Deadspin: Confident Kraken Aim to Protect Leads Better When They Meet Flames
Seattle takes its winning run away
Seattle finished a 3-1-0 homestand with Wednesday’s 5-4 win over Toronto. The Kraken have an 8-4-1 record and 17 points through 13 games, their best opening to a season.
The Maple Leafs erased Seattle’s 4-2 advantage with two goals in the final 12 minutes of regulation. Brandon Montour scored in the final minute to secure the win. Chandler Stephenson had a goal and an assist, calling the result “a good confidence builder for the group.”
Late leads remain a concern
The Toronto game was the third time in four outings that Seattle surrendered a multi-goal lead in the third period. The Kraken won those games, but coach Lane Lambert acknowledged the pattern and praised the team’s resilience after Toronto tied the score.
Seattle has already beaten Calgary twice this season, winning both games 6-1 in the opening week. The teams meet again Friday in Calgary.
Calgary seeks a response
The Flames’ four-game winning streak ended Wednesday with a 4-0 road loss to Edmonton. Coach Ryan Huska said Calgary is in a better place than during its first two meetings with Seattle and believes the team is better than it showed.
Goaltender Devin Cooley suffered a lower-body injury late in the first period against Edmonton. No update on the injury’s severity was available.
Wolf may carry the load
If Cooley cannot play, Calgary is expected to call up minor-league goaltender Arsenii Sergeev, a 2021 seventh-round draft choice. Sergeev won his only NHL start, a 3-1 victory over the Kings in last season’s finale.
Dustin Wolf is Calgary’s projected No. 1 goaltender, but he has a 1-4-0 record, a 4.81 goals-against average and a .839 save percentage this season. Wolf said he has used the past couple of weeks to work on parts of his game that are not at their sharpest. Huska said his confidence in Wolf has not waned and that the team expects him to be its best player.
Key points
- Seattle has 17 points through 13 games, its best start to a season.
- The Kraken have given up third-period multi-goal leads in three of their past four games.
- Calgary lost 4-0 to Edmonton after winning four straight.
- Devin Cooley’s injury could leave Dustin Wolf or Arsenii Sergeev in goal against Seattle.