One early-season barometer for NHL teams is where they stand on Thanksgiving.
Over the past decade, teams that are in playoff position on the U.S. holiday have a better than 75 percent chance of making the postseason.
That statistic makes the home-and-home series between the Seattle Kraken and Anaheim Ducks — Monday night in Anaheim and Wednesday in Seattle — of greater importance.
The Kraken (10-10-1) and Ducks (8-8-3) sit fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Western Conference wild-card chase. The Kraken are three points behind wild-card leaders Colorado and Edmonton and the Ducks are five back.
This could be a big week for the Kraken, who also have a home-and-home set against the San Jose Sharks, who are last in the Pacific Division.
“Teams are so close in the division; we’re going to need to beat these guys to get in at the end,” Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour said. “It seems like it’s going to be tight. The first 20 (games) were tight. … These games we have got to be up for. Anaheim is up next. We got to come with that desperation and get those points.”
Despite a 2-1 road loss Saturday afternoon against the Los Angeles Kings, the Kraken have won five of their past seven games. But their play on the road hasn’t been strong, as they’ve lost five in a row away from Climate Pledge Arena and been outscored 17-5 in those contests.
Montour scored Seattle’s lone goal against the Kings with 1:34 remaining and Kraken goalie Joey Daccord pulled for an extra attacker.
“All around, every guy in our room knows he has to be better and can play better, myself included,” Kraken forward Matty Beniers said. “We just didn’t play our game, didn’t get to our game fast enough.”
The Kraken will be without forward Jordan Eberle, their captain, for the next three months after he underwent surgery on his pelvis Friday.
The Ducks lost 3-2 in overtime Friday at home to the Buffalo Sabres, ending Anaheim’s three-game winning streak.
“The first period we were a little bit slow,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “We didn’t have the same snap we had the last few games and I thought the second and third period we played the way we wanted to play.”
Drew Helleson and Isac Lundestrom scored to give Anaheim a 2-0 lead before the Sabres rallied.
Despite making 30 saves, goalie John Gibson suffered his first loss in four starts this season.
The Ducks’ Frank Vatrano couldn’t convert two scoring chances late in the second period that would have extended the lead. Vatrano has just two goals in 18 games after tallying a career-high 37 times last season.
“Last year was a breakthrough year, so the expectation that he’s going to be a 30-plus goal scorer has been set,” Cronin said. “I’m not worried about him scoring goals. … I do believe that his shooting percentage will go up. It’s really low right now, but the worst thing he could do is stop shooting the puck.”
–Field Level Media