<p><p>A potentially season-defining road trip for the Kraken appears poised to start with some additional finish.</p></p><p><p>Make that offensive finishing ability, an element sorely lacking the opening few months. Critical goals by Tomas Tatar and Andre Burakovsky in Thursday night’s win over Ottawa were byproducts of natural finishing ability, while the expected return from injury Tuesday of Jaden Schwartz should also bring added scoring.</p></p><p><p>“I think this is the most healthy we’ve been,” Schwartz said Saturday as the Kraken practiced for the final time prior to leaving on a trip that opens Tuesday against Buffalo. “We’ve had some pretty significant injuries over the course of the season and we’ve found ways to keep winning. We had that one bad (losing streak) stretch. But generally, our team has had to step up and they’ve done a good job.</p></p><p><p>“I really, really like our team,” he added. “I really like our depth. The forwards, defense and even in net. I really feel good about this group.”</p></p><p><p>The Kraken certainly feel better about defense and goaltending that’s yielded just six goals during a six-game win streak and only 12 goals during a franchise-record points streak of 10 straight contests. But one lingering concern – and it’s been a seasonlong problem – has been offensive finishing ability.</p></p><p><p>Make no mistake: This Kraken win streak has been mostly because of goalie Joey Daccord and backup Chris Driedger keeping pucks out of the net. As for scoring, the Kraken just once during the streak managed more than three goals and only because Ottawa pulled its goalie the other night.</p></p><p><p>Otherwise, the Kraken have averaged 2.68 nightly goals scored those half-dozen contests – almost their exact 2.69 season average, which is the NHL’s fifth-lowest total. The MoneyPuck analytics website had them 19th in expected goals at even strength, but just 25th in actual goals. And their shooting percentage of 9.1% is seventh worst in the league, suggesting they could use more elite finishing around the net.</p></p><p><p>“I’m going to stick to my game,” said Schwartz, who’d been second on the team with eight goals when suffering an upper body injury on Nov. 28. “That hasn’t changed. I’ll try to use my speed and tenaciousness and bring my work ethic. Try to get around the net.”</p></p><p><p>Schwartz tries not to pay attention to his scoring production as much as the process leading to it.</p></p><p><p>“I’ll just try to get to the net, be around the goalie’s eyes and help the team out that way by being aggressive and tenacious,” he said.</p></p><p><p>These Kraken reinforcements have come at a critical time for a 16-14-9 squad that’s far from out of the woods in terms of playoff outlook. Indeed, the Kraken opening Saturday in a playoff position is somewhat astounding given all they’ve endured.</p></p><p><p>But they’ve also played more games than most Western Conference teams vying for wild-card positions, so that hold on the No. 8 and final playoff spot is tenuous. Especially given the Edmonton Oilers, a preseason Stanley Cup favorite, have also won six straight and sit just a point behind the Kraken with four games in hand.</p></p><p><p>With the top three division playoff spots likely spoken for already, the Kraken will need to snag one of two remaining conference wild cards and can’t afford any more prolonged losing streaks such as last month’s eight-gamer.</p></p><p><p>So, this trip, with games against the aforementioned Oilers, Washington Capitals, surging Pittsburgh Penguins and Cup-contending New York Rangers, is pivotal.</p></p><p><p>“Our playoff battle is still ahead and it’s still an uphill battle,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said Saturday. “But what our players have done is stay through it through thick and thin here. Stick together. And now, that’s what they have to do as we very quickly get to the middle portion of our schedule, the true halfway point. We have the opportunity to be in the position that we are. To dig in during the second half and continue to breathe. To be really clear about the challenge ahead and go into that challenge together.”</p></p><p><p>Burakovsky’s goal on Thursday, his first in 11 months oft-filled with injury, demonstrated why the Kraken based so much of their offensive planning around him this season. Most players fed the touch-pass he was by Kailer Yamamoto might have rushed a quick shot.</p></p><p><p>But with the puck on edge, Burakovsky waited the extra half-second to gather it in before wristing it between goalie Joonas Korpisalo’s legs.</p></p><p><p>“I didn’t expect him to give it back to me,” Burakovsky said of Yamamoto. “It felt like the (defender) was kind of on me a little bit. I didn’t even think I’d be able to shoot it. But (Yamamoto) made a great play and it was nice to get a goal.”</p></p><p><p>Again, though, elite offensive talents often find ways to make something out of slim openings.</p></p><p><p>As for Tatar, who led the Montreal Canadiens in scoring as recently as four seasons ago – and scored 20 goals for New Jersey last season – his game-winner Thursday was the difference between watching a skilled finisher vs. a plodder on a breakaway. Tatar, as with Burakovsky, instinctively hesitated an extra half-second, waited for Korpisalo to commit, then easily stickhandled around him.</p></p><p><p>Those types of goals, maximizing opportunities afforded, are what the Kraken lacked during their recent losing streak. They’d pummeled the Senators with 39 shots back on Dec. 2 in Ottawa, but failed to put any in.</p></p><p><p>Now, having acquired Tatar from Colorado for a fourth-round pick three weeks ago and with Burakovsky and Schwartz returning from injury, Hakstol suddenly has offensive options he’s lacked all season.</p></p><p><p> Hakstol cautioned the defensive aspect also can’t be overlooked now that he’ll be juggling lines and relying on new combinations.</p></p><p><p>The Kraken won’t have the final line change to mix-and-match with on the road, meaning all four forward trios he deploys must play two-way hockey to help contain opposing teams’ top forwards.</p></p><p><p>“That gives us significant depth,” Hakstol said of the Schwartz, Burakovsky and Tatar additions. “And now, the challenge that comes with that is taking advantage of that depth. When you have that much depth in your lineup, one of the realities is that … you’ve got to do your part. You’ve got to be all-in to really have depth be effective and a true strength of our group.”</p></p>
↧