Blackhawks Game Day: 3 things to watch against Kraken

Chicago Blackhawks (5-4-2, 12 pts) @ Seattle Kraken (5-2-4, 14 pts)
9 pm CT – Climate Pledge Arena
TV: CHSN (Ball/Granato)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Fraser)

The Chicago Blackhawks continue their season-long six-game road trip with the first of three regular-season matchups with the Seattle Kraken. The Blackhawks have only one win in six visits to Seattle since the Kraken joined the league. They have yet to lose in regulation on home ice, boasting a 3-0-2 record at the Climate Pledge Arena this season.

The Kraken and Blackhawks are both exceeding expectations to start the season. Much like the Blackhawks, Seattle can attribute much of its early-season success to the goaltending. Joey Daccord is doing the heavy lifting with 11 starts in 12 games. His .904 save percentage (%) has the Kraken in the top 10 for goals allowed. They don’t score a lot, but they haven’t been giving up much either. Daccord is 4-1-0 in his career against the Blackhawks, with a 1.82 goals-against average (GAA) and .930 SV%.

Jared McCann will be out again with a lower-body injury. Since arriving in Seattle, he’s scored 121 goals, including three this season in five games. Blackhawks fans won’t miss him, as he’s scored 12 goals and 19 points in 20 career games against Chicago.

Oliver Moore Makes Season Debut

After six goals and nine points in nine American Hockey League games, Oliver Moore is back in the NHL. The Blackhawks recalled him, and he joined the team for the morning skate in Seattle. Head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed he will play tonight.

The Blackhawks held an optional morning skate, so there were no line rushes. A logical guess is that Landon Slaggert will come out of the lineup. It makes a lot of sense to put more on the third line with Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev. This gives him two veterans who know where to be on the ice and can keep up with his speed.

Jason Dickinson was placed on injured reserve to make room for Moore’s arrival. Blashill said he’s returned to Chicago and is considered week-to-week with a shoulder injury. If he was only going to miss a couple of games, the Blackhawks might have called up another player for a short-term fix. The Blackhawks want Moore to stay in the NHL and not bounce between the two leagues.

Get on the Power Play

In the last game against the Edmonton Oilers, one key to success was staying out of the penalty box. Tonight, drawing some penalties will go a long way towards a victory. The Kraken have struggled to kill penalties this season, especially at home. They are 18-of-28 overall, putting them 28th in the league at 67.9%. On home ice, they have allowed four goals on 11 chances.

However, getting on the power play might be a challenge. The Kraken have only taken 35 penalties this season, the third fewest in the NHL. The Blackhawks are drawing more penalties per/60 than they did last season; 3.85 compared to 2.92 last season. However, despite their improvement, they are still 18th in the league in penalties drawn. They have a speed advantage, especially with Moore added to the mix, so use it to get some time with a man advantage.

Andre Burakovsky Revenge Game

Andre Burakovsky is another player that general manager Kyle Davidson acquired in a “salary dump” trade that has paid off. Much like Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev before him, Burakovsky has taken advantage of an elevated role with the Blackhawks. His play of late has landed him in the up section of our weekly Blackhawks Trends column today.

Tonight will be Burakovsky’s first game against the Kraken since they traded him to Chicago for Joe Valeno, who they quickly bought out. You’d think being traded for nothing would put a chip on his shoulder tonight. Burakovsky’s three seasons in Seattle were marred by injuries that limited his production. He is showing this season what being healthy can do for his output.

Season Series

11/3 @ SEA
11/20 vs SEA
4/4 @ SEA

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-Connor Bedard/Ryan Donato (6)
A-Bedard (9)
P-Bedard (15)
PPG-Bedard/Tyler Bertuzzi (2)
GWG-Donato (2)
SOG-Bedard (37)
PIM-Louis Crevier (21)

Kraken Team Leaders

G-Jaden Schwartz/Jordan Eberle (4)
A-Schwartz (6)
P-Schwartz (10)
PPG-Chandler Stephenson (2)
GWG-5 tied with 1
SOG-Vince Dunn (27)
PIM-Ryan Lindgren (25)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-3.17 (17th)
GA/G-2.82 (11th)
PP%-18.9 (19th)
PK%-82.0 (13th)
SOG/G-24.8 (30th)
SA/G-29.7 (23rd)
FO%-47.0 (24th)
PIM/G-12:00 (31st)

Kraken Team Stats

GF/G-2.73 (24th)
GA/G-2.82 (9th)
PP%-21.9 (12th)
PK%-67.9 (28th)
SOG/G-23.9 (31st)
SA/G-28.4 (16th)
FO%-44.3 (31st)
PIM/G-8:38 (13th)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

Forwards
Ryan Greene-Connor Bedard-Andre Burakovsky
Teuvo Teravainen-Frank Nazar-Tyler Bertuzzi
Oliver Moore-Ryan Donato-Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach-Nick Foligno

Defensemen
Alex Vlasic-Sam Rinzel
Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Murphy
Louis Crevier

Scratched
F-Sam Lafferty, F-Landon Slaggert

Injured
G-Laurent Brossoit (hip), F-Jason Dickinson (upper body)

Kraken Probable Lines

Forwards
Eeli Tolvanen-Matty Beniers-Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz-Chandler Stephenson-Kaapo Kakko
Mason Marchment-Shane Wright-Jani Nyman
Tye Kartye-Ben Meyers-Ryan Winterton

Defensemen
Vince Dunn-Adam Larsson
Ryan Lindgren-Brandon Montour
Joshua Mahura-Jamie Olesiak

Scratched
F-Berkly Catton, D-Cale Fleury, G-Philipp Grabauer

Injured
D-Ryker Evans (upper body), F-Frederick Gaudreau (upper body), F-Jared McCann (lower body), F-Max McCormick (hip)

Goaltending Matchup

Arvid Soderblom (1-1-1, 3.01 GAA, .888 SV%, 0 SO) vs Joey Daccord (5-1-3, 2.70 GAA, .904 SV%, 1 SO)