The Detroit Red Wings begin a four-game western road trip Tuesday night against the Seattle Kraken, and if they want any tips on handling a lengthy trek, they can ask their opponents.
The Kraken just completed a five-game, nine-day trip that started Oct. 9 with a 6-3 win in Detroit. Seattle went 3-1-1 away from home, but an 8-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday did take some of the shine off the success.
“It’s just a good reminder for us that you have to be detailed, and if you’re not, it can slip fast,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said.
As a result, Lambert spent some of the team’s Monday practice working on some tweaks. While the top six forwards have played well on the power play, Lambert said the Kraken’s third and fourth lines have outperformed them in 5-on-5 situations.
He praised the third line of Kaapo Kakko, 25; Berkly Catton, 20; and Shane Wright, 22. The trio collectively have seven goals and 18 points. Kakko, the selected second overall in the 2019 draft by the New York Rangers, has never had more than 44 points in a season. The Finland native has eight (two goals, six assists) already in just nine games.
“They’re confident,” Lambert said of Kakko and his linemates. “They’re using their speed, and they’re playing, to be honest with you, against any line.”
Philipp Grubauer (2-1-1, 2.71 goals-against average, .910 save percentage) likely will get the start on Tuesday as Seattle plays just its third home game this season. The German goalie is 2-0-1 in his last three, including stopping 37 shots in the Kraken’s win at Detroit earlier this month.
Grubauer is 5-1-1 in seven starts against the Red Wings with a 2.40 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
As the Kraken unpack, the Red Wings look forward to their first lengthy trip. Coach Todd McLellan’s squad started the season playing seven of its first eight at home.
“We should have a pretty good idea of who we are now and how we have to play,” McLellan said after practice on Monday. “And establishing that game as quick as we possibly can will help us on the road. We don’t get matchups. The energy in the building goes against you, not for you, for the most part. But that happens to every team. We just have to get used to playing there again.”
Since losing to Seattle, the Red Wings have earned points in four straight (2-0-2). They have won two in a row, including a 4-3 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Forward Alex DeBrincat, who signed a seven-year, $91 million contract extension with the Red Wings last week, leads the team with five goals and nine points. That includes the goal that forced overtime Saturday with 1:33 left in regulation.
McLellan said J.T. Compher, out due to an undisclosed injury since the first two games of the season, will be on the road trip. However, Mason Appleton, who also hasn’t played since Oct. 4 because of an undisclosed injury, and Marco Kasper, on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, will not.
Daniil Tarasov (1-0-1, 0.80 GAA, .965 save percentage) will get the start in goal, according to McLellan. The six-year veteran in his first season with the Red Wings is looking for his first win against Seattle. In four games vs. the Kraken, the 27-year-old Russian netminder is 0-3-0 with a 4.77 GAA and an .830 save percentage.