The Seattle Kraken face the Pittsburgh Penguins with both teams heading in opposite directions at the midway point of the season. The Kraken have a 19-14-9 record and with nine wins in a row, they have leaped into fifth place in the Pacific Division. The Penguins have a 20-15-6 record and with two overtime losses in a row, they have fallen into sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams look to improve in their divisions and the upcoming game should be a good one.
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The Kraken are having a great season despite their offense struggling scoring only 2.88 goals per game. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Eeli Tolvanen, and Jared McCann have scored 39 goals and 49 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only six skaters have eight goals or more and opponents can limit the top-heavy offense as a result.
Touchdown, #SeaKraken! ??
Enjoy all 7?? goals from last night's dub! pic.twitter.com/GnhIdYT0xX
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) January 14, 2024
The offense has struggled but the defense has carried them, allowing only 2.81 goals per game with only 13 goals in the last nine games. Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak have combined for 5.2 defensive point shares and 182 blocked shots while Vince Dunn, William Borgen, and Brian Dumoulin have combined for 5.7 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. Additionally, goaltender Joey Daccord has stepped up with a .923 save percentage and a 2.29 goals-against average on 776 shots with 15.2 goals saved above average.