WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:
LAST GAME
Washington 5, Vancouver Canucks 1
November 29, 2022 * Rogers Arena * Vancouver, BC
Shots: WSH: 28; VAN: 32
Power Plays: WSH: 0/1; VAN: 0/3
Three Stars: 1. Ovechkin (WSH), 2. Carlson (WSH), 3. Hoglander (VAN)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Loaned forward Connor McMichael to AHL Hershey, 11/20
CAPITALS MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
Alex Ovechkin – 2 games shy of 1,300 career games; 4 games shy of passing Sergei Gonchar (1,301) for second on the all-time Russian games played list; 7 goals shy of 800 career goals; 9 goals shy of passing Gordie Howe (801) for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list Garnet Hathaway – 3 games shy of 400 career games Dylan Strome – 3 games shy of 300 career games Nic Dowd – 5 games shy of 400 career games Lars Eller – 6 games shy of 900 career games Dmitry Orlov – 2 goals shy of passing Al Iafrate (58) for the ninth-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history Evgeny Kuznetsov – 4 assists shy of passing Bengt Gustafsson (359) for the eighth-most assists in franchise history
INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Nicklas Backstrom: 10/12-11/29 (24 games)
Carl Hagelin: 10/12-11/29 (24 games)
Tom Wilson: 10/12-11/29 (24 games)
Connor Brown: 10/20/22-11/29/22 (20 games)
Beck Malenstyn: 11/3/22-11/29/22 (13 games)
Dmitry Orlov: 11/7/22-11/29/22 (11 games)
T.J. Oshie: 10/31/22-11/19/22 (11 games)
John Carlson: 10/31/22-11/9/22 (6 games)
Man Games Lost: 133
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dec. 3, 10 p.m. ET at Calgary (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 5, 8:30 p.m. ET at Edmonton (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 7, 7 p.m. ET at Philadelphia (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 9, 7 p.m. ET vs. Seattle (NBCSW+, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 11, 7 p.m. ET at Winnipeg (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals visit the Seattle Kraken on Thursday at Climate Pledge Arena for the first of two meetings between the teams this season. Thursday’s contest marks the third game (1-1-0) of a season-long six-game road trip for Washington. Last season, the Capitals split the season series with Seattle 1-1-0. The Capitals dropped their first ever game against the Kraken 2-5 at Climate Pledge Arena on Nov. 21, 2021, and defeated Seattle 5-2 at home on March 5. Alex Ovechkin (2g, 2a) and Tom Wilson (2g, 2a) led the Capitals with four points each in two games against the Kraken in 2021-22.
AWAY vs. SEATTLE KRAKEN
Record Goals For Goals Against Streak
0-1-0 2 5 1 SEA win (11/21/21)
CAPITALS vs. KRAKEN ALL-TIME (CAREER TOTALS)
Games Goals Assists Points
Aube-Kubel (3) Aube-Kubel (3) Ovechkin (2) Ovechkin (4)
Gustafsson (3) Ovechkin (2) Wilson (2) Wilson (4)
Milano (3) Wilson/Sheary (2) Kuznetsov/Brown (2) Aube-Kubel (3)
TOP CAPS FACTS
Road Goals
- Alex Ovechkin scored his 402nd and 403rd career road goals on Tuesday at Vancouver, moving him past Wayne Gretzky (402) for the most in NHL history.
- Ovechkin has scored 403 of his 793 career goals (50.8%) on the road, compared to 390 (49.2%) at home.
- Ovechkin has scored in 38 different buildings as a visitor, including one goal in one career game played at Climate Pledge Arena.
- Wayne Gretzky scored his 402nd and final road goal in his 720th career road game (0.56 G/GP). Ovechkin scored his 402nd and 403rd road goals in his 652nd career road game (0.62 G/GP).
- Since Ovechkin’s rookie year in 2005-06, only 10 players have more total goals than Ovechkin has road goals (403).
