And just like that, the Helsinki, Finland, edition of the NHL Global Series has come and gone. The trip was a valuable one for the Seattle Kraken—on and off the ice. It was a valuable trip for the fans, too, especially the ones that got to enjoy time with their team in Finland.
A Valuable Experience Off The Ice
Geoff Baker of the Kraken described how captain Jordan Eberle felt there were plenty of takeaways from the trip, including the Finnish culture and the opportunity for the team to bond over the experience.
The NHL season is a long one, with teams facing their share of ups and downs as the calendar rolls on. The opportunity to get away from home, to enjoy a new culture, and to bond with teammates is valuable. It could pay dividends in the long term as the Kraken try to hang on in the playoff picture in the Western Conference. It’s possible the team will look back at the Helsinki trip and highlight it as the point in the season where the team really came together.
The fact is, the Kraken faced a tall task in playing the Carolina Hurricanes, the NHL’s best team, twice in a row. A successful business trip with regard to performance on the ice would’ve gone a long way in establishing confidence in the Kraken as a contender, if for no other reason than the team on the other side of the ice. For all the success and value the trip provided off the ice, Seattle struggled in the games.
Carolina won the first contest in Helsinki by a score of 4-1 and the second game 5-1. In the first matchup, the Hurricanes outshot the Kraken 30-13. The shot disparity was greater in the second game, where Carolina outshot Seattle 37-13. The Kraken struggled to find any consistency in both games. Carolina was simply the better team on the ice in both contests. Seattle suffered the same fate that most of the NHL has suffered this season, and that’s the inability to contain Carolina’s firepower.
A Valuable Experience On The Ice
Captain Jordan Eberle wasn’t caught up in the bonding to the point where he failed to identify lessons on the ice. Per Geoff Baker of the Kraken, Eberle described the team’s play by saying:
“I wouldn’t say we necessarily played our best,” and would go on to say, “I mean, they kind of picked us apart in the D-zone. And the way they’re connected and the way they play as a team, it’s something we need to strive to get to.”
Eberle’s assessment seems spot on. Carolina did indeed cause problems for the Kraken in the D-zone, and their skill was hard to account for. It’s nothing new for teams looking across the ice at the Hurricanes.
Kaapo Kakko, who is from Turku, Finland, explained the action on the ice by saying, per Darren Brown: “We lost 5-1 [tonight], a couple days ago, 4-1… These games were big for us, that’s why we came.” Speaking on the trip itself, Kakko said, “And then on the other side, it was a fun week, especially for me, seeing people who can’t come to the US during the season, it’s a big thing for me.”
If Eberle and Kakko’s comments about the trip are any indication, the Kraken have plenty of takeaways from the trip, both on and off the ice. And that’s important when you consider the trip didn’t give the team any help in the standings.
A Lasting Valuable Experience
Seattle’s two losses to Carolina in Helsinki were just that, two losses. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that the gap between the NHL’s best in the Hurricanes and a team trying to get to the playoffs in the Kraken is significant. To a degree, it’s expected for a team like Carolina to look quite a bit more polished than a team in Seattle’s position. What’s up for debate, however, is to what degree it is expected. To some observers, it could be argued that Carolina didn’t just look like the more complete team, but the better team by a wide, wide margin.
The good news for the Kraken is that they can put what they learned on and off the ice to work three different times in the coming week. They’ll host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday before traveling to San Jose to play the Sharks on Saturday. Two days later, the Kraken will return home to play the Anaheim Ducks.
Nothing is guaranteed in the NHL, and Seattle has proven they’re not at the point where they can take any team for granted—should such a point even exist. Still, the Canucks are the NHL’s worst team at press time. The Sharks are 3-6-1 in their last ten, and the Ducks have lost two in a row as of press time. It would be difficult not to look at the next three games as solid opportunities for the Kraken to earn points.
It’s also an opportunity for the team to put the lessons they learned in Helsinki on display. Hopefully for Kraken fans, those lessons included the importance of a short memory.
The Kraken need to take the lessons they learned in Helsinki home with them, but leave the Carolina Hurricanes behind, ensuring they don’t take up space in the minds of the Kraken players.
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