Welcome to Kraken this morning a presentation of the Kraken Audio Network Ken Sports Radio ninety three POMS.

Training wraps up, where the CM Kraken can certainly expect a challenge on their hands once again defensively to end a windless skid.

Welcome to Kraken this morning.

On a Wednesday, December tenth, and for the first time this season, the Kraken take on a new Pacific Division rival in the Los Angeles Kings, first of two matchups those square off against each other this month in the first of four meetings overall.

Opening face off seven o'clock Pacific time.

It'll pass that to be precise because National TV's got coverage here for the game, so we are your only local source for broadcast coverage right here, opening up six point thirty as usual for your pregame show, served up by Frostprewed cors Light Choose Chill all across the Emerald Queen Casino Kraken Audio Network.

Certainly we hope that you can join us ever it fits you.

Alkiniski on the call, I'll be with you once again.

Back to the course, Light landing in section twenty and up to an hour after the game with Talking Kraken as well.

On top of postgame coverage live from Tom's watch bar right across from Climate Pledge Arena, we're gonna hear from Ian Furness and just a bit of course TV host on the KRACK and Hockey Network.

Additionally, dive deeper into the Kraken and their loss two nights ago against Minnesota, which features some pretty pointed comments from the Kraken side, and we'll dive into the meaning and much more with the Inverness coming up in just a bit.

The Krack of making one move ahead of the game, Ben Myers was recalled from AHL Coachella Valley, a five foot eleven center with plenty of tenacity.

Currently in his second year within the Kraken organization, He's got three assists so far in nine games thirteen points in just eleven games with Coachella Valley.

That move made necessary after Berkeley Catton was placed on IR.

He is week to week with an upper body injury after blocking a shot last Saturday against Detroit.

Well, the Kraken, dropping a lost in Minnesota four won the final, but don't let that full you as far as the goaltending picture in that game.

Philip Grubauer was absolutely phenomenal, turning in several high danger saves in the first nineteen shots he saw through two periods of play, but the krack And only able to manage just one goal, coming in the power play courtesy Jordan Everley back in period two and Grubauer falling to Philip Gustavsen down the other side after Minnesota blew open a two to one lead late in the game on a pair of back to back empty ned goals by Carill Caprisov and Vladimir tara Senko.

We're gonna get to some comments after the game with Igan Fornessen just a bit, but before that, the Krakend catching back up at practice on Tuesday at Krackend Community ice Plex, and here are more updates from krack and head coach Lane Lambert.

Today's an end mean day.

Today's a practice day.

You know, Tomorrow morning we'll probably give some guys some some rest.

They've got, you know, thirty six hours or so here to prepare for tomorrow night.

So you know, it's just like I say, it's a balancing act of what what the work ratio is, what we need to work on and how much rest we need so, you know, I mean obviously through the next two months till the end of January, you know, till the Olympic break.

It's a challenge and it's a challenge for every team in the league.

Uh notice mechanicals out there once a status.

Yeah, he's maintenance day, he should be.

Okay, it's a kind of conversation here for a little while.

Now.

If the defenseman impressed you adopted practice and shootout drugs, would you from out there?

Oh?

Yeah, yeah, there's no question.

You know, we're you know, I mean, at the end of the day shootouts.

We've been in three, you know, and we have guys that have gone that have good overall career numbers, you know, and sometimes you know, sometimes they score, sometimes they don't.

But certainly, you know, we've seen a couple of defensemen here that have done pretty well when we practice shootouts.

It's one of them Adam Wars that managing.

They're all.

Let's put it this way, anyone's in option.

Anyone's in option.

I was involved in a twenty round shootout when I was coaching in Washington back and I think it was probably two thousand and seventeen, maybe longest shootout in NHL history.

So everybody's got to be on alert good enough when the team's going through a skid like this.

From your experience as a player, also as a coach, what does it kind of take from the guys in that room to be able to turn the page?

What kind of mass they happen?