PLAYERS WITH THE MOST TOTAL GOALS SINCE 2005-06, COMPARED TO ALEX OVECHKIN’S 403 CAREER ROAD GOALS
Player Total Goals
Sidney Crosby 529
Steven Stamkos 494
Evgeni Malkin 452
Patrick Kane 433
Joe Pavelski 431
Eric Staal 430
Jeff Carter 421
Zach Parise 415
Patrick Marleau 413
Corey Perry 408
John Tavares 403
Phil Kessel 403
- Ovechkin has scored 144 of his NHL-record 291 power play goals (49.5%) on the road.
- Ovechkin has scored 54 of his 124 career game-winning goals (43.5%) on the road.
Approaching 800
- With his two-goal performance on Tuesday, Ovechkin is now seven goals shy of becoming the third player in NHL history to score 800 career goals and nine goals shy of passing Gordie Howe (801) for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list.
- Ovechkin (currently at 155 GP) can require the fewest games between milestone goals No. 700 and No. 800 and become the first to make the jump in fewer than 200 contests (Wayne Gretzky: 231 GP from Jan. 3, 1991 to March 20, 1994; Gordie Howe: 256 GP from Dec. 4, 1968 to Feb. 29, 1980).*
- After reaching the 700-goal milestone on Feb. 22, 2020, against the Devils, the Capitals’ captain has found the back of the net 93 times since – an average of 0.60 goals-per-game over that span, a rate just shy of his overall career average (0.61 G/GP). Gretzky’s goals-per-game rate from No. 700 to No. 800 was 0.44, while Howe’s was 0.39.*
- Ovechkin ranks first in NHL history in power play goals (291) and overtime goals (25), second in game-winning goals (124) and multigoal games (160), and fourth in even strength goals (497).
- Ovechkin’s first goal on Tuesday marked his 135th career game-opening goal, tying him with Jaromir Jagr for the most in NHL history.
- Ovechkin has recorded 23 points (13g, 10a) in 24 games this season, which leads the Capitals.
- Ovechkin is on pace to score 44 goals this season. Should Ovechkin reach the 40-goal mark, it would mark his 13th career 40-goal season, passing Gretzky (12) for the most in NHL history.
*Information from NHL Stats’ “The Road to 800” stats pack
Team Game
- The Capitals have won three of their last four games, dating back to Nov. 23.
- During that span, the Capitals have outscored opponents 12-8 and have out attempted the opposition 194-162 during five-on-five play.
- Over their last four games, Washington has scored three power play goals on 10 opportunities (30%) and have killed off 11 of 12 opposing power play opportunities (91.7%).
- Fourteen of the 18 skaters that have dressed for Washington since Nov. 23 have recorded at least one point.
Between The Pipes
- Darcy Kuemper stopped 31 of 32 shots faced on Tuesday at Vancouver, earning his third-straight win.
- Over his last three games, Kuemper has posted a record of 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, a .966 save percentage and one shutout.
- Kuemper’s two shutouts this season rank tied for third in the NHL.
- Kuemper’s 18 starts are tied for the most in the NHL, while his 1,029:52 of ice time leads all goaltenders.
- Among goaltenders with at least 15 games played, Kuemper ranks tied for sixth in save percentage (.917) and sixth in goals-against average (2.51).
Shot Suppression
- The Capitals have allowed fewer than 30 shots in nine of their last 13 games. During that span, which began on Nov. 3, the Capitals have recorded a 54.5 shot attempt percentage at five-on-five (651 shot attempts for, 543 shot attempts against), which ranks third in the NHL.
O From D
- Through 24 games, Capitals defensemen have combined to record 45 points (10g, 35a). Capitals defensemen have accounted for 31.5 percent of the team’s assists and 25.3 percent of the team’s points, which are each the 10th-highest percentage in the NHL.
- John Carlson has recorded 13 points (7g, 6a) in 18 games, which leads Washington blueliners.
- Carlson has scored five goals in his last seven games and his seven goals this season rank tied for third among NHL defensemen.
- Nick Jensen ranks second among Capitals defensemen with 10 points (1g, 9a) in 24 games. Jensen, who recorded a career-high 21 points (5g, 16a) in 76 games last season, is on pace to record 34 points in 2022-23.
- Erik Gustafsson’s nine assists this season are tied with Jensen for the most among Capitals defensemen and his four power play assists rank tied for third on the team.
- Gustafsson has recorded a 54.4 shot attempt percentage at five-on-five (405 shot attempts for, 339 shot attempts against) this season, which ranks second on the Capitals.
