Kraken continue to roll with convincing 5-1 road win against Flames

The Seattle Kraken tie a season-high with five goals, but goaltender Philipp Grubauer is the real star of the night in Calgary.

Things have been going well of late for the Seattle Kraken, but such is the psyche of the average sports fan in the Pacific Northwest, they must have feared this recent success was unsustainable. And this genuine fear seemed to be coming to fruition following a tough opening period in Calgary on Monday night,

The Kraken were outshot 13-8 during the first 20 minutes, trailing 1-0 and struggling to cope overall versus a seemingly more physical Flames team. The home side were positioned to put the game to bed in the middle frame, but one thing you can’t bet against is the collective mental fortitude of head coach Lane Lambert’s players.

Leading the way was Philipp Grubauer, the Kraken’s backup goalie who is currently playing like a number one. The Flames pummelled the visitor’s net with 18 shots during the second period, but were unable to score again versus a red-hot Grubauer.

Thanks to the 34-year-old’s performance, the Kraken grew in confidence and managed to tie the game at 1-1 during a second period where they were again second-best on the ice. And it came via a fourth line which has been tremendous itself of late, more specifically Jacob Melanson, who scored his first ever NHL goal.

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A Kraken goal-fest during the third period in Calgary

This set the stage for the Kraken to lay it on in the final 20 minutes with a four-goal blitz, courtesy of Shane Wright, Vince Dunn, Frederick Gaudreau and Matty Beniers. This resulted in a 5-1 win, with the five goals tying a season high in a 5-3 home victory versus the Winnipeg Jets back in November.

The Kraken have struggled to score goals this season and even following Monday night’s effort they find themselves tied with the St. Louis Blues on an NHL-low 107. However, the reality is they’ve been better offensively recently in scoring at least four goals in four of their past five games.

Further, during a magnificent eight-game run of 15 out of a possible 16 points the Kraken has averaged 3.625 goals per contest, which would project to second-best in the NHL over the course of a whole season. Of course continued efficiency is the key moving forward, but the fact is they keep moving up the standings and are now third in the Pacific Division and just one point off first place.

A red-hot Philipp Grubauer in goal

As much as the improved scoring has helped, you have to go back to the impact of Grubauer during this recent run of success by the Kraken. He has now won his last four starts between the pipes, allowing just one goal per contest and accumulating an outstanding .972 save percentage.

The 2010 fourth round draft pick took his form to another level on Monday night in Calgary, with season-highs of facing 42 shots on goal and making 41 saves. His .926 save percentage on the season would project to equal his career-high set in 2016-17 with the Washington Capitals, while his 2.22 Goals Against Average would easily be the best of his four campaigns in Seattle.

Lambert was full of praise for Grubauer postgame when speaking to the media, although the head coach does his best not to get too carried away with praise. (To be fair, at the same time he also remains mostly level-headed when things aren’t going well.) As per Bob Condor of NHL.com, he said:

“He’s been reading the game real well. His focus has been really solid. Our goalie coach [Colin Zulianello] has a good relationship, and he’s done a really good job with Grubui. I just think his professionalism … Philip worked hard over the summer and just came in saying, ‘I’m going to try to win a job and play more’. That’s what he’s doing.”

The Kraken now returns home on Tuesday night for the second game of a back-to-back, versus a Boston Bruins team desperate to remain within touching distance of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Joey Daccord will get the nod between the pipes, in a game which will mark the official halfway point of the regular season in Seattle.

What has stood out for you most with the Kraken during this eight-game points streak? More importantly, do you believe the team can continue to be consistently productive moving forward this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.