Seattle's real problem is in the crease. Before the trip, Joey Daccord was at an .881 save percentage and Philipp Grubauer at .890. Daccord got pulled after allowing 3 goals on 10 shots in the 4-3 loss to the Rangers. The Kraken brought Finnish prospect Nikke Kokko over from Coachella Valley as a non-rostered third goalie, and he's listed on injured reserve in the report. Whoever starts Saturday is facing a team that put up 9 on Chicago and 7 on Winnipeg in the last 2 weeks.
Seattle does have one forward to build around. Berkly Catton led the Kraken with 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) and had an 8-game point streak heading into Helsinki. That matters more because Jared McCann is out for about 10 weeks with a lower-body injury, and Ryan Lindgren's upper-body injury has taken away a defensive anchor. The Kraken are 9-7-1 and have lost 2 straight. They don't have the depth to trade chances with Carolina. Their way to win is the one that beat Calgary 2-1: tight, low-event hockey and a goalie who steals it.
Staal is the injury worth watching on Carolina's side. A torn calf has kept him out for about a month, and reports before the series said he could return in Helsinki. He's still listed on IR, and the Hurricanes beat the Kraken comfortably without him. If he comes back, Carolina's fourth line gets a lot better. If he doesn't, the Hurricanes have already shown they don't need him to beat this Seattle roster.
Carolina's one bad night lately was a 1-4 loss at Nashville, so the Hurricanes can go flat. Seattle needs that version of them on Saturday, plus a goalie who outplays his save percentage. Otherwise the Kraken fly home 0-2 from a trip they had circled for months.
