THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Goaltending is an issue, but Kraken belong in playoffs
Steve Cameron.
If you want a piece of the playoffs …
If you want all that excitement, there’s no use tip-toeing around it.
Start by facing the Stanley Cup champions.
Hey, nothing less for the Seattle Kraken, who will be capping their second year of existence with a first-ever shot at Lord Stanley’s famous jug.
As the NHL Western Conference’s top wild card team, the Kraken open hockey’s most prestigious free-for-all tonight in Colorado against the defending champ Avalanche.
Why not?
In just their second year of existence, the free-scoring Kraken already have proven they can play with the big boys.
The Kraken have rung up the conference’s second-most goals (289, trailing only Edmonton) en route to a record of 46-28-8, and they’ll carry respect but not fear to Ball Arena in Denver tonight — kicking off this best-of-seven series against the Avalanche.
Seattle already has beaten Denver twice on the road this season, and pitched a shutout in Boston against that record-setting Bruins juggernaut.
So …
What’s the worry?
Ah, there’s the issue of goaltending, which assumes increased importance in generally tight, low-scoring, take-no-prisoners playoff hockey.
Neither Philipp Grubauer, who will start for the Kraken between the pipes tonight, nor backup Martin Jones had season save percentages above .900 (the rough equivalent of failing to hit .200 in baseball).
GRUBAUER was a Vezina Trophy finalist while in net for the Avalanche two years ago, and he was considered a blue-chip signing for the expansion Kraken prior to last season.
He’s been plagued with injuries and occasionally indifferent form so far in Seattle, but he has the talent (.914 save percentage in 269 games before this season) to help produce a surprising playoff run.
If things go sideways for Grubauer and the Kraken get to that stage, Jones DID backstop San Jose all the way to the Cup finals against Pittsburgh following the 2015-16 season.
Unfortunately, he became streaky and unpredictable with the Sharks after that season, and they ultimately bought him out of a fat long-term contract.
Jones has won 32 career playoff games with a 2.37 goals against average and six shutouts, but …
Who knows if he’s fit to play?
Jones took a vicious slap shot smack on the mask a little over a week ago against Chicago. He left the game at the end of that first period, and did not see any action after that.
Since we know that NHL teams leak less information than the Pentagon (admittedly a low bar these days), the Kraken have confirmed nothing about Jones beyond that his injury — likely a concussion — has been publicly classified as “Undisclosed.”
It's not even the usual (and basically meaningless) “upper body injury,” which perhaps could mean something a bit more ominous.
If Jones, who started 42 games this year and played in 48 overall (27-13-3, 2.99, .886), cannot go and something befalls Grubauer, the Kraken would need a “Break Glass in Case of Emergency” goaltender.
That would be minor leaguer Joey Daccord, who did appear in five games for Seattle and stopped 117 of 130 shots (.900).
In the bigger picture …
How much has changed since Jones was the golden goalie in ‘16?
All over the NHL?
Well, the very same Penguins who broke Jones’ heart seven year ago — those preening, relentless winners headlined by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang — missed the playoffs this season.
Talk about a changing of the guard …
It’s been 16 years since the Pens have been on the golf course at this time of year.
MEANWHILE, the Kraken are diving into their debut playoff grinder with other concerning issues beyond goaltending.
Seattle lost its leading scorer, winger Andre Burakovsky (who helped Colorado lift the Cup a year ago), to a lower body injury on Feb. 9.
Burakovsky, who had 13 goals and 26 assists in 49 games, has undergone surgery and won’t be back.
More problems?
OK, the Kraken haven’t been efficient on special teams.
Their power play finished at a feeble 19.75 percent and the penalty kill succeeded just 76.69 percent of the time, with both those numbers well below league averages.
Poring over some of these figures and shortcomings, the average fan might wonder just how the Kraken have made the playoffs at all.
That’s easy.
They’re fearless in hockey’s most dangerous places, and they can score — the whole gang of them across four relentless lines.
Seattle boasts six players with 20 goals or more (Burakovsky almost certainly would have made it an NHL-best seven), with winger Jared McCann exploding into the limelight with 40 goals and 30 assists.
McCann is partnered on the top line with vet Jordan Eberle (20 goals) and rookie Matty Beniers (24).
Beniers is almost a cinch to win the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, Daniel Sprong and Jaden Schwartz round out the 20-goal club, but it’s probably just as instructive that the Kraken have seven more skaters with 10 goals or more — including terrific midseason acquisition Eeli Tolvanen (who already has 16 goals) and 26-year-old defenseman Vince Dunn, who has blossomed into a star with 14 goals and 50 assists.
SEATTLE is not a particularly flashy team, and tends to score by battling in corners, getting pucks in front of the net and having someone eventually convert.
The Kraken have proven that hard work is the only formula that can succeed — on offense and back in front of Grubauer — against such a talented team as Colorado.
Still …
The Kraken have proven all year that they can compete with anyone, as when they made NHL history by winning every game on a seven-stop Eastern road trip.
In fact, their overall record of 26-11-4 away from Climate Pledge Arena suggests a team that won’t shrink under playoff pressure — even against Colorado and its stars Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar (Norris Trophy winner as the league’s best defenseman).
The Avalanche had an injury-plagued season, and captain Gabriel Landeskog missed all of it with a knee injury.
Colorado only won the Central Division — locking in this matchup with the Kraken — when MacKinnon scored inside the final two minutes on the last day of the regular season, thus pushing Dallas back a spot.
Playoff experience figures to be Colorado’s biggest advantage, since there was only a nine-point gap between these teams in the regular season (109-100).
Feel free to assume, though, that the Kraken — who will host their historic first playoff game in Seattle on Saturday night — are not intimidated by their task.
They’ll deal out as many licks as they receive, and have fun doing it.
Email: scameron@cdapress.com
Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.
Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”