Time: 11 a.m. PT | Watch: ROOT SPORTS | Listen: 93.3 KJR
When asked post-game Friday night after the thrilling road 3-2 win over the defending Stanley Cup champs, Dave Hakstol called out the "Wennberg line" and the Swedish center's role in slowing down the Avalanche offense, especially superstar center Nathan MacKinnon and his linemates. MacKinnon didn't have a shot on goal in the first period and finished with just two, both Grade-A scoring chances saved by his former teammate Philipp Grubauer .
One of those shots came during a shift change with Wennberg not on the ice. Hakstol made it a point to get the Andre Burakovsky-Wennberg-Oliver Bjorkstrand line matched up against the MacKinnon line, as best as can be accomplished by the visiting coach because the home coach has the last opportunity to send out his groups. Expect Seattle to do the same against Chicago's top line with future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane playing with center Max Domi and forward Andreas Athanasiou.
That's just the defensive side of Wennberg and linemates. As per colleague Alison Lukan in her must-read Post-Game Instant Analysis on the Kraken app and web after every game: Wennberg led all skaters in individual shot quality with .65 expected goals according to NaturalStatTrick.com, decisively more than MacKinnon at .27 expected goals. In raw stats, Wennberg logged three shots on goal with Bjorkstrand firing six SOG (equal to MacKinnon line's total) and Burakovsky chipped in five SOG.
Enjoying his best performance of the young season, goaltender Philipp Grubauer had to leave Friday's win mid-third period. He suffered an undisclosed injury while moving right to left on what turned out to be a game-tying Colorado shorthanded goal. Grubauer saved 17 of 19 shots, including nearly a dozen Grade-A chances. Martin Jones made a save on the one shot he faced for his 200th NHL career win (200-151-33 overall record) in his 400th career appearance.
It's likely Jones starts Sunday in Chicago. Fellow goalie Joey Daccord has been recalled from the AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds and will meet the team in Chicago. There is no update on Grubauer's status; coach Dave Hakstol did not speak to the media Saturday. Check back on the Kraken app, website and social channels Sunday morning for any updates on Grubauer and Sunday's starter in goal.
Hockey media members have widely surmised Chicago's current "rebuild" is more "teardown" in an indirect effort to land one of the top three picks (all consensus franchise-changers). But new coach Luke Richardson might be changing the supposition. His players are already calling him "the man." Detroit coach Derek Lalonde, who won two Cups with Tampa as an assistant, described the Blackhawks as a "much more aggressive forecheck, on-top-of-you team than what I played in the past," after Chicago staged a comeback from 3-1 down to win 4-3 in overtime. Patrick Kane has just one assist in four games, but has a team-high 22 shot attempts. The Saturday mood among Kraken coaches and players here in Chicago? No letdown for what is essentially an 11 a.m. puck drop for their bodies.
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