Seattle Kraken Very Much At Home on the Road

Home is where the heart is. But the road is where the wins are for the Seattle Kraken.

Seattle’s 13-4-2 road record is a primary reason why the Kraken hold a playoff spot with their third place standing in the Pacific Division. The Kraken started an ongoing seven-game road trip with four consecutive wins, including a 4-0 triumph against the Montreal Canadiens Monday night.

Before the trip, the Kraken downed the New York Islanders 4-1 in Seattle. That means they take a five-game winning streak into tonight’s game in Buffalo.

To understand how strong the Kraken road record is, consider that it is very similar to the 13-4-1 road mark owned by the Boston Bruins. Those Bruins are the NHL’s No. 1 team. The Kraken’s +21 goal-differential ranks third in the Western Conference.

The Kraken are not behaving like a second-season expansion team that was last in the Pacific Division with a 27-49-6 record.

Seattle’s 50 standings points in 39 games represent a 26-point improvement over where the team was at the same date last season.

During the five-game winning streak, the Kraken have outscored their opponents 26-8.

Kraken center Matty Beniers contributed a goal and an assist to further strengthen his position as the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

His continuing development as a two-way center has been critical to the Kraken’s improvement this season. Beniers has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points. He’s also +10.

Beniers’ multi-faceted playing style reminds some in the NHL community of the playing style of former NHL player Ron Francis. He is the Kraken’s general manager.

🚫 Flyers rookie Samuel Ersson earns first NHL shutout in 4-0 victory over the Sabres last night. In just his fifth NHL game the 23-year-old goaltender made 28 saves to earn his first career shutout against the league's highest-scoring team, helping the Flyers earn their fifth win in six games. Ersson made his NHL debut on December 23, allowing 5 goals in a 6-5 loss to the Hurricanes. Since, the Swedish rookie has allowed just six goals in the past four games.

🫡 The Pittsburgh Penguins made a detour to Kris Letang's father's funeral. Instead of traveling home following their 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes Sunday night, the end of a 10-day road trip, the Penguins flew to Montreal, arriving at 4 AM Monday in order to attend the funeral of Kris Letang's father in the afternoon. According to The Athletic's Josh Yohe, the team's leadership group came together in the middle of the road trip and decided they would attend the funeral.

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