Kraken Finishing On High Note With Big Hopes Ahead 

On a mid-October night seemingly a hockey lifetime ago in Minnesota, newly minted team captain Jordan Eberle helped the Kraken overcome three regulation deficits, then a fourth in a shootout to ultimately defeat the hometown Wild for their first victory of the season.

It was only the seventh shootout win in franchise history, coming against a Wild team now playoff-bound. Eberle scored his first two goals of the season ahead of nabbing the shootout winner and his Kraken seemed on their way to re-establishing themselves as a playoff contender.

But Eberle has scored only seven more goals since, courtesy of a November pelvic injury that sidelined him for three months. Of the team’s 34 wins since, nine have come in the past five weeks alone since the March 7 trade deadline in a season long done by the time that date rolled around.

Which leads to irritation for Eberle and his teammates as well as hope: A strong conviction the team’s 9-7-2 mark seen since early March is a truer indicator of the Kraken’s ability than the inconsistent, sputtering facsimile on-display prior.

“For me, it’s just disappointing,” said Eberle, whose team concludes its fourth ever campaign Tuesday night at home against the Los Angeles Kings. “You had expectations of being in a playoff spot or at least fighting for a playoff spot. And with our talent – the defensive corps that we have, the depth that we have – the simple answer is it’s disappointing.

“The optimistic part is the last month that we’ve played, I find we’re creating more and that we’re playing more together as a team. It feels more like a team in here. And that’s the positive part of it.”

And that could also mean the difference between a Kraken team requiring major overhauls and one a mere couple of summer additions away from being right back up with the scary teams. It was just two seasons ago the Kraken made a 40-point standings leap, knocked off the defending champion Colorado Avalanche and came a victory away from qualifying for the Western Conference Final.

After a disappointing 81-point finish last season, the Kraken spent big last summer on free agent ads Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson and saw both deliver – Montour with a team record 17 goals by a defensemen and Stephenson a 50-point campaign. Which is why the fact the team will finish with fewer points this season is a head-scratcher for many and a sign the true talent level may lie closer to what’s been seen of late.

“It’s frustrating because I feel like there’s more potential,” Kraken alternate captain Jaden Schwartz said. “I think there were weeks where we weren’t playing up to where we should be. And that cost us because then you end up chasing.

“So, I think we all know that we can play better and do a lot more for the team and individually. So, I think that’s positive. But at the same time, we weren’t good enough and that’s what’s frustrating.”

A cynic might suggest the Kraken also played tougher down the stretch a year ago and it led to nothing. But that cynic would be wrong.

Last year’s trade deadline was on March 8 and the Kraken from there finished 6-13-2 -- a record punctuated by an eight-game losing streak and a couple of lazy home blowout losses. While it’s true the Kraken subsequently pulled things together and finished 6-6-0, all six wins came against non-playoff teams – including four versus Anaheim and San Jose squads among the bottom-three and another facing a floundering Arizona franchise about to relocate.

Fast forward a year and this season’s 9-7-2 stretch since the trade deadline has more authenticity. Of the nine victories, four came against playoff positioned Montreal, Edmonton, St. Louis and Los Angeles teams with plenty to play for, while another was over archrival Vancouver on the road.

Seven of the nine combined Kraken defeats in regulation or beyond came against playoff positioned teams while an eighth was facing a Calgary squad still contending as of Monday morning. And of those nine losses, the only blowout was a 7-1 defeat in Utah last week.

Six of the other eight losses were decided by two goals or fewer, including two in overtime.

Between Schwartz’s team-leading 25 goals, Eeli Tolvanen and Jared McCann, the Kraken have three players with at least 22 goals for the first time in franchise history. And both Shane Wright and Matty Beniers each need one goal to join them at the 20-mark.

The Kraken also have their future centermen set on their top three lines with Stephenson, Beniers and Wright for years to come. Last year’s No. 8 overall draft pick, Berkly Catton, also a center, will have a shot to make the team out of camp next fall.

Joey Daccord has established himself as a No. 1 goalie while defensemen Montour, Dunn, Adam Larsson and Ryker Evans are under contract for years to come.

That has the middle of the ice largely set with stiff competition looming on the wings. Between Schwartz, McCann, Tolvanen, Eberle, Kaapo Kakko, Andre Burakovsky, AHL prospect Jani Nyman and potential summer additions, there won’t be room for all on the team’s top three lines.

That’s another reason the Kraken talent level right now might be much closer to reality than the 26-33-4 team prior to the deadline. In fact, stretching back beyond the deadline the Kraken have gone 18-18-3 the last three months compared to 17-22-3 the three opening months.

That early mark had two obvious inflection points. There was a late October stretch where the Kraken lost seven of eight games right on the heels of an injury to defenseman Dunn. And then, a late November skid of five losses in seven contests following the Eberle injury, with three defeats coming against lowly San Jose and Anaheim.

“I feel like there were stretches where we played well and other stretches where we didn’t play well,” said Tolvanen, whose 22 goals are a career high. “There were too many times where we won one and then lost three in a row. I feel our game was just inconsistent.”

Tolvanen also felt there were games the Kraken “just let slip away” when they could have secured points. There was a 2-1 loss in Winnipeg on Jan. 16 on a goal with 27 seconds to go. And three more road defeats in New Jersey on Dec. 6, Edmonton on Jan. 27 and Washington on March 9 where the Kraken held second period leads but lost in regulation.

Like others, Tolvanen has sensed a change in recent weeks and optimism borne of the fact “there are a lot of guys playing for next season already, guys on long contracts who are still going to be here. They want to build something, a foundation, starting right now.”

Kraken coach Dan Bylsma has seen his players determined to set a tone heading into the summer.

“The goal of the guys in there is to finish the season strong and prove to each other and prove to everybody watching that we can be a good team,” Bylsma said. “And yes, I think that does provide hope for the future. There’s a sense that that’s been building.”

It starts with not letting games slip away as often. Last week alone, the Kraken held a one-goal lead through the third period in Los Angeles and handed the Kings only their fifth home loss all season.

Then, against the Blues at home last Saturday night, the Kraken coughed up a third period lead and fell behind. But they eventually tied it on a Wright goal and won in a shootout. It was their first shootout victory in 78 games dating back to that night in Minnesota filled with so much promise.

“I know there are some guys on long term contracts, but there are also guys, like myself, who are getting older and in the last year of our deals,” Eberle said. “So, I feel that’s a chance that we’re going to get to win hockey games or there are going to be some really big changes.

“So, I feel confident in the group that we have and the core that we have and the depth that we have. I think it’s just a matter of getting a little more belief in what we can do.”