Kraken Play It Close, But Can’t Pull It Out

Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko wasn’t about to celebrate establishing his new career high in points while standing in the losing locker room.

But his goal from the slot on a pass in close from Jaden Schwartz just 62 seconds into Monday night’s 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars looked almost too easy, raising thoughts of what might lie ahead. And some of those future thoughts, while definitely not celebratory, came from Kakko himself, suggesting he’d like to go to the net front more often the way he did on his team’s only goal of this contest.

“I mean, that’s something I think I need to do more – getting to the net,” Kakko said after his 14^th goal and 41st point of the season. “I feel I’m outside and at the corners and behind the net a lot – where I feel I can find somebody else over there (to pass to). But if you want to score more goals, you’ve got to get to the net more. I think that’s still something I can be better at.”

Words to live by for a Kraken team that worked hard for the handful of quality chances they did manufacture against a tough Dallas team that looks every bit like a Stanley Cup contender. The reunited line of Kakko, Schwartz and Matty Beniers was responsible for the majority of quality looks at the opposing net, but Beniers couldn’t put a rebound chance away off a Jani Nyman shot and neither could Kakko capitalize on a back-door attempt late.

Dallas, meanwhile, countered the initial Kakko goal with a pair of markers 45 seconds apart from Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston, with the game barely past its three-minute mark. And that was it from there as backup goalies Philipp Grubauer and Casey DeSmith locked things down the rest of the way before Mikael Granlund ended it with an empty net goal with 67 seconds to go.

Kakko’s goal was his 10^th since coming over from the New York Rangers in mid-December for defenseman Will Borgen. He had four goals to that point with the Rangers so now has topped his 13 with them a season ago and more than doubled his prior 19 points.

The Kraken like how Kakko has meshed with linemates and that he uses his 6-foot-1, 215-pound size to control the puck and occasionally get to the net as he did in this one. A pending restricted free agent, he stands to be a future part of a Kraken team looking to get bigger and more prolific offensively up front.

That latter part is a must against teams like the Stars, who boast big defensemen that tend to shut down opponents from close range. Dallas does give up plenty of shots from the periphery and this game was no different as the Kraken racked up 37 on DeSmith.

“I think we had enough chances to win that game but just couldn’t put it in,” Kakko said.

At the other end, Grubauer stopped a couple of Stars breakaway chances to keep the Kraken in a one-goal game against a Dallas offense looking positively lethal.

Johnston’s goal was his 30^th of the season, making him the third Dallas player to reach that mark along with Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen, while Duchene has 29 and Roope Hintz 27. The top Kraken scorer, Schwartz, has 23, while Eeli Tolvanen, at 22, is the only other guy to surpass 20.

“They’re a really big and fast team,” Grubauer said of a Dallas squad that’s won six straight and is 7-0-2 in its last nine contests. “They’re sniffing for breakaways, and yeah, they had a couple. Even with 50-50 chances inside their zone, their forwards are taking off, and they’re gone.”

Grubauer turned away several quality chances among the 31 shots sent his way. But as was the case in Saturday’s loss to Dallas, when the Stars were leading by a goal after two periods, the Kraken couldn’t add any further to Kakko’s game-opening strike.

The Kraken for the season’s penultimate homestand fared decently in blowing out the shorthanded Edmonton Oilers ahead of playing the Stars tight in their two-game set. But scoring just twice total in the two games against Dallas wasn’t going to get it done against an offense as explosive as the Stars now have.

“It’s evidence of Dallas being a good team and where they get their offense,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “And yes, it was just two goals against, but the two other breakaways they had playing long and getting a bounce when our D was down. They had several other opportunities.

“But the script in this game – minus the power play and penalty kill was similar to the last game against Dallas. Each took some swings, they had some chances, and we had some chances in the offensive zone.”

And this summer, when the Kraken go looking for the right combination of guys that can finish their chances, Kakko looks to be more a part of the solution than problem.

It’s a fine line with a player the size and skill of the former No. 2 overall draft pick by the Rangers in 2019. While it’s easy to talk about going to the net front, the Kraken would love their playmaking winger to keep making plays rather than constantly getting beat up at the net front.

Then again, as Kakko alluded, a little more net front might not be the worst thing.

“That’s a big part of what makes him an effective player – being able to hang on to pucks, play in the offensive zone and get to the net,” Bylsma said. “And he’s got the skill and the ability to make plays in and around the net. Not just bang one home, but make the quick little play to Matty or Schwartz in and around that cage.”

Bylsma hopes Kakko “continues to show more in his game” the way he has down the stretch. For Kakko, a career-high in points is the first step toward doing that with a new team far removed from the baggage that previously came with his high draft expectations in New York.

“I think I need just to play my game more,” Kakko said. “I feel like I can do something in the offensive zone, and my game is over there…that’s still my game. And maybe that’s something where I can prove myself. That I can make things happen over there.”