They got to get together, you know, stick together, you know, and determination.

You know, the league is a difficult league.

It's a ruthless league.

As I said last night, nobody cares.

Everybody's coming into to beat you, you know.

But at the same time, you know, if you look at it two weeks ago, you know, we were one point out of first place heading into a home game against Dallas, which we played very well in and probably could have won.

And you know, now where we're sitting that's changed fast.

But as fast as it changes in one direction, it can change in the other direction.

And that's got to be our focus right now.

Mentioning that determination and making even positive last night as well, how do you go about that as a coach?

And is it all verbal or you know how you well, there's there's verbal stuff, there's you know, film stuff.

You know, there's drills in practice, to continue to try and emphasize, you know, what we need to work on, what we need to develop.

We're you know, we're a young team that needs to develop our players on the fly here as well.

So, uh, you know, it's very important that we keep a positive mind set.

And you said you didn't mind how you know Shameewright's line played last night out for Yanni in particular, what do you kind of note from him, you know, the opportunities.

That he's gotten.

Yeah, I thought I thought their line played well.

I thought their line played well in Edmonton.

You know, analytically, you know, they're they were pretty good.

They were on the certainly on the positive side of the shot chart.

So you know, looking forward to seeing those guys, you know, continue that.

You know, with Yanni, Johanni continues to grow.

There's systematical things in the game and positioning that he has to be in that he's still learning and we have to continue working with him and coaching them and teaching them.

You know, what he has that you know, what he has that you can't teach is he's got size, he's got determination, he's strong.

You know, he's making some good plays with the pucket.

He's getting shots on goals.

So you know those are good positive attributes for him.

Is that growth that you're looking for for me more on the defensive.

End or both sides.

I'd say both sides.

Yeah.

You know, for a young player, it's not easy to create in this league.

It's not easy to score in this league.

The best goaltenders in the world, and you know, it's it's a situation where that side of it and his understanding where he needs to be and how that needs to happen.

You know, you continue to learn and grow and develop that and and you know the defensive side of the game and where he needs to be for that is something we really have to work on as well.

Kind of Spook too through hours season.

Trajectory so far, he's played well, he's had a good season so far.

You know, he's every time he's come in, he's given us a chance to win, and he's got a good record.

And uh, you know, he played out standing last night.

You know, we obviously didn't start the game very well, there's no excuse for that, but he did and so you know, he kept us steady and kept us in the game early on and gave us a chance to win that hockey game last night.

So you know he's come into the season, he's worked, he had a great offseason.

Our goalie coach has done a great job with all our goalies, and you know he's played well.

Homestand finale coming up the Los Angeles Kings await and when you can factor just the challenges that have come the Cracking way, especially in Minnesota, this one may not get much easier from a defensive standpoint in the Crack and trying to answer that getting out of a six game winless skid.

The mayor of Maple Valley Ian Finnesh, joining us now on Cracking this morning.

Mayor, good talking with you, and I think a burning question.

Are two days enough to get what was Monday night flush out of the system and get ready for a team that can be just as stingy in Los Angeles?

What do you think?

Well?

I hope so.

I mean, at some point you got to win a hockey game.

And they're scuffling, man, they are really scuffling right now.

And it's it's a bummer because they started so well the early part of the season with soap vomiting, but the last what game?

What have you or?

Are a little bit frustrating to watch.

It's no doubt I'm going to go back and replay comments here from two nights ago.

I know that you covered this a bit in the Daily power Play and Al and I just broke it right down to the studs on talking kracking.

But we're gonna line this up.

Jordan Everly asked about the game from two nights ago, and then Lane Lambert went asked about Beverly's comments right after this.

I don't care how you play.

I think it just comes down to, you know, we For me, it's just we need to find a little bit better from everybody.

You know.

You can say we're working hard, competing, but I just think that, you know, we need to find a little bit more from every single guy.

The efforts, Sarah, I know the guys are working hard and competing.

