When the Seattle Kraken final traveled to Calgary on Dec. 18, they hit all-time low.
The Kraken allowed three third-period targets in a 4-2 loss that capped a 1-9-1 skid. By the tip of the subsequent night time, they have been tied for final general within the NHL standings.
Seattle and Calgary are set to fulfill once more Monday night time in Alberta, solely with the Kraken in a a lot totally different state of affairs. They’re 6-0-1 since that loss and sit in a Western Convention wild-card spot.
Whether or not the Kraken are contenders or pretenders must be decided in January, after they have an NHL record-tying 17 video games scheduled.
One of many keys to the Kraken’s success has been the play of their fourth line. Ben Meyers, Ryan Winterton and Jacob Melanson mixed for 11 of Seattle’s 28 photographs on purpose Friday in a 4-3 win towards the Vancouver Canucks.
Meyers, who had eight of these photographs, scored late within the second interval to present the Kraken a 3-1 lead.
“That line has been very accountable, excellent,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert mentioned. “And with these video games that we’ve got developing and the variety of video games that we have all talked about in January, we will must have everyone (contributing high quality minutes).”
Winterton and Melanson are each driving three-game level streaks.
“We’re simply centered on taking part in easy and being arduous to play towards,” mentioned Meyers, “and issues are figuring out and we’re discovering success simply doing the easy issues proper.”
The Kraken additionally acquired a purpose from defenseman Cale Fleury, his first since his rookie season with Montreal in 2019-20.
“Anytime you rating, it is thrilling, nevertheless it’s been some time on this league for me, so it was particular,” Fleury mentioned. “For me, it is simply trusting my skills. I do know I am on this league for a purpose. I talked with Coach too, (and) he is simply telling me to play with confidence, so when you might have Coach telling you that it will be sort of impolite to not.”
The Flames have additionally been on the rise, with that earlier win over Seattle igniting a 5-2-0 streak. That is regardless of a 4-3 dwelling loss to Nashville on Saturday, during which they allowed the decisive purpose with 29 seconds remaining.
“I do not assume it was an incredible recreation for us in comparison with those we have performed over the past short while,” Flames coach Ryan Huska mentioned. “I solely thought we had possibly 5 guys that have been at a degree that I feel they need to have been at. I assumed Nashville was a lot faster than us for almost all a part of the sport. Not an incredible night time.”
Blake Coleman scored the tying purpose for the Flames within the third interval, Matt Coronato had two assists and goaltender Dustin Wolf stopped 32 photographs.
“We have been cussed all night time, and it got here again to chunk us at one of many greatest occasions of the sport,” Coleman mentioned. “It is simply a kind of issues the place in that state of affairs and that rating and the place we’re, it is early to be speaking standings, however we have given ourselves a possibility to actually climb. There isn’t any excuse for it.”
Flames ahead Johnny Beecher left the sport within the second interval after sustaining an obvious upper-body harm in a battle with Nashville’s Nicolas Hague. Beecher did not return, and his coach did not have an replace on his standing. Beecher was additionally suspended one recreation Sunday by the NHL for roughing Nashville’s Michael McCarron.
–Area Degree Media
