Kraken (34-40-6) vs Blues (43-30-7) | 7:00 p.m.

One: Play For The Home Fans

We hear the Kraken talk about their fans a lot and wanting to play hard in front of them. Well, they have only two more chances to do that this season and can guarantee themselves a second “winning” season at home since inception.

Sure, their 17-17-5 home record includes five overtime and shootout losses. But those were ties in the old days, so if they can get to 19 regulation wins it would qualify as an NHL-style winning season and be only one victory behind the 20-17-4 home campaign of two years ago when they went to the playoffs.

Yeah, it’s all symbolic right now but if this squad wants something to build off of this summer, then why not that? Plus, they can truly give back to those fans with quality performances against two playoff teams upcoming.

They are also 8-7-3 since the trade deadline and have faced some serious opponents along the way. So, again, there’s a chance to go out on a winning record since making some serious moves with upcoming summer add-ons expected.

Even the losses over that stretch have been hard-fought affairs, with four of them coming by a goal – two in overtime – including the most recent 2-1 defeat to Vegas on Thursday night. Three of the multi-goal losses saw empty-netters scored by opponents, and eight of the 10 regulation and overtime defeats were against playoff squads.

So, yes, there is still something that can make a difference in Saturday’s affair – motivation – against a Blues team that hasn’t lost very much at all the past month.

The Kraken had one of the best starts to a road trip in a long time by beating Vancouver, San Jose and Los Angeles on the road this past week or so while outscoring them a combined 12-2. Things came off the wheels a bit in Utah, but the Vegas game could have gone either way and really is emblematic of how the Kraken have played since early March: A tight, physical style in which players go to the opposing net to make things happen.

That needs to continue.

Two: Score When Given The Chance

We’ve said it quite often this season but the Kraken need to finish chances they work hard to create in tight games. Yes, the power play has struggled mightily of late but often that’s because the Kraken fail to lock down the one Grade A chance they see during a man advantage.

With the goalie pulled late in the Vegas game, the Kraken were passing the puck around well with the extra attacker and got the puck to the crease with Brandon Montour staring at a wide-open net. But Montour, getting expectedly knocked around at the net front, waved his stick at the puck and missed. That’s the difference between winning and losing. Or at least coming away with a point and not zero. The Kraken need to convert more starting next season.

They certainly have folks capable of burying the puck. Right now, you’ve got Jaden Schwartz at 24 goals and Jared McCann and Eeli Tolvanen at 22 apiece. That’s the first time in team history three players have notched more than 21.

Given Matty Beniers has 19 goals and Shane Wright 18, it’s completely conceivable the Kraken finish with five 20-goal men – one shy of the club record of six from the playoff season two years ago. If Montour -- who has 17 goals -- goes on a late tear as he’s proved capable of doing, there’s a remote chance the Kraken get a half-dozen 20-goal men to tie the franchise mark.

Regardless, the point is they have players that can bury chances. If they start doing it once or twice more per game, plenty of those defeats will turn to wins.

Three: Know Your Foe

Know this about the Blues and their race to the playoffs: They’d won 12 consecutive games ahead of consecutive tight losses to playoff-bound Edmonton and Winnipeg.

So, this mini “slump” they come to town with isn’t really that. In nine of the 12 victories, they allowed two goals or fewer, which is largely attributable to goaltender Jordan Binnington.

Since the 4 Nations Face-Off event in which he backstopped Canada to a 3-2 overtime win in the gold medal game, Binnington has gone 13-3-0 with a .914 save percentage.

And yeah, it helps that his team has averaged 4.0 goals per game in the 16 contests started by Binnington that stretch. That’s a goal per game higher than the 3.01 averaged by the Blues all season, so they’ll take it.

Breakout winger Dylan Holloway was allowed to walk by Edmonton last summer and has blossomed with his new team to the tune of 26 goals and 37 assists.

The usual suspects are at the top of team scoring, with Robert Thomas at a club-best 78 points and Jordan Kyrou leading the way with 34 goals.

St. Louis overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat the Kraken 3-2 the last time they played at Climate Pledge in the season opener. Then, they blew them out 7-2 at home in late February to build upon a 9-2-0 mark historically against a Kraken team that last beat them in February 2023.