Hockey will take place at home for the next two weeks. The Kraken’s longest home game of the season — six games — begins Friday against division rival Vegas and ends with a Nov. 20 game against Nashville. The Kraken are looking to prove that home is where the goals and wins will follow at Climate Pledge Arena.

After the Vegas visit, the Kraken will entertain fans with the 2024 Super Skills Showcase on Saturday afternoon (goalies Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord are team captains), then anticipate two night games next week against Columbus on Tuesday and the Blackhawks from Chicago on Thursday. Tuesday’s game will be a Military Appreciation Night presented by Starbucks, honoring all military personnel in attendance. Starbucks has a season-long military engagement initiative with the Kraken, which includes discounts on military tickets all season for veterans.

Chicago’s Original Six team will feature budding superstar Connor Bedard, who has three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 13 games. At just 19 years old in July, Bédard is coming off a first season in which he won the Calder Trophy awarded to the NHL’s rookie of the year.

This Kraken team emphasized home ice advantage, wanting to take advantage of the high decibel intensity of the Kraken faithful to invigorate the energy. Seattle’s current home record is 2-3-1, with wins over Philadelphia and Calgary (the latter in overtime) and an impressive three-goal score in the final nine minutes of regulation to push team-leading Winnipeg league (12-1-1), in overtime. . Several Kraken players, including Matty Beniers, credited the crowd with adopting a don’t give up mode during this Jets game as the good guys in blue attacked star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

Kraken players to watch

Speaking of Beniers, he scored a goal and added an assist on Tuesday, pulling the Kraken within a goal of another late comeback. Beniers, who has been solid as a defensive forward from the first shift of the season, is clearly increasing his offensive prowess by carrying the puck more, getting to the front of the net from points and screens, and unleashing his terrific shot (from wrist and/or a single timer). Don’t be surprised if he gets hot as a scorer this month.

Defenseman Ryker Evans has a goal and two assists in his last five games, along with a handful of pucks hitting a goal post during the just-concluded trip. Evans continues to gain the trust of the coaching staff; he spent over 25 minutes on the ice in two games during the trip, averaging 22 and a half minutes overall. The 2021 second rounder is increasingly and naturally playing his game of solid defense and offensive pop.

Jared McCann clearly responds to the crowd and the family environment. He scored three goals and added five assists for eight points in five games in the last home game. He leads Seattle in goals (six), assists (10) and points (16) and is in the top 15 in the NHL. He has been a staple on the power play and has recently gotten the top minutes of the shorthanded forward pair. Additionally, he has historically crossed the 100 goal mark for the Kraken franchise.

Goaltender Joey Daccord elicited many “Joey!” Joey! ” sings with his play in net, sporting a .917 save percentage at Climate Pledge Arena and being a consistent force with a .915 overall save percentage. He lives up to the potential that Kraken general manager Ron Francis showed in the 28-year-old by extending his contract for four seasons ahead of this current campaign. Head coach Dan Bylsma credited Daccord for making big saves at opportune times in his four wins (4-3-1) and keeping games close if the Kraken fell behind .

Plotting the second half of the Homestand

Daccord is the likely starter against Vegas and Seattle’s two goalies will each likely start the weekend of November 15-16 when the Kraken continue their home game. First up will be the New York Islanders in a Saturday matinee with puck drop at 1 p.m. (bring the kids).

The next step will be big: the New York Rangers’ Original Six will be in town for a Sunday night game starting at 6 p.m. The Rangers are 8-2-1 heading into Thursday’s action with a plus-30 goal differential, leading the Eastern Conference. An important home match awaits them, with the Kraken players expecting a boost from the home crowd.