Perhaps the Seattle Kraken should reschedule and spend Thanksgiving on the road.
Or maybe they should just wait until the final seconds of the third period to take a lead.
The Kraken, who will play host to the NHL-worst San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, are just 3-5-1 at home this season and have blown leads in 17 of their past 18 games.
The latest came Monday night against Calgary, when they coughed up a one-goal advantage late in the third period and lost 4-3 in overtime.
The Kraken were bidding to win three games in a row for the first time this season.
“We’ve been a pretty consistent hockey team,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said before Monday’s loss. “And it seems like every time this year I’ve talked about that, we’ve taken a step back.”
Forward Kailer Yamamoto, a Washington native, was asked about the difficulties on home ice.
“I think we have all the right intentions,” Yamamoto said. “But sometimes, we just don’t have it at home.
“I mean, I’ve played (junior hockey) in Spokane, and Spokane fans are awesome. I think just Washington fans in general, it’s amazing. Hockey is starting to get bigger here. It’s still not a crazy big sport, but it’s getting bigger and people are starting to get into the game.”
Vince Dunn had a goal and an assist and Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann also tallied Monday for the Kraken. Goaltender Joey Daccord stopped 22 of 24 shots after replacing Philipp Grubauer following the first period.
The Kraken have also struggled in overtime, as their five overtime/shootout losses are tied with the New York Islanders for the most in the league this season.
“We got to find ways to win a little bit more,” Eberle said. “I don’t know how many games we’ve had in overtime, seems like a lot, but we’ve got to find games to close out if we have leads and then find a way to come back and do it in OT.”
Added Dunn: “Playing better at home is important for us. We need to take advantage of home ice. That isn’t something we were doing at the start of the season. I think now, we just need to continue to start games the right way.”
If there’s one team the Kraken might take advantage of at home, it’s the Sharks. San Jose is 0-8-0 on the road this season.
The Sharks are coming off a 3-1 loss Monday at Vancouver. Thomas Hertl had the goal for San Jose, which lost for the fourth time in five games. Mackenzie Blackwood made 34 saves.
“Listen, we’ve come a long way in 2 1/2 weeks (since a 10-1 loss to Vancouver on Nov. 2), and we’re getting there,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “A lot I liked about our game.”
Fabian Zetterlund appeared to give San Jose the lead midway through the second period when he tapped in a rebound, but Vancouver challenged the play for goaltender interference, and the call was reversed.
“It’s obviously tough, but we just keep going, play our game,” Zetterlund said. “We played way better than the last time we played them, but it’s a tough loss.”
–Field Level Media
