NHL: Seattle Kraken vs Ottawa Senators | 19 April, 10 AM (PST)

[Mary C]

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

SEATTLE KRAKEN 

C | Matty Beniers 

LW | Ryan Donato 

RW | Jordan Eberle 

LD | Vince Dunn 

RD | Adam Larsson 

G | Philipp Grubauer 

 

OTTAWA SENATORS: 

C | Josh Norris 

LW | Brady Tkachuk 

RW | Parker Kelly 

LD | Michael Del Zotto 

RD | Travis Hamonic 

G | Anton Forsberg 

 

One of the more underwhelming games of the season: it’s the Ottawa Senators against the Seattle Krakens in the Climate Pledge Arena, home to the Krakens. The puck drops at 10 AM Philippine Time, this Tuesday, April 19. This fixture is ultimately a battle to settle who’s worse, but it’s a hockey game nonetheless.  

 

Seattle Kraken’s debut season was anything but prolific. Currently, they are 8th in the Pacific Division, with a 24-44-6 record, 52 points. The team has a points percentage of .364, which places them as the team in NHL with the fourth-worst points percentage. In the Pacific Division, they are 11 points behind every other team which brings their hopes of a playoff appearance in their first season to dust. The team’s stats are: 2.56 goals for, 3.48 goals against, and 27 power play goals. Taking a look at the team’s strength, Seattle seems to be efficient in goaltending. As for their offensive zone and neutral zone strategies, these will most probably make up for their shortcomings at forward and defense, but it might turn them more vulnerable to odd-man rushes the other way. Season Leader Jared McCan can potentially provide a higher chance for the Kraken to conquer this match, given his season stats of 25 goals, 18 assists and 43 points. 

 

The Ottawa Senators are at 7th in the Atlantic Division, with a record of 28-40-7, 62 points. The stats for Ottawa are: 2.69 goals for, 3.20 goals against, and 44 power play goals. Brady Tkachuk and Josh Norris lead the team this season, with Tkachuk’s 59 points, 27 goals, and 32 assists, and Norris’s 33 goals, 16 power play goals, and 155 shots. 

 

Clearly, both teams have not had the best of luck recently, seeing that their losses are almost twice their wins. But if we were to pick the team with the better odds of winning, it would be the Ottawa Senators. Evidently, they have shown a more competitive performance compared to the Seattle Kraken, and their key stats are significantly more productive than Seattle. Ottawa’s players are also more efficient.  

 

Tuesday, April 19, 2022, 10 AM (PST). Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA.