Amid losing streak, Seattle Kraken often playing from behind
Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol sat down in front of reporters after last week’s loss to Anaheim and talked about how difficult it is to come from behind in the NHL.
“It’s about the complete 60-minute performance, which we did not have tonight, which put us in a real tough spot,” Hakstol said then. “As we come out of that first period back on our heels, we got going partway through the second period and gave ourselves a chance. But ultimately it’s really hard to dig out of a hole.”
That’s a lesson that Seattle has learned more than once this season in route to a 4-10-1 record and a last-place spot in the Pacific Division.
The Kraken have lost six out of their last seven games, including four straight. In those six defeats, they trailed after the first period four times and had the lead just once. Most recently, Seattle fell behind Anaheim and Minnesota 1-0 after the first. Both opponents then stretched that advantage, with the Ducks going up 2-0 and Minnesota building a 3-0 cushion.
When asked after Tuesday’s practice what a good start looks like for the Kraken, Hakstol said, “It’s different every night.”
“To be honest with you, we didn’t generate very much (offense) against Minnesota,” he said. “So when I look at our start — like evaluated that start —I thought we left something on the table. It comes down to little things. I don’t think we started many shifts with the puck, which means the line change isn’t as sharp as it could be. We weren’t able to generate a whole lot.
“We didn’t give up a whole lot (of shots), but we still gave up two or three good scoring chances against. We ended up not being in the lead. I talked about this before: This is a tough league to play from behind in, and we put ourselves in that position against a tough team.”
At the beginning of the seven-game stretch, the Kraken also fell behind New York and Edmonton 1-0 after the first. They led Arizona 3-1 after the opening period but ultimately allowed the Coyotes to come back and earn their first victory of the season. Seattle was up 1-0 on Vegas early, but the Golden Knights tied the game, 1-1, by the first intermission.
The only win in the past seven games came against Buffalo. Seattle won 5-2 and lead 1-0 after the first period. As the deficits and losses piled up, Seattle players have spoken often about the need to start quickly — but too much focus on that goal can magnify the problem instead.
“We definitely put a lot of pressure on ourselves (to start fast),” forward Jared McCann said after the loss to the Ducks. “We just got to relax. You can’t play hockey tight. That’s just not the way it works.”
After Tuesday’s practice, forward Brandon Tanev said the foundation for opening games strong comes from the preparation.
“Just get out there and have a good practice,” Tanev said. “Prepare yourself mentally and physically for the game that’s coming. When you’re out there for morning skate, get your head in the game. Feel the puck, communicate with your teammates and ultimately get ready for the puck drop.
“Preparing the day of the game, that’s a mental thing. You have to pump yourself up. It’s an important face-off to start the game and you want to build some momentum for your team, maybe get the crowd into it a little bit.”
The Kraken are two games into a six-game home stand and the fans at Climate Pledge Arena haven’t had much to cheer about lately. Seattle will look to turn that around against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
“Everybody in our dressing room has been through (losing streaks),” Hakstol said. “It’s not a fun thing to go through. There isn’t a manual for how it turns around. The thing is it does turn around and often it happens in different ways, and it can turn around quickly and snowball in the other direction. As long as, like I said, you stay together.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 2:19 PM.
