Game 70: Montreal Canadiens @ Seattle Kraken
Start time: **9:00 PM EDT / 6:00 PM PDT**
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Kraken region: ROOT Northwest
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
Missing the playoffs in their first season following the expansion draft, the Seattle Kraken not only qualified for the post-season in 2022-23, but won their first round over the defending champion Colorado Avalanche before falling in seven games to the Dallas Stars in Round 2. This year, they hoped to take the next step, but that’s not going to be the case. The newest NHL team is 12 points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot, sporting an even .500 record.
Part of the problem is that teams around them have improved. The Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets have jumped ahead of them this season after not playing beyond their 82nd game last year. But what really plagued the club this season is a lack of goal-scoring. From 289 goals last year, second only to Edmonton in the West, this year they’re 108 goals behind that mark with just 13 games to play. It’s nearly impossible to make the playoffs without averaging at least three goals per game (the Philadelphia Flyers are currently the only exception at 2.97), and Seattle’s mark of 2.62 is well off the required pace.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Kraken |
|---|---|---|
| 25-32-12 | Record | 28-28-13 |
| 44.9% (28th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 52.6% (8th) |
| 2.68 (28th) | Goals per game | 2.62 (29th) |
| 3.43 (27th) | Goals against per game | 2.86 (9th) |
| 17.9% (24th) | PP% | 21.1% (17th) |
| 76.0% (27th) | PK% | 79.3% (17th) |
| 1-0-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 0-1-0 |
Montreal isn’t far ahead with five more goals in the same number of games, and the lack of scoring can be blamed (or thanked) for their lack of wins in recent weeks. The trade of Sean Monahan to help make Winnipeg’s recovery this season even stronger has weakened the Habs’ offensive attack, and the recent loss of Joshua Roy for the remainder of the season is becoming apparent as well. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard is doing his best in his elevation to the second line, but he doesn’t have the same hand skills and anticipation as Roy, and that line isn’t controlling play as it once did. The Canadiens have largely been returned to a one-line team, with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia combining for the odd chance.
The Habs have scored two or fewer goals in six of their last seven games, and lost all six. The Kraken have done that five times in a row on a seven-game winless streak. Despite that dearth of scoring, Juraj Slafkovský has managed to put together a six-game point streak, arriving to a city he will be forever linked to on a hot streak. He has more points over this run than any Kraken player has during the team’s seven-game skid, as Oliver Bjorkstrand leads the way with a mere four points.
With offence at a premium, the teams will have to take advantage of their special-teams minutes, and Seattle holds the edge in those situations this year. Ranking 17th on both the power play and the penalty kill, those aspects have served them decently well, Cayden Primeau will need to be sharp, putting his recent loss in Calgary behind him to keep the opponent off the scorecheet and hope some teammates can inscribe their names to get back in the win column.