- The Capitals are one of six teams to have three defensemen with nine or more points (Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins).
Homecoming
- Everett, Washington native T.J. Oshie is expected to play his first career game at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday against the Kraken.
- In the four games since returning to the Capitals’ lineup on Nov. 23 against Philadelphia, Oshie has recorded four points (1g, 3a).
- Oshie, who missed 11-straight games due to injury, has recorded nine points (3g, 6a) in 13 games this season.
- Oshie has recorded a team-high 75.0 goals for percentage at five-on-five (six goals for, two goal against) this season (per Natural Stat Trick).
- Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the Capitals are 68-30-12 (.673 point percentage) with Oshie in the lineup and 36-12-6 (.722 point percentage) when he records a point.
- In games without Oshie since 2020-21, the Capitals have a record of 22-22-8 (.500 point percentage).
Who’s Next?
- Alex Ovechkin’s goal on Tuesday at Vancouver marked his first career goal against Spencer Martin, the 165th different goaltender Ovechkin has scored on in his career.
- With the goal, Ovechkin passed Mark Messier (164) for the third-most goaltenders scored on in NHL history. Only Jaromir Jagr (178) and Patrick Marleau (177) have scored on more goaltenders. Marleau ranks first in NHL history in games played and Jagr ranks fourth, while Ovechkin ranks 66th.
Player Number of Goaltenders Scored On Games Played
Jaromir Jagr 178 1,733
Patrick Marleau 177 1,779
Alex Ovechkin 165 1,298
Mark Messier 164 1,756
- Ovechkin has scored five goals in 12 career games against Martin Jones and three goals in four career games against Philipp Grubauer.
Tiger
- Lars Eller recorded his 200th career assist on Tuesday at Vancouver. The assist also marked Eller’s 200th point (83g, 117a) as a Capital.
- Eller’s 200 points since joining Washington in 2016-17 rank seventh on the team during that span.
- Eller is six points shy of passing Nikolaj Ehlers (361) for the second-most points by a Denmark-born player in NHL history and 10 assists shy of passing Mikkel Boedker (209) for the second-most assists by a Denmark-born player in NHL history.
- Eller has won 57.1 percent of his faceoffs since Nov. 1, which ranks 12th in the NHL during that span (min. 150 faceoffs taken).
- During that same span, Eller ranks tied for third in the NHL in offensive zone faceoff win percentage (66.0%) and 10th in defensive zone faceoff win percentage (57.8%).
Penalty Skill
- The Capitals have killed off 49 of 58 power plays (84.5 percent) over their last 19 games, dating back to Oct. 22. During that span, Washington’s 84.5 penalty kill percentage ranks fifth in the NHL.
- Washington has drawn 108 penalties this season – tied for the third most in the NHL – and their +14 net penalty differential ranks first in the NHL.
- Garnet Hathaway leads the Capitals and ranks tied for eighth in the NHL with 13 drawn penalties this season, while Nic Dowd ranks tied for 11th with 12.
Heavy Hitters
- Washington’s 645 hits this season are the fifth most in the NHL, through games played Nov. 29.
- The Capitals are on pace to record 2,203 hits this season, which would mark the franchise’s second-highest single-season total since the NHL began tracking hits in 2005-06 (2014-15: 2,335 hits)
- The Capitals have out hit their opponents in 14 of their 24 games.
- Garnet Hathaway leads the Capitals with 90 hits this season and ranks fourth in the NHL, through games played Nov. 29. Martin Fehervary ranks tied for eighth in the NHL with 79 hits, while Alex Ovechkin ranks 18th with 69.
Comeback Caps
- The Capitals overcame a one-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Flyers 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 23. It marked Washington’s third win this season when trailing after two periods, which is tied for the third most in the NHL.
