The six-game homestand is big.
How big is it?
We’re getting closer to the Thanksgiving holiday where often the pack of “haves” and “have nots” are clearly defined, and the Seattle Kraken mission to pick up max points starts by facing a scorching hot Anaheim Ducks squad, winners of five games in a row, tonight on a Veteran’s Day matchup at 7pm (6:30pm PT, Coors Light Pregame Show on the Kraken Audio Network).
The Kraken, 3-2 on home ice but 4-8-1 overall (9 points), will follow up tonight with a date against the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, and Carolina Hurricanes.
Yep, it’s big.
The Ducks won in overtime, 3-2 at Vancouver two nights ago to keep moving on a five-game heater that has them 7-4-3, a surprising mark in the Pacific Division given they were last place, 17-30-9 in an abridged schedule last season. Troy Terry, representing the future of the franchise, has points in 12 straight games.
More below in the latest Kraken This Morning: Everett Fitzhugh and I discussed the return of Jared McCann, Yanni Gourde (possibly), the homestand, along with a Ducks scouting report from their television play-by-play voice John Ahlers.
Notes:
-The Kraken held an optional skate this morning, as they’ve made a pattern since the second home game of the season against the Montreal Canadiens (which they won, 5-1), with nine players seen on ice including Yanni Gourde, who didn’t practice yesterday and was ruled day-to-day after taking a shot off the knee in Vegas. Colin Blackwell, out since the season began, was also among the participants.
-Lineup changes: Head Coach Dave Hakstol confirmed this morning Jared McCann will play in his first game out of COVID-19 protocol
-As for Yanni Gourde: Hakstol said he’ll be a game-time decision, among “a couple” from the team, as nobody else’s status has changed (read: Colin Blackwell). The sense is with Ryan Donato out of the red no-contact jersey,
-Philipp Grubauer will start in net, giving him the sixth start in six home games. The conversation with goaltending, according to Dave Hakstol isn’t around “save percentage,” but “big saves” and making key saves to fuel momentum. Grubauer is 3-2 on home ice, with a 1.82 goals against average and (if you care to look at it) is .924.
-Broadcast notes: on air at 5:30pm for the Coors Light pre-game show, while Everett Fitzhugh and Dave Tomlinson carry you with play-by-play and color analysis starting at 6pm. We’ll hear in an exclusive one-on-one conversation with Chris Driedger in the first intermission, and the second intermission is one you won’t want to miss:
Kenny Mayne, sportscasting legend (27 years with ESPN) and Seattle native will join me live in the second intermission nearby the Coors Light Landing. He’s got a heart for veterans,leading us to encourage you to check out this link he’s involved with.
Don’t forget: we’re now bringing in the Coors Light Text Line for post-game coverage (text us your questions and Kraken comments to 49451)!