Key for Kraken to force decisive Game 7? Pretend Game 6 was a road game
DALLAS — There will be no faking this latest do-or-die road trip for the Kraken quite the way they did their most recent one.
The Kraken are known for road prowess and heading into Monday night’s Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal series at American Airlines Center against the Stars, the ability to produce their best performance away from home will again be paramount toward advancing further. But that wasn’t the case in order to make it to this decisive matchup, when a critical Game 6 victory at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday was secured only after the Kraken stayed in a downtown Seattle hotel the prior night to simulate a road trip.
“For whatever reason we seem to do better on the road, so we thought we’d do this for the one game,” Kraken general manager Ron Francis said Sunday. “It was very important that we win that game, and so we figured we’d do everything we could to make that happen.”
Francis said Kraken coach Dave Hakstol broached the idea after a home loss in Game 4 at Climate Pledge Arena enabled the Stars to tie the series. They discussed it further and decided to try the plan, which has been used by NHL teams at home before — especially in latter playoff rounds, to avoid distractions from fans and family.
New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello was famous for having his contender New Jersey Devils teams stay in hotels throughout every playoff round in the 1990s and 2000s. But Francis never stayed in home hotels during playoffs with Hartford, Pittsburgh or Carolina throughout his Hall of Fame career.
The Kraken had offered players the option of a home hotel room the night before a playoff game and even a day bed in the hours leading up to one. He wouldn’t say whether any took the team up on that offer.
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But there was no option this time. After the team’s Game 5 loss in Dallas gave the Stars a 3-2 series edge, the Kraken arrived back in Seattle on Friday afternoon. Players were allowed to return home for a brief visit with family members but had to pack for a hotel stay.
“I’m sure not everybody was thrilled because they have families and they want to spend time with them,” Francis said. “But they were able to do that for a short period of time. We just thought having everybody at the hotel it might eliminate distractions and allow them all to focus on the game a little better.”
And that they did. The Kraken came out fast and furious in Game 6, outshooting the Stars 16-5 in the opening period and taking a 4-1 lead a few minutes into the middle frame before eventually winning 6-3.
The Kraken were allowed to sleep in their own homes after Saturday’s game before flying out to Dallas on the team charter Sunday.
“I think we were able to just move it around fast and make plays,” Kraken forward Matty Beniers said after the team landed. “More so than in the other games.”
The Kraken went 26-11-4 on the road this season but just 20-16-4 at home.
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They’d gone 2-3 at home in the playoffs and 4-2 on the road when the hotel decision was made — including a clinching Game 7 victory in Denver the last round. That road record had fallen to 4-3 with the ensuing Game 5 loss in Dallas before implementing the hotel plan, while the home record is now back to .500.
“This isn’t something we plan to do every game,” Francis said. “If we make it to the next round we can see how things go and decide on what we want to do from there but right now this was just a one-time thing for this one game. We just felt it was important to do all we could to win it and give ourselves a chance to win the series.”
Kraken coach Hakstol said after Saturday’s win he felt his team had taken “steps” in their game to achieve a different home result.
“This is a different series,” he said. “This is a different opponent we’re talking about today. Not only are we playing an opponent that has great players, high-end guys at the top of their lineup, but their depth is good. … They’re a pretty complete hockey team. So, this is a little bit different.”
Upon arriving in Dallas on Sunday, Hakstol added: “This series has been back and forth with a ton of travel in between. So, today is just a day of trying to rest up mentally. We’ll get some details in order in the morning and just make sure that we recharge and we come out with great energy.”
The Kraken are just the sixth team in NHL history to require a Game 7 in each of their franchise’s first two playoff rounds. They are also the fourth franchise to play Game 7 in two or more rounds on the road — the most recent being the Minnesota Wild in 2003.
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Right now, the Kraken after Game 7 will be at the maximum 14 games played of a possible 28 throughout the postseason.
Hakstol said Game 7 is “one of the most exciting opportunities in sports” and that his team will be “relaxed and prepared” heading in so it can play with the same energy it displayed in Game 6.
“We want to get off to a good start in terms of how we’re playing and how we feel we’re playing,” Hakstol said. “Because we’re going to need to sustain that through at least 60 minutes and maybe more in this one.”
And when it comes to such preparation, the Kraken have shown time and again: There’s no place like away from home.
Source: The Seattle Times