SEATTLE KRAKEN NOTES:
LAST GAME
Seattle 9 at Los Angeles 8
Goals: Beniers (2), McCann (2), Burakovsky (2), Wennberg, Sprong, Bjorkstrand
Goalie: Jones (27/35)
PP: 3/4 PK: 2/4 Shots: Seattle 30 – Anaheim 35
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 62)
Chris Driedger (ACL; IR) – 22 games – month-to-month
Joonas Donskoi (upper body; IR) – 22 games – day-to-day
Morgan Geekie (upper body) – 1 game – day-to-day
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
Nov. 23, 2022: G Magnus Hellberg claimed off waivers from Detroit; Activated D Jamie Oleksiak off of injured reserve
UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, Dec. 1: Washington at Seattle, 7 p.m. PT
Saturday, Dec. 3: Florida at Seattle, 7 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Dec. 6: Montreal at Seattle, 7 p.m. PT
Friday, Dec. 9: Seattle at Washington, 4 p.m. PT
Sunday, Dec. 11: Seattle at Florida, 3 p.m. PT
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• The Kraken enter tonight’s game riding a franchise-best six-game winning streak, the longest active winning streak in the NHL. Seattle is one of five teams (Boston [2], New Jersey, St. Louis, Vegas) to win six or more consecutive games this season.
• Entering play Wednesday, the Kraken ranked fourth in the NHL with a .705 points percentage this season.
• Seattle was tied for fifth in the NHL with a plus-16 goal differential this season entering play Wednesday. They were one of only nine teams this year to own a double-digit goal differential entering play Wednesday.
• The Kraken have four players playing at a point-per-game pace over the team’s last eight games dating back to Nov. 11 vs. Minnesota: Matty Beniers (1.38), Andre Burakovsky (1.25), Jordan Eberle (1.38) and Justin Schultz (1.25).
• Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson have each been on the ice for 26 five-on-five Kraken goals this season, which was tied for the fourth-most among all NHL defensemen this season entering play Wednesday according to Natural Stat Trick.
o Dunn and Larsson are tied with Morgan Geekie for the team lead with a plus-11 goal differential at five-on-five this year.
o Larsson is one of only seven players this season to record at least 50 hits and 40 blocked shots.
• Entering play Monday, the Kraken, the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Islanders were the only teams this season to have three different defensemen score at least three goals. Jamie Oleksiak (four), Vince Dunn (four) and Justin Schultz (three) have all scored at least three times for the Kraken this year.
o Despite only playing in 17 games this season, Oleksiak enters tonight’s matchup just two goals shy of tying his career high of six that he set during the 2020-21 season while playing for the Dallas Stars.
• Martin Jones’ five-game win streak was tied for the longest active winning streak among goaltenders this season entering play Wednesday.
o His next win will surpass his 2021-22 season total (12), despite playing in only 18 games so far this season.
o Jones’ 12 wins were tied for the second-most in the NHL this season entering play Wednesday, trailing only Boston’s Linus Ullmark (13).
• The Kraken are outshooting their opponents 525-468 at five-on-five this season. Their 52.9 percent shot share was good for seventh in the NHL entering play Monday according to Natural Stat Trick.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES NIGHT
• Tonight’s game against the Capitals is the Kraken’s Indigenous Peoples Night. It is the third of eight Hockey is for Everyone (or HIFE) Nights that the Kraken will host this season.
• The Kraken will wear specialty jerseys during warmups that were designed by Paige Pettibon, who is a member of the yehaw Indigenous Creative Collective. Paige identifies as Salish and is a steward of the Lushootseed language.
o Paige will be welcomed in-game during the second period of tonight’s game.
o You can find all of Paige’s work at her website here.
• Olivia Colegrove-Martinez, who is a member of the Quinault Indian Nation in Taholah, Washington, will sing the National Anthem at tonight’s game.
• Ken Lewis will be honored as the veteran of the game. Lewis is Muckleshoot tribe’s longest serving veteran.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Kraken defeated the Kings 9-8 in Los Angeles to win six consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. The victory also gave the team wins in six consecutive road games, a franchise record.
• The Kings are now the second team (San Jose) that the Kraken have defeated four times since the start of last season. They also become the second team (Buffalo) that Seattle has won three consecutive games against.
• Seattle’s nine goals set a franchise record for the most in a single game. The matchup also marked the highest-scoring game in franchise history with the Kraken and Kings combining for 17 goals.
o It also marked the highest scoring game in the NHL this season.
