Martin Jones, Seattle Kraken.
The third week of the 2022-2023 Seattle Kraken season has come to a close. The Kraken went 2-1-0 in this slate of home games. As we look at what happened this week, we will give props to the top three breakout stars from Week 3.
The first game of the new week saw the Kraken hosting Buffalo at home on October 25th. They dominated against the Sabres, the final score ending 5-1 in the Kraken’s favor.
Daniel Sprong, Matthew Beniers, and Morgan Geekie each had a goal on the night en route to the 5-1 beatdown. This game was a rebound and made Kraken fans happy about the state of Seattle.
On Thursday, 30-year-old left winger, Jaden Schwartz, scored the final goal of the night against Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko, who allowed four goals. The Cancuks, however, went on to win 5-4.
Martin Jones struggled a little bit in this game. He allowed five goals and finished with a .778% save percentage. Comparatively worse than the game that was played days ago. A tough 5-2 loss for Seattle.
The Seattle Kraken took on Pittsburgh on Saturday evening and won 3-1. Jaden Schwartz had another two-point night, bringing his point total for the week to four (2g, 2a). Both Jordan Eberle and Morgan Geekie added tallies on the night as well.
Martin Jones played very well against the Pens, saving 33 shots and only allowing one goal, posting a .970 save percentage.
So what’s next for the Kraken? Next, they travel to Calgary on November 1st to play the 5-2 Flames.
Before we get to the list of three breakout stars, here are three players that just missed the list but still deserve recognition for their contributions to the Seattle Kraken this week.
Philipp Grubauer: Even though Philipp Grubauer has been outperformed by Martin Jones, he deserves some love. He played well even though this year he has one loss. His save percentage for the year is .860%. Arguably if Grubauer was playing, the Kraken could’ve had a second win this past week instead of a loss.
Nevertheless, we’ve joked here that Grubauer is the hidden MVP of the season. While we don’t ever wish a player to be injured, if he was not out, the Seattle Kraken wouldn’t have had two wins this week with Martin Jones in the net.
Andre Burakovsky: 27-year-old left winger and Stanley Cup Champion Andre Burakovsky has been playing well with his new team; he has three goals and five assists. Burakovsky has 26 shots with a shot percentage of 11.5% and has been helpful to Matthew Beniers, Jaden Schwartz, and Jarred McCann.
Burakovsky had two helpers this week, including the primary assist on McCann’s power-play goal against Buffalo.
Jordan Eberle: The 32-year-old right winger has one goal and six assists on the season, with a 6.5% shooting percentage. Eberle is one of those quietly underrated guys. For example, he’s always on the stat sheet, but you don’t hear his name called often.
Eberle notched 3 points this week, including 1 goal and 2 helpers. His lone goal was the driving force behind the Kraken’s win over Pittsburgh, as he opened the scoring for Seattle, answering Jake Guentzel’s tally at the halfway point of the second period.
Matty Beniers: Along with McCann and Schwartz, Beniers has played great, totaling four goals and four assists in 2022-23 and a shooting percentage of a flat 19%. He is great at playing a supporting role in the offense, even though he might not be the main focal point.
His best game this week was against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also scored two goals earlier in the week against the Sabres and Canucks. His 8 points in 10 games so far have him currently leading the race for rookie of the year.
Martin Jones finds his name popping up amongst the Seattle Kraken standouts. Although he didn’t make our Week 1 list, he has played his way into the conversation, earning himself the third star of the week.
Going into the season, Jones took on the role of reliable backup in the wake of Chris Driedger’s knee injury. However, with no timetable for Grubauer’s return, Jones gracefully stepped into the number one spot.
The veteran netminder has played great this season. He has a .879 save percentage. Of the 171 shots faced, he has only let 21 slide through. Jones has outperformed Grubauer in terms of saves, and there is an argument for overall performance.
While Jones had a rough game against Vancouver, he was a brick wall against Buffalo and Pittsburgh, letting in a combined two goals between the two games. Despite the .778 save percentage against Vancouver, his performance in the other games this week brings his Week 3 save percentage to .910. He did all of this while also welcoming a new baby! Congrats to Jonesy.
Our second star of the week is one of the Seattle Kraken’s leaders, Jared McCann. Along with Schwartz, he is first in goals, with five in the first ten games. McCann is the Charles Boyle of the Seattle Kraken (a little Brooklyn Nine-Nine reference thrown in).
McCann only registered two points this week, but both of his goals came at pivotal points against both Vancouver and Pittsburgh. Perhaps what has been most noticeable about McCann, however, is how seriously he has taken his leadership role with the Seattle Kraken this season.
We saw a glimpse of it last year, but he has continued to lead the team with integrity despite the team not having an official captain. This is a refreshing sight after such a rough start for the Seattle Kraken franchise.
Jaden Schwartz is tied for the leading scorer for the Seattle Kraken this season. His five goals and five helpers have been essential to the Kraken’s somewhