The Seattle Kraken continued their waltz through the Central Division on Thursday, as they traveled to Missouri to face the St. Louis Blues. A seven-game losing streak hung over them on the second night of a back-to-back, as they tried to get their season back on track before it was too late. The Blues were on a two-game winning streak after wins against the Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals and were well rested, coming off a three-day break.
The goalie matchups were a battle of the backups, with Chris Driedger facing Blues backup Ville Husso. Both played great on the night, but one unequivocally earned the “goalie win” in this low-scoring goalie duel.
As has become the norm for the Kraken, they came out in the first period and heavily outplayed their opponent. They outshot the Blues 15–8 and looked like a team hungry for a win. It took 15 minutes, but Seattle took the first lead of the game, as the teams looked like they were instead going to head into the intermission tied 0–0.
Kraken center Alexander Wennberg tallied his fourth goal of the season when he found a loose puck in the slot and snapped it past Husso. Wennberg had been held scoreless in his previous 11 games going back to Dec. 3. His goal held up until early in the third period, when the inevitable collapse came.
RT if you love wenny #content! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/rBf76y8J8h
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) January 14, 2022
The scoreless second period was tighter fought, with the Blues outshooting the visitors 12–8 to set up an exciting third. St. Louis also had three power play chances to help their momentum.
The Kraken did have a majority of the chances in the third period, but early goals by Robert Thomas (1:29 in) and Pavel Buchnevich (5:30 in, on the power play) were all that the Blues needed to squeak out the win. Husso finished with 30 saves and held the Kraken scoreless in the final two periods.
Once again, the Kraken ran out of steam late and it cost them a chance at a win. Teams do not lose eight games in a row by seizing opportunities, and the Kraken certainly let another winnable game slip through their fingers.
Anchor points
⚓ Driedger had a good night, stopping 25 of 27 shots. That said, the Blues only had six high-danger chances all night, while the Kraken put 13 on Husso. At some point, Grubauer or Driedger need to steal some games, any games. Both goaltenders came into the season with reputations of being able to carry their teams, and they have not done so with the Kraken. You cannot get out-dueled every game and be successful.
That said, scoring one goal for leaves no room for mistakes. Neither goal was on Driedger and can both be pinned on defensive coverage. He played well enough to win this game. The disconnect between team and goalie needs to be fixed.
this save by Driedgs tho 😍 pic.twitter.com/GNmPObGW35
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) January 14, 2022
⚓ It was the Blues’ power play that did the Kraken in. After holding the St. Louis power play scoreless on four chances, the final Blues’ man advantage of the night was the one that did Seattle in.
⚓ Jordan Eberle, who was named as the Kraken’s first-ever all star on Thursday, had a quiet game on the score sheet, but led all players (both teams) with five shots on net.
⚓ The Kraken, for the second game in a row, held a significant advantage in possession but still managed to lose the game:
🔱 5-on-5 Corsi (total shot attempts) 
52%–48%
🔱 5-on-5 Fenwick (Unblocked shot attempts) 56%–44%
🔱 5-on-5 High-danger chances for 79%–21%
🔱 5-on-5 Expected goals for 66%–44%
🔱 Face-off percentage 
55%–45%
⚓ The Kraken have Friday off, and return home to face the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.