Sabers vs. Kraken | How to watch, alignment notes and stories

Arguments

1. Kill him

The Sabers’ penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4 on Thursday and has killed 88.9 percent of shorthanded situations since Dec. 23, the second-best mark in the NHL during that span.

Buffalo has preached for weeks the importance of a whole-unit effort, and that was especially evident at the end of a first-half kill in Ottawa. Luukkonen made a series of saves, McLeod blocked a Thomas Chabot shot and Peyton Krebs picked out Jack Quinn, just out of the box, for a breakaway goal.

“They got a couple looks, but it all starts with good defensive details,” said McLeod, who led Sabers skaters with a 4:17 ice time. “Just playing with our structure. “We made some good reads and our defense was blocking shots.”

This success is a testament to Buffalo’s goaltending; Luukkonen and James Reimer have combined for a .923 save percentage since Dec. 23, trailing only Tampa Bay.

Buffalo’s penalty kill has also done well in limiting quality scoring opportunities during that span, allowing an NHL-low 10.2 high-danger scoring opportunities per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick.

2. Exploring the Kraken

Seattle (17-22-3) hired Dan Bylsma last offseason for his first NHL head coaching job from 2015-17 in Buffalo. Bylsma’s Kraken owned a .500 record a month ago, but a 3-8-2 record since Dec. 10 – including a current four-game winless streak – leaves them nine points out of a playoff spot.

The Kraken’s 2.38 goals scored per game and 24.8 shots per game rank 29th in the NHL as of December 10.

Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz are tied for the team lead with 13 goals this season, and McCann leads Seattle with 30 points. Oliver Bjorkstrand has 11 goals, but none since December 12.

Two veteran forwards, captain Jordan Eberle (pelvis) and Yanni Gourde (lower body), are on injured reserve and will not be available Saturday.

Senior goaltender Joey Daccord has put together another solid season with a .913 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average. He entered Thursday’s 6-2 loss at Columbus in relief of Philipp Grubauer, who allowed five goals on 19 shots and saw his save percentage for the season drop to .875.

The Kraken have gone 5-1 against Buffalo in their three-season history, although Buffalo won the most recent matchup, 6-2, last March in Seattle. This season’s series will conclude at Climate Pledge Arena on Jan. 20, kicking off a four-game trip west for the Sabres.