MATCHUP PREVIEW | By the Numbers: Los Angeles at Seattle

For the third time this season, The Kraken will face a group enjoying within the second sport of a back-to-back. This time, it is Los Angeles that shall be touring to Seattle after a sport Friday in Vancouver. That does not imply this matchup shall be any much less difficult. The Kings are driving a red-hot 7-2-1 file throughout the final ten video games. In addition they nonetheless play that stifling 1-3-1 within the impartial zone that quiets opponents’ transition sport and makes skaters work tougher to get into the assault zone. That shall be an attention-grabbing problem for a Kraken squad that has turn into the fourth-best group by way of producing scoring probabilities off the frenzy. 

Let’s take a look at the upcoming matchup by the numbers: 

• Los Angeles’ protection is without doubt one of the stingiest within the league. In accordance with HockeyViz.com it prevents offense towards 10-percent lower than league common. 
   
• With the way in which the Kings clog up the impartial zone, will probably be essential to win as many puck battles as attainable. Be that to maintain Los Angeles from getting scoring probabilities, or to stop failing on transition, or to lose offensive alternatives after working to get to that finish of the ice. This has been an space for enchancment for the Kraken who presently sit 32 in puck battle wins per sport in keeping with Sportlogiq (24.5).
   
• On the opposite aspect of the ice, Seattle’s protection has continued to be efficient rating within the prime ten by way of limiting shot quantity and appears from the slot. They are going to get to work towards a Kings group that generates a variety of shot makes an attempt (10^th most within the league, 60.8 per sport), and may arrange store within the offensive zone. Los Angeles averages 7:10 of time there per sport, (Compared, Seattle permits simply 6:14, seventh lowest within the NHL).
   
• Particular groups might be attention-grabbing. The final time these two groups met, both sides took fairly just a few penalties. The Kings had been referred to as for six infractions whereas the Kraken sat within the field 5 instances. Every group additionally scored a powerplay objective. However whereas the Seattle man benefit nonetheless is discovering methods to attain, rating 14^th within the league, the Kings have quieted and sit at a 19.5-percent conversion price on the season (23^rd). 

Gamers to Watch

• Martin Jones has been excellent for the Kraken. He has ten high quality begins this season (essentially the most within the league), and in his final sport towards the Rangers, he ought to have allowed 1.63 extra objectives than New York scored based mostly on the shot high quality they created. Jones additionally carried out this strongly within the face of essentially the most rush probabilities towards he is confronted in a sport this 12 months (7) and made 15 stops towards pictures from the slot.
   
• Kevin Fiala has been discovering a brand new house enjoying on the third line versus the place the Kraken final noticed him alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. And it appears to be suiting him. He leads the Kings in whole factors (6-12-18) with 13 coming at even energy and has scored in 9 of his final 12 video games performed.
   
• Price noting that the King’s lone objective scorer within the Oct. 13 sport towards the Kraken, Alex Iafallo, is out with harm as is Brendan Lemieux.

All knowledge presently represents play previous to Nov. 18, 2022

Information through Sportlogiq until in any other case acknowledged. For extra info on the phrases used right here, please go to our Intro to Hockey Analytics.