But 16 of the team’s 59 goals allowed have come in just three games. That means, the remaining 19 contests played have seen them allow an average of just 2.2 goals – a huge reason they are 11-3-5 over that span.
It’s also why the Kraken remain in a playoff position despite the NHL’s fourth-worst offence at just 2.59 goals scored per game. Their 24.1 shots per contest is also the worst in the entire league, and something head coach Lane Lambert wants his team to do more of.
“It’s a common theme right now – shot volume, or lack thereof,” Lambert said after Sunday’s shootout loss on Long Island. “We passed up too many shots again. So, at some point, we have to figure this out.”
Lambert added, “I think we’re looking for something better (in terms of shot quality) and I don’t understand why. They’ve got to shoot the puck. It’s the only way you can score goals. And I’ve said it over and over again.”
For now, that means the defense hasn’t yet rested for a Kraken team scraping out wins by the slimmest of margins. Their team’s save percentage of .908 is fourth best in the league, with Daccord at .909 in 14 appearances, Grubauer at .912 over six and the injured Murray at .922 in five matchups.
“They were really good,” Lambert said of active goalies Daccord and Grubauer on the recent 2-1-1 road swing. “They’re the reason we went the way we went on the trip. But at the same time, our guys battled in front of them, blocked a lot of shots.”
And they’ll need to keep on doing that while the Kraken await offensive improvement. They do have hopes for upgrades in that realm, given Jared McCann appears nearly recovered from a lower-body injury that’s kept him out for five weeks and could be back in action this homestand.
Kaapo Kakko is also expected back at some point in the near future, giving the Kraken extra firepower they’ve missed most of the season. Not to mention, Mason Marchment, who scored 22 goals each of his past two seasons with Dallas, finally snapped a 19-game scoreless drought with his second of this campaign against the Penguins on Saturday night.
“When you come to a new team, it might take some adjustment with everything,” Montour said of Marchment, his former teammate with the Florida Panthers. “The surroundings, teammates, players, linemates, little things like that. But the player, he’s likely to keep doing his thing. Keep working at what he knows he’s good at, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Just as the Kraken will look to keep winning these tight contests in hopes their season-ending record, regardless of its favourable Thanksgiving standing, takes care of itself the way it has for so many other similarly positioned teams before them.
