Pledge Arena on October 23, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)Photo: Getty Images
From Climate Pledge Arena lies the challenge similar to Sunday night, with the same demand as “repeat” – at 7:00pm, the Seattle Kraken will try to follow up an emotional and psychologically substantial win over the Washington Capitals, with the same act tonight, against the Carolina Hurricanes (6:30pm PT Coors Light Pregame Show, Kraken Audio Network).
Washington entered Seattle with just two regulation losses and a goal shy of the top goal differential in the NHL: they exited with a five goal mark left by the Kraken before going home to end a road trip. Carolina, first place in the Metropolitan Division (14-2-1, 29 points) and tied for the top record in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, are nearing the end of a trip. They will finish a west coast swing tonight, then take Thanksgiving off before finishing the road trip as a whole, Friday in Philadelphia.
There is opportunity at hand, once again.
More below in the latest Kraken This Morning podcast on Jaden Schwartz, the Kraken identity, Carolina streaking with youngster Seth Jarvis and the hockey six degrees of separation with Kraken TV voice John Forslund (who previously called games for the Hurricanes and Hartford Whalers since 1995, and was in the organization since 1991) and Sara Civian of The Athletic, offering a look inside the Hurricanes and head coach Rod Brind’Amour, last season’s Jack Adams Award winner.
Don’t forget: after each home game, the Coors Light Text Line for post-game coverage (text us your questions and Kraken comments to 49451) …. as well for your tweets on @KrakenAudioNet or @Benton_Mike.
Notes:
-This has all the kinds of six degrees of separation: Kraken general manager Ron Francis, a teammate of four-plus seasons with Francis in Carolina, worked together in the Hurricanes organization from 2011-19, along with former Hurricanes Ricky Olczyk (assistant general manager), Robert Kron (director of amateur scouting), and additional names in the scouting department who have made their way to the Kraken. At one point, Francis, Kron, and Brind’Amour were teammates in Carolina.
-Mason Appleton is out of the woods with the injured list, activated today (necessitating the waiver move of Nathan Bastian) following 11 straight games missed with a lower body ailment and shown in morning skate with forwards Brandon Tanev and Jared McCann
-Philipp Grubauer will start in net coming off his first star performance against the Capitals, facing Frederik Andersen, who backed up Antti Raanta in San Jose but leads the NHL with 11 wins, along with a fifth best 1.88 goals-against-average
-Seth Jarvis, whose billet parents from Portland will be in attendance tonight, returns at age 19 just less than 200 miles north of where he played his last three-plus seasons in his major junior career, of Portland in the WHL. He is technically eligible to be sent back anytime to Portland, but has crossed a threshold of nine games (6 points in 10 games) where now his three-year, entry level contract kicks in.
-Tough break for Seattle Thunderbirds fans looking for a throwback: defenseman Ethan Bear, now in his third NHL season and a prominent piece for the T-Birds 2016-17 WHL title, is in COVID-19 protocol after the Hurricanes announced his positive test for the virus on Monday.
-Remember that Kraken power play going bone dry last month? Since Nov. 9, they are 6-of-15 on the man advantage. They’ve scored on the man advantage for four straight games.
PROJECTED LINEUP:
Schwartz-Gourde-Jarnkrok
Johansson-Wennberg-Eberle
Tanev-McCann-Appleton
Donskoi-Geekie-Blackwell
Giordano-Oleksiak
Lauzon-Larsson
Soucy-Dunn
Grubauer
Driedger