• The Kraken became the first team to score nine goals in a game this season and are the only team to play two games in which they scored at least eight goals. The team also scored eight goals on Nov. 23 vs. the San Jose Sharks, an 8-5 Seattle win.
o According to NHL Stats, became the fifth team in the last 25 years – and fourth since the start of last season – to score eight or more goals in a game twice within a span of seven days. The others are Ottawa (2005-06), Arizona (2021-22), Washington (2021-22) and Tampa Bay (2021-22).
• Tuesday’s game against the Kings marked the first time in franchise history that the Kraken had three different players (Beniers, Burakovsky, McCann) score at least two goals in the same game.
• Jordan Eberle recorded four, matching his single-game career high in both assists and points.
• Matty Beniers record the first multi-goal game of his career and matched his career-best point streak at five games.
• Justin Schultz extended his career-best point streak to six games with three assists.
NO CAP
• Oliver Bjorkstrand has seven points (four goals, three assists) in his last seven games against the Capitals dating back to Feb.12, 2019.
• Ryan Donato has four points (two goals, two assists) in his last four games against Washington.
• Jaden Schwartz has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 14 career games against the Capitals. Washington is one of four teams (Buffalo, Edmonton, Toronto) that Schwartz has averaged a point per game or better against in his career.
• Adam Larsson has recorded a point in each of the last four games against Washington, totaling four points (one goal, three assists) in those four games dating back to Oct. 25, 2018. It marks his longest active point streak against a single opponent.
o Larsson scored his first NHL goal on Nov. 11, 2011 against the Capitals.
ON A ROLL
• Jordan Eberle has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in his last nine games, dating back to Nov. 8 vs. Nashville.
• Daniel Sprong has six points (three goals, three assists) in his last five games. If he were to score tonight, Sprong would match his career-high, three-game goals streak that he previously reached on three other occasions.
o Sprong has recorded multi-point efforts in each of his last two games played. If he were to do so again tonight, it would mark the first time in his career that he would have totaled at least two points in three consecutive games.
• If Alex Wennberg were to score tonight, it would extend his goal-scoring streak to three games, which would match his career high that he set from Feb. 7 to 11, 2021.
• An assist tonight would give Adam Larsson assists in four consecutive games, matching his career high that he set from Nov. 19 to 25, 2011.
• Jared McCann has seven points (five goals, two assists) in his last six games.
• Vince Dunn has recorded four points (two goals, two assists) in his last four games.
CHEERS TO BENIERS
• Matty Beniers leads all NHL rookies this season in goals (nine) and points (20), and his 11 assists ranked second entering play Wednesday.
o Beniers’ nine goals are tied for the second-most on Seattle’s roster and he ranks fourth and third, respectively, in assists and points this season.
• He enters tonight’s game having totaled 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his last five games played, dating back to Nov. 19 vs. Los Angeles. According to NHL Stats, it’s the first time a rookie has had 11 points over a five-game span since Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in five games from Dec. 6 to 15, 2018.
o His 11 points (four goals, seven assists) since Nov. 19 lead both NHL rookies and all Kraken skaters.
• Entering play Wednesday, Beniers was the only rookie this season to have two three-point games, doing so on Nov. 23 vs. SJS and on Nov. 27 at ANA. He is one of six rookies to record a multi-goal game.
• Beniers is also averaging 17:09 of ice time per game this season, which is the second-most among rookie forwards (Noah Cates; 17:50) and ranks fourth among Kraken forwards.
• The 20-year-old is currently on pace to finish the season with 34 goals, 41 assists and 75 points. 34 goals would be the most since Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews had 36 and 40 goals, respectively, during their rookie season in 2016-17.
• A goal or an assist tonight would give Beniers points in six consecutive games, which would set a career high for the forward. His current five-game point streak was the longest active streak among rookies and tied for the eighth-longest active point streak entering play Wednesday.
JUST IN TIME
• Justin Schultz has totaled 10 points (two goals, seven assists) in his last six games, dating back to Nov. 17 vs. the Rangers. If he records a point tonight, it would extend his career-best point streak to seven games.
• Entering play Wednesday, Schultz’s six-game point streak was tied for the sixth-longest active point streak in the NHL and the longest active streak by a defenseman.
• Schultz is one of nine defensemen this season to record a point streak of at least six games, joining Adam Fox (nine), Quinn Hughes (seven), Rasmus Dahlin (six), Filip Hronek (six), Erik Karlsson (six), Cale Makar (six), Josh Morrissey (six) and Morgan Reilly (six).
• Schultz’s 10 points since Nov. 17 were tied with Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey for the scoring lead among defensemen entering play Wednesday.
• Since his point streak began on Nov. 17, the Kraken have been outscoring their opponents 7-2 during five-on-five play when Schultz is on the ice according to Natural Stat Trick.
• The 32-year-old is on pace to finish the year with 48 assists and 60 points, both of which would be career bests for Schultz. 48 assists and 60 points would also be the most-ever by a Kraken defenseman.
YOU’RE A BURK
• Andre Burakovsky enters tonight’s game leading the Kraken with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) this season. It is the first time in his career that he has played a point-per-game pace through his first 22 games of the season.
• A goal or an assist tonight would give Burakovsky points in five consecutive games for the first time since he had points in six straight from Jan. 10 to 19, 2022, totaling eight points (two goals, six assists) during that span.
• According to NHL Stats, Burakovsky ranks third in scoring among veteran players who are in their first season with a new team. He trails Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk (29 points) and Los Angeles’ Kevin Fiala (26 points).
• The nine-year vet is currently on pace to finish the season with 34 goals, 52 assists and 86 points, all of which would set career highs for the forward.
• According to Natural Stat Trick, Burakovsky has a 52.7 percent Corsi rating this season, which ranks fourth among Kraken skaters that have played in at least two games.
FAMILIAR FOES
• Seattle’s roster houses four players that formerly played for the Washington Capitals: Andre Burakovsky, Philipp Grubauer, Justin Schultz and Daniel Sprong.
• Andre Burakovsky was selected by Washington with the 23rd-overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft and went on to play for the Capitals for five seasons (2014-15 to 2018-19). He totaled 145 points (62 goals, 83 assists) in 328 regular-season games and added 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 56 playoff games.
• Philipp Grubauer was selected by Washington in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. He played for the Capitals for parts of six seasons (2012-13 to 2017-18), posting a 43-31-11 record with a .923 save percentage and a 2.29 goals-against average.
• Burakovsky and Grubauer both won the 2018 Stanley Cup with the Capitals, the team’s first-ever championship.
• Daniel Sprong played for the Capitals for parts of two seasons (2020-21 to 2021-22) prior to being traded to the Kraken. He recorded 34 points (21 goals, 13 assists) in 89 regular-season games for Washington.
• Justin Schultz played two seasons (2020-21 to 2021-22) for the Capitals prior to signing with the Kraken as a free agent. He posted 50 points (seven goals, 43 assists) in 120 regular-season games and three points (one goal, two assists) in 11 playoff games.
• Additionally, Video Coach Tim Ohashi was a video analyst for the Capitals from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
ON THE LINE
• The Kraken enter tonight’s matchup with the Capitals with several franchise records on the line.
• A win over Washington would give the Kraken seven consecutive wins and four consecutive wins at home for the first time in franchise history.
• The Kraken have won four consecutive games against Eastern Conference teams this season dating back to Oct. 25 vs. Buffalo. A win tonight would give Seattle five straight wins against Eastern Conference opponents for the first time in franchise history.
• The Kraken have scored at least four goals in each of their last four games played, netting eight against San Jose on Nov. 23, four against Vegas on Nov. 25, five against Anaheim on Nov. 27 and nine against Los Angeles on Nov. 29. If the team scores four or more goals tonight, it would mark the first time in franchise history that the Kraken scored at least four goals in five consecutive games.
WINNING WAYS
• The Kraken have posted an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games played dating back to Nov. 5 at Pittsburgh. Their eight wins during that span were tied for fourth in the NHL entering play Wednesday and their .850 points percentage ranked second.
• Their eight wins and 17 points are tied for their most in a 10-game span in franchise history.
• The Kraken’s eight wins in their last 10 games played are the third-most in the NHL, trailing only the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, who have each won nine of their last 10 games played.
• The Kraken are averaging 4.20 goals per game since Nov. 5, which led the NHL entering play Wednesday.
o They have scored 42 goals in those 10 games dating back to Nov. 5, which was tied for the fifth-most in the NHL during that span entering play Wednesday.
o The team is outscoring its opponents 42-30 in its last 10 games played.
• Seattle is currently ranked second in the Pacific Division with 31 points in 23 games played. They trail only the Vegas Golden Knights (35 points) for the division lead.
SETTING THE PACE
• With 22 games played this year, the Kraken are roughly one quarter of the way through their second season. Heading into tonight’s matchup with the Capitals, 12 of the 29 veteran skaters on the Kraken’s active roster are on pace to surpass their career highs in scoring.
• Will Borgen, Andre Burakovsky, Vince Dunn, Morgan Geekie, Daniel Sprong and Brandon Tanev are all on pace to set new career highs in goals, assists and points.
o Borgen has already tied his career high with two goals this season.
• Karson Kuhlman (six), Jared McCann (35), Jamie Oleksiak (18) and Alex Wennberg (19) are all on pace to finish the 2022- 23 season with a new career high in goals.
o If the pace holds, it would mark the first time in his career that McCann would surpassed the 30-goal threshold.
• Oliver Bjorkstrand (34), Jordan Eberle (56), Justin Schultz (48) and Carson Soucy (15) are all pacing to finish the year with new career highs in assists.
o Yanni Gourde is pacing to finish the year with 39 assists, which would match his career high.
• Veterans Jordan Eberle (78), Adam Larsson (26) and Justin Schutlz (60) are all playing at a pace to surpass their career highs in points.
SECOND TIME AROUND
• The Kraken enter tonight’s game with an 14-5-3 record, which is good for a .705 points percentage and 31 points.
• The team won their 14th game of the season on Nov. 29 at Los Angeles, their 22nd game played of the season. Last year, it took the Kraken 43 games and 107 days from the start of the season to reach 14 wins, earning their 14th win of the season on Jan. 27, 2022, a 2-1 OT win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• It also took the Kraken 43 games to reach 31 points last season. This year, the Kraken earned their 31st point of the season in their 22nd game played, a 9-8 win against the Kings on Nov. 29.
• Wednesday, Nov. 29 marked the 51st day of the 2022-23 NHL season, roughly a quarter of the way through. Compared to the first 51 days of the 2021-22 regular season, the Kraken have won six more games, earned 13 more points and have improved their points percentage by 0.314.
o The Kraken’s 0.314 points percentage improvement from the first 51 days of the 2021-22 season to the first 51 days of the 2022-23 season leads the NHL. Seattle and New Jersey are the only teams with a points percentage improvement that is over .300.
o Their six extra wins are the fourth-best mark in the league. Only the New Jersey Devils (plus-10), New York Islanders (plus-10) and Boston Bruins (plus-seven) have a better year-over-year win improvement.
o The team’s 13 more points through the first 51 days of the 2022-23 season is the fourth-best points improvement, trailing the New York Islanders (17), New Jersey Devils (16) and Boston Bruins (14).
• The Kraken have been at or above a .500 points percentage the entire 2022-23 season. They did not achieve that mark past the first three games of the 2021-22 season.
• The team’s 14 wins this season have come against the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings (3), Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins (2), San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights. Seven of those 11 teams made the playoffs last season.
STARTING STRONG
• The Kraken are 10-1-1 when scoring first this season and have scored first in five of their last seven games.
o The team has scored first in 12 of its 22 games played this season, roughly 54.5 percent of the time. For comparison, last year the Kraken scored first in only 31 of their 82 games played, or about 37.8 percent.
• Their 10 wins and .833 points percentage when scoring first were tied for sixth and fourth, respectively, in the NHL entering play Wednesday.
• The Kraken are outscoring their opponents 26-21 in the first period this season. Their plus-five goal differential in the first 20 minutes of played was tied for eighth in the NHL entering play Wednesday.
o The Kraken are one of three teams in the NHL (Boston, New Jersey) to have a positive goal differential in each period this season. They are plus-five in the first period, plus-six in the second period, and plus-five in the third period.
• The Kraken have gone into the first intermission leading seven times this season and have posted a 5-1-1 record in those games.
