Tag: p.m

One: Daccord Back in Midseason Form

WINNIPEG – While the Kraken would prefer not to fall behind in any game, there’s an important and recurring comeback element that Joey Daccord delivered in the 4-2 win at Pittsburgh. Once the game was tied at 1-1, the 28-year-old made several stops on Grade-A scoring chances. He faced nine alone in the first 20 minutes. Over the last two seasons, Daccord has consistently recovered from go-ahead opposing goals to keep the game close. Goalies talk about wiping the mental slate clean after a goal. Daccord backs it up and it’s one reason why he has two wins in his first two starts since returning to the active roster. He’s surrendered four goals in those wins but faced 68 for a .941 save percentage. He appears to be back in stride, shades of November when he put together a personal five-game win streak.

Behind the scenes, Daccord is avid about workouts and full-on-ice prep sessions with goalie coach Steve Briere. Jamie Oleksiak, fellow Tuesday night hero, emphasized Daccord as “such a professional with his day-to-day and how he treats the game, it just makes you want to play that much harder for him.”

In front of the cameras, Daccord makes sure to credit the defensive work in front of him from D-men and forwards: “[Pittsburgh} has a lot of offensive weapons … our guys did a really good job making my life easy. For the most part, [the shots] were kept to the outside. The guys had a lot of good sticks and blocks, which made it easy for me. It’s fun back there when we’re playing that well.”

Two: Hayden Latest Example of NHL Depth at AHL Coachella Valley

The American Hockey League affiliate Firebirds continue their upswing with points in seven of their last eight games, good for second in the Pacific Division (closing in on archrival Calgary) and a top-five record across the league. That’s a credit to a much younger team than the first two CVF seasons, plus the coaching staff led by first-year CVF coach Derek Laxdal. The coaches have been adjusting to call-ups such as NHL-tested veterans Ben Meyers, Gustav Olofsson and Mitchell Stephens (now centering the Kraken fourth line with Yanni Gourde out for at least two more weeks). The latest call-up is seasoned pro John Hayden, who was right wing on the fourth line with Stephens and Brandon Tanev.

Hayden is widely praised as a pro’s pro and role model (prospect Jacob Melanson is Exhibit A) who leads by example – just ask Firebirds strength and conditioning coach Brandon Wickett. Dan Bylsma joined in when asked about Hayden’s Tuesday performance: “He started with a great read to start the game [a shot on goal through bodies that required a touch save]. John brings the physicality and energy; we saw that on a number of shifts tonight: hunting the puck, being physical on the puck and having the puck in the offensive zone. And the shot blocks in the third period … those two were big, big blocks.”

Three: Know the Foe: Winnipeg First in NHL to Reach 30 Wins

The Jets are playing at a winning percentage of exactly .700, or seven of every 10 possible standings points. That’s tops in the Western Conference and second only to the surprising Washington Capitals. The Jets are doing so with both a strong offense and stingy defense (all-world goalie Connor Hellebuyck is a huge factor in the latter), sitting on the top of the NHL with a plus-53 goal differential. The Central Division leader is 17-4-3 at home. The Jets offense is led by Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, who both have 26 goals. Connor, who has 33 to make it 59 points in 45 games, caught up with Scheifele (26 G, 26 A, 52 points) in goals after a natural hat trick (in six-plus first-period minutes) during a Tuesday 6-1 home romp over Vancouver. It’s clearly a challenging foe in the Kraken mission to return with a winning road trip and momentum for the homestand.