I just think that we need to find you know, whether it's you gotta make an offensive play, whether you're gonna win a battle, whether you gotta you know, make a wall play, whether you got a bog shot.

We just need more.

We need more, will we need more, you know, more passion to win hockey games.

This is a good team.

I know we are.

I've been you know, been on a lot of teams and I know we're a good team.

We just have to find a way to get back to you know the process of being detailed, being hard to play against, and you know, the more you do that each night more consistently in to win games.

I would agree with his assessment that we need more from everybody.

Uh, you know, we we have to have everybody playing well and we just can't afford to have any passengers.

And I didn't think I didn't think everyone brought their best tonight.

Ian.

How do we get here?

When you hear those comments from the captain Jordan Everly and the head coach in lane Lambert, Well.

I guess you'd have to ask that inside the room.

I thought they were really strong comments post game on Monday.

I liked what I heard.

You know, I think, first of all, one of the most underrated terms, and this passenger you can use that in everyday life.

Like he looked around and the guy next to you at work, are you just a passenger?

Are you pulling your weight?

Right?

I think these guys are.

You know, there are definite passengers and really all you have to do is look not always does the stack columns and the stat sheet show everything you need to know.

Like matt E.

Vaneer is a great example that Mattypineer's having a really good season, not scoring a lot from the goals, has some use of numbers in his fists, but Matty Vaneer's game is anything but a passenger.

He's been a fantastic But there are other guys.

If you look and you see in the goal column won two or three goals for guys that aren't contributing to bole fans and aren't pointing everything.

Maybe there were a mids or two on either contract extensions or trades.

I think we all agreed what they did in the off season was was pretty good, I guess step in the right direction.

But over the last few weeks and really the course of the season, for some of these guys, it hasn't been good.

That how did they get there?

That's an internal question, that's something they got to ask themselves.

But it's frustrating because you know, Mike, the goaltending has been you know, Joey's been Joey hasn't been good in the last two games, but Joey overall has been really good.

And Grubauer's been like phenomenal issue.

Like Ruby's been really good all season long.

So with that goldtenning, with what he's got in the back end, offensive productions in the back end, it's been above average upper third of the league.

You got to get more from upfront.

And I don't know if that's Deffard execution or a combination of.

Well, I want to get to goltending here ian because Grubauer statistically is on pace for his best season since the COVID shortened year of twenty twenty and twenty twenty one.

He's in a nine to zeroero say percentage.

And this is even inclusive of that throwout the window game they had at Edmonton where Grubauer came in relief of Joey to court as well.

I mean, I think you've already answered the question as far as what we make out of Grubauer here for the season.

But here's an interesting part of this and a new wrinkle.

We're going through a busy part of the schedule, seeing this team play eleven games in twenty days.

I mean, how much more are you convincing this is going to open up more potential starts for Philip Grubauer.

Well, I think you have to give him more opportunity until Joey gets better, right, I'd be I'd be hesitant to say, I think I think about giving given Grubauer to start to getting the Kings.

But you'll see what happens later on that.

I think the great thing is it's a nice thing to have.

Like when you signed Philip Grubauer, you sign him, you know, as the number one guy, and in the last couple of years, it's been anything but that.

So for him to bounce back, it's really good.

I mean, that's a that's a big time positive.

Like I said, I'm not I'm not too worried about Joey yet.

I think we've seen enough body of work, even a little bit of a slump stuff in a little bit.

I think he's the last two games, for example, they're at least one, if not multiple goals.

He got back that.

You know, Jilly McCord is the least year problem.

Philip gru Bowery is a solution to some problems.

Kept you in the game against Minnesota's I mean, Michae he had three breakaways and that gave me stopped two or all three of them.

Right, I mean, it's easy here to think Ian that if they were facing Colorado or Dallas or Edmonton, that score could have gotten away from them very quickly in period one.

It could have.

Although I mean, I'm trying to think who had the breakaways?

Didn't the Boldie had one?

Boldie had one.

Ryan Hartman also had a great look too, and you also had Yeah, you also had Yakov Trenyon.

Yeah, I know they the sense he really kind of kept you in that game.

I just think to me he made a positive too, Mikeys that they had a great job.

They did a great job and had their best game killing Kettledys and forever they're perfect killing Kennledy.

And that's the team that in the tracking and giving up seven power play goals in the previous game attempts over the previous three games into the opposition, that doesn't hurt us.

I mean, stopping seven of eight's one thing.

Giving up seven of eight is that's crazy.

And then they are they're perfect in the PK.

Last night they get the power play goal, which is the beauty thing of beauty.

They really tapping from Stevenson.

They just have to get five on five score and they've got to get more from their offense.

They're more from their forwards.

I think Person Caton being out is not hurting them people.

They always only got five assists and the goal you watch person Canton play, meaning we think we believe he got to hurt blocking a shot, paying the price.

And as far as just setting guys up, he's been great, only getting better every game.

But there's other guys that can have to start to finish with the buck in the net and that's just not happening right now.

What stands out to you as far as what they miss the most with Jayden Schwartz.

Well, the time, he's your leadings point producer, so that's the obvious one.

He paid the price get front presence, even though he's not a big guy, plays the game the right way.

Here to say that all the time, but it's true.

I think he's really one of the most underrated players in the league.

There's a lot of skill there.

There's a lot of grit hockey fensis through the roof, makes all the right plays at bull fends the ice.

I mean, just a really good hockey player, you know, yeah, I mean he's he's not McKennon, McDavid, what have you, But he's a really good hockey player and arguably one of their two or three best skaters, at least in terms of the forward group.

I mean, your best skaters right now are Matty Veneers and Done and Montour.

Yeah, right, those are your best players.

And it's not close.

But Schwartz, if he's on the ice, he's right there too.

I want to get to the Vince Done hit, and we had a lengthy conversation about this al Kaniski myself even during gameplay, Everett and now as well.

And I think, first off, my thought on this scene is that you really feel bad for Matt Zugarello for the way he had to exit that game.

But in today's NHL, in the modern NHL, it is extremely, extremely difficult to lay in a thundering hit like Vince Dunn did and do it the clean way.

And it was absolutely positively one hund a clean hit.

And it didn't take long for even that off a clean hit to stir the hornet's nest with Minnesota, and then you had Ryan Hartman trying to chase him all over the ice to try to get him to fight Vince Done.

By the end of the first period.

What were your thoughts on the hit, we'll.

Start to hit itself great hit hockey play.

One of the reasons we love the game, many of us love the game is the speed, the skill, but also the physicality of it.

Some of that's been taken away over the years, and a lot of the physicality that's been taken away to take it away in the right way, you know, like it's from behind, blindside hit, gets in the hand, things like that that don't exist anymore.

We don't have much fighting off.

Yes, uh so you know those are all fine as far I mean, but that was, like you said, Mikey, that was just hey, you first, like, do you want to cut back to the center of the ice?

You want to go open ice?

And you got twenty nine bearing down on you.

Who who plays the game in a you know, basically a perpetually pissed off state of mind.

That's that's that's a youth problem.

That's the Zucarella problem.

That's not anybody else's problem.

If you don't want to get hit by a freight train, don't go walking on the tracks.

And and honestly, like I don't know what else people expected to happen.

There is is bence supposed to just pull out the you know, the Matador cape and say oh hey and away you go like, no, that's not how it works.

And and like I said, Vince, Vince Dunn plays the game the right way, played hard, like I like, I think he's you know, when we when we have him on the TV shows on the on the television side, any time Piper some of the interviews of you know, he's really thoughtful, he thinks the game through, he's the game well, but plays it hard.

That was a hard, great hockey play, great hockey hit.

And and then you know he knew what was coming.

They're gonna all challenge him.

Duke Corella is a popular guy as a veteran, he's coming off an injury, you know all those things.

I think we all get it and we all understand it.

But at the same time, it was the hit was fine, Like it was a good hit, and you know, they challenge him, or they go in the corner to scrum, we break it up, booms gets color play.

Thanks for coming all good end of the period.

I get it.

I mean I think how many times we said you and I even on this to some of this podcast.

We need a better response from the crack and we need this response.

Yeah.

I can hear Edzo echoing in my head right now, Johnny, where's the response.

Who's going to respond to that?

Where's the response?

Well, like they want Brian Hartman wanted to respond, I saw I won't name the website, but I saw an insinuation from a local website blogger, podcas cas what have you?

Whatever you want to call it, kind of insinuating it.

Done back down from a challenge by Hartman, and listen, if you really believe that you haven't watched twenty nine play the game ever, he he You can't afford to lose Vince Done for five, ten or fifteen minutes.

You can't.

He's one of players.

He's one of your best players, period.

And the story now, if a fight happens, you know, and he goes after guys a lot, we've seen it, uh whenever you know, when's Calgary coming up pretty quick?

Right at some point, like we all know how that's gonna go.

He's gonna chase the guy around all night.

That's not gonna want to answer the bell.

I get it, we all get it.

But if Vince Done gets the strap and the heat of the moment, you live with it if Vin's done, it's challenged by a guy well after the fact in a game that at that point was was it one one?

I think I believe right doesn't matter.

If one game?

Why what do you what do you get out of that?

Like, when do you get out of that?

You the guy challenge you after a clean hit?

No, you know what, I'll do it on my time part man, Like I'll no, you can go away.

That was silly.

But yeah, for people to insinuate that he backed down or something, and that's that's moronic to be honest with you, Like what are you doing?

Like why would you like Vince's done that?

Like nope, Like I wasn't even worried when they went in the corner and the scrum was happening and all the wrestling match was taking place, Like, well, the Kraken can ill afford to lose him here.

Now if he wants to grab somebody, uh, you know, Trendon or whoever else is in the corner, you want to grab somebody and throttle him, fine, but you know, Vince done's too important.

I didn't have any problem with that.

The problem is they don't have anybody anst thebellion Pagoshin was gonna run around and be a fool the rest of the night, and he was.

I get it, and I understand that's that's you know, that's that's gonna be his thing.

Seattle doesn't have any many Seattle doesn't have the guy that's gonna go Toto fell with him anyway.

So you know, that's just part of the game.

It happens.

You know, I think there's certain guys in this team that do respond, and I like it.

I mean, Freddy Goodrow got his first career fight.

You know, get that, Freddie Goodrow Ty Cartier as well.

Yeah, and Ty Cartier he'll respond.

Yeah, you know, you know that does pretty good.

GROW's first fight ever, like and like he shouldn't have to he shouldn't have to do that.

Now, if you want to ask about passengers, there was a guy on the ice that hasn't done the ice for a while for a couple of games.

Now it was standing there watching you Drow have to answer the bell there and not answer the bell, just you know, stick up for his teammates.

So you know, I think they got they you know, there's some guys out there that they give you all they got and they do the play the game the right way.

But for Vince then to have to fight a guy would be you know, at the end of a period, it's ridiculous.

Get away, go to the locker room.

You're too important to that team, and I'm glad he didn't.

Finally, the King's coming up here in the krack and we'll see them twice this month, and we'll see you gets the nod and net because Philip Grubauer's got great numbers against the Kings for his career, Joey d Kord's got great numbers against the Kings for his career.

But still they're gonna be facing a team that still has a defensive heavy approach among one of the top teams as far as fewest goals allowed, one of the top teams fewest shots allowed.

But they are still very much a flawed offensive team.

Despite ripping Chicago a parts six two games ago and then beating Utah, who's been pretty good lately but sluggishly coming back down a little bit for two as the final score in that one.

So I think we know that we're gonna get out of this, and I'd be surprised if it's nine to eight.

Once again in overtime like three years ago, two to one or three two when you face the Kings seems to be on the menu now.

But I think when you consider how Jordan Everly spoke of his teammates and trying to get them fired up, what Lane Lambert said in trying to possibly get his team as well fired up is the biggest key here for the Crack.

And you think energy in period one, energy toward the front of the net or something else.

Well, first period, coming out strong in the first period, it would be a good start.

I think that's I'm sure that's what Lane will be preaching.

I'm sure that's what he'll be pushing.

I mean, at some point, there's only so much the coach can do or say.

They have some net front presence as a game went on laugh Monday, I guess, but I that part I'm not as worried about.

I think just a good start, getting on top of somebody early, and not just by a goal, but getting on top of somebody early and taking advantage.

I think trailing after one period.

I think they only have one one win this season of Cracking, So just a good start comparative, especially coming off the comments by Everly and and Lane Lambert and also maybe stop worrying about the opponent.

If you're the Crack is like, okay, there'll be a defensive team.

Whatever.

How about just go out and play your game, get up and down, play with some speed, balance in the both ends, the keep your defensive structure, and maybe some of these guys that are sitting on one or two goals can can break through.

You know, there's there's a couple of guys that are twenty plus goal scores, you know, on back of the hockey card, that are on pace for eight or nine on the season.

But those guys need to get going, and no better time than against the Kings.

National TV's got the game.

Ian.

I know that you had the night off, but hey, in case you get bored, Seed, It's always open, buddy, you know that.

Appreciate you.

I appreciate the invite.

Mike, Thanks, I appreciate it.

Mayor all right, Mayor appreciate you.

That.

Sean Forness, once again, TV host for the KRACK and Hockey Network, also heard on these airwaves one to three weekdays on ninety three to three KJRFM, Cracking getting set for the Los Angeles Kings in As we hinted earlier, the Kracking could be in store for another defensive fistfight.

The Kings yes opening up their offense recently two games ago, blowing out Chicago's six to nothing, but for the most part they have still been very much a defensive aligned team under head coach Jim Hiller, where the Kings currently holding third place in the Pacific Division at fourteen eight and seven, with the Kraken are facing that typically can't score much but also doesn't give up much goals scored per game just two point seven twenty seventh in the NHL, goals allowed though per game two point four third best in the NHL, shots against twenty six per game, sixth ranked in the NHL, and the Kraken trying to get back to their own fundamentals seven points back of the Kings with a record of eleven ten and six.

To note, Jordan Eberley carrying a three point scoring streak into the contest and with Jaden Schwartz out, Eberley has taken the mantle now as a Kraken scoring leader with seventeen points in twenty seven games, but his nine goals now on the season, setting him on pace for a twenty seven goal campaign, which would mark the most he's had in his NHL career since a twenty eight goal output with Edmonton eleven years ago.

Adrian Kempei just comes off the massive extension for LA right now faces them with twenty six points in twenty nine games, and the Kings now down to just two regulars from their Stanley Cup championship squads under Darryl Setter last decade.

That would be Drew.

Dowdy with ten points in twenty two games at age thirty six, and thirty eight year old center on Jay Coppetar in his retirement tour season, Carrying fifteen points in twenty five games, he is seven points away from thirteen hundred in his NHL career.

We have all the action for you covered beginning at six thirty with your pregame show served up by Frostbrewed Course Light Choose Chill, opening face off, Little Pass seven o'clock Pacific time.

Once again, Local TV's got the game, so we certainly hope that you can dial us in as your only local broadcast source for the evening on ninety three to three KJARFM and The Emerald Queen Casino Kraken Audio Network.

Hey, thank you to Ian Ferness for joining us and for cracking this morning.

I'm Mike Benton.

Have a happy Wednesday and enjoy the game.

You're home for the Kraken Sports Radio ninety three point three k j R f M