Seattle, WA - The Seattle Kraken returned to home ice on November 17th, 2021 to welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to town. Seattle has been struggling as of late, and their record reflects that. Chicago has struggled as well this season, being labeled as one of the worst teams in the league. With that being said, the Kraken and Blackhawks have similar records, and Chicago is actually one point better than Seattle. This is the first time that the Kraken will be playing on the television network TNT.
Pre-game
A look at the Blackhawks: Chicago is one of the original six franchises, having won the Stanley cup six times in the past, most recently in the 2014-2015 season. This years roster includes several notable names, including but not limited to, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Marc Andre-Fleury. Similar to Seattle, Chicago has had some wins against solid teams this season, including Pittsburgh, but have not been able to stay above the .500 mark in this early part of the season. Despite the tough start, Chicago has been turning things around as of late. There has also been controversy surrounding the team, as there is a scandal that includes sexual assault in the organization. The organization also fired several members of its coaching staff earlier this season, currently with Derek King as the interim head coach.
First period action: Early on, the Kraken were getting some good pushes, several times getting crosses to a teammate in front of the net, that were just out of reach. Chances were being created, but Seattle not able to capitalize just yet. The action stalled for a while until 4:57 left in the first period when Chicago would have three on two man advantage, and the Blackhawks were able to pass around the two defenders. Seth Jones would be able to simply tap the puck in, and Chicago would take the lead. That goal would be Jones' 300th point in the NHL. Late in the period, with 1:32: left, Jordan Eberle would fire to Alex Wennberg in front of the net, but that pass too would be just out of reach.
Intermission thoughts: Chicago has the shot advantage after one period, but Seattle has been very close to putting a puck in the net also, the crosses have just been slightly out of reach for the streaking Kraken teammate. Going into the next period, continue the offensive strategy that has been building that success, that pass just needs to be a little more crisp. Outside of that, another issue that continues to hinder Seattle would be the giveaways around their blue line. That cannot happen, and it cannot continue to happen.
Second period action: The period would start off rather fast as Chicago's Alex DeBrincat was able to shield himself from defender Jamie Oleksiak, keeping the big rig on his back and firing away a shot on net into the top corner, to give Chicago a 2-0 lead early into the second period. Immediately after the score, the Kraken were pushing the pace, getting close chances on the net, but Fleury would make a handful of great saves to keep Seattle off the scoreboard. From the 8:33 mark to the 7:32 mark, Seattle would again push the pace, getting several shots on goal but Fleury would continue his masterclass in net, keeping Seattle out of the net to keep us at a score of 2-0.
Intermission thoughts: Seattle again has been getting opportunities on net, this period getting more actual shots on the net, but Fleury has continued his great run of play that started two games ago. This Chicago team has been on the up and up in their last games, so it makes sense that they are putting up a tough fight.
Third period action: A fight early in the period between Yanni Gourde and Alex DeBrincat would get the energy in the building going, but the true action would not be what Seattle wanted as three Kraken skaters would be caught puck watching. Patrick Kane would get the open shot on Grubauer in goal, and Chicago would extend their lead to 3-0. Seattle would continue to get close but fail to break the ice until 5:45 left in the final period. The Kraken would create chaos in front of the net, and with Ryan Donato block Fleury, Jared McCann would fire into the net to bring this game to 3-1.
Post game reflection: This game saw more of the same problems for Seattle, plenty of shots and opportunities on net that wouldn't equal goals. Puck watching and giveaways leading to giving up goals. Sure, the two goals at the end of the third and final period were nice and put Seattle back in the game, but not being able to capitalize on so many shots through most of the game is something that needs to be worked on if you want to be a winning team going forward.
Three stars of the game:
Marc Andre Fleury
Jared McCann
Patrick Kane
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