It’s a shame they couldn’t finish it, but there’s a lot of good things to learn about this game.

But first the highlights

Game notes

• Your TOI leader for tonight’s competition was Ryker Evanswho logged a total of 24:44.
• If you’re a little depressed afterward, I can’t really blame you. The Kraken had a really strong performance against the largely NHL-ready Edmonton Oilers, giving them fits all night long. It felt like a game the Kraken could have played in the 2022-23 season; They put Edmonton’s forecheck all over the place, they forced Edmonton to sit back and make multiple saves to survive, and even if they didn’t do particularly well at it successful Because they fired shots from the middle of the ice, they forced the Oilers to stop them at every opportunity. If there’s one thing you can’t fault in a game like this, it’s the performance on display.
• Well, okay. They played a strong game of hockey until some of their old bugbears suddenly emerged; Power play problems, shorthanded goals, immediate goals conceded by the other team, and struggling with defensive breakdowns put a team that was up 4-2 in the predicament they found themselves in to end the game. That’s mostly the feeling that it’s slowing things down. You’ve shown a lot of heart and effort and still have a few of those silly little hiccups to end your evening. It’s frustrating and I don’t blame you if you feel like they could have gotten a win in this game.
• Dan Bylsma and his coaching staff got a goal on their power play from a respected talent who has been through some struggles. So it’s great to see the seeds of greatness come to fruition… and then promptly decide they don’t need to any from what they were doing when Šalé scored, and after the next four attempts everything completely collapsed. I need a little more crunch to get them to the middle of the ice cream, and much better puck security. Hopefully this can all be changed by adding a number of NHL players back to this roster.
• Centers were killed on faceoffs tonight at a measly 38.6% rate…although that may be because the mostly Firebirds squad basically had to deal with a Western Conference championship center corps.
• Philipp Grubauer finished the evening with an SV% of 0.861, including this shorty. Admittedly, neither goalkeeper put up exceptional numbers and both had to deal with spectacularly chaotic defensive sequences.
• John Hayden is pushing his way into this squad with all his might. The guy is a blast on the ice and fits perfectly with the pace the Kraken want to play at. I think he will be an exceptional fourth player for this team.

Was there anything Is the game good for you?

Honest? In my opinion, plenty.

• Eduard Salé has proven that Seattle can do it Actually He scored goals on the power play, and from tight angles. He also played a pretty strong game all night long; He kept his passing dangerous and was a positive possession player. While I’m not sure he’ll see any ice time in the NHL after the preseason, I think it was good for him to get some
• Brandon Biro had two assists in this game, and did so with just 9 minutes of consistent ice time! This is efficiency at work!
• Jacob Melanson had a goal and an assist tonight; Melanson’s goal was a charge to the net that he never gave up as two Oilers tried to impede him, and he had to take a hit to capitalize on that assist. This child understands the task of being brave; Toughness must be reflected in results and the dividends paid.
• Ben Meyers Was another Player with two points! He sent a heatseeker after Melanson’s pass past Olivier Rodrigue and initiated the sequence that gave Melanson the equalizer by repelling an attempted zone exit. Great game between these two young men!
• John Hayden Maybe he had no point tonight, but he was active and he was a nightmare to play against. He constantly harassed the Oilers at every opportunity. It will indeed be difficult to leave him out of this squad.
• The feeling from Kraken Hockey; Successful Kraken hockey, even if it didn’t lead to one win…comes back. The Kraken that rocked the Western Conference, the Kraken that endured an end-to-end scorefest, the Kraken that made other teams return to the bench gasping for air. That’s what I wanted to see from this team more than anything else this preseason. They still have to play an otherwise complete game with all of the NHL regulars and the rookies who have earned a spot on this roster. They still have the ability to drive you crazy, but the version of this team that you could easily fall for. The love that drove the rest of the league crazy is slowly starting to blossom again. This is huge.

Fancy stats from NaturalStatTrick.com

They largely controlled the shooting percentage in a game with a mostly complete Oilers roster. I call this significant progress. Annoying progress? Secure. Painful progress? Absolutely…but progress nonetheless.

I expect the pre-season to end 1-1 in a row. We’ll continue the preseason on Monday with a team that is increasingly difficult to play against than anyone at the Calgary Flames thought. This game drops the puck at 6:00 p.m. PT in Alberta.

Thanks for reading! And as always:

Keep calm and post Zoidberg if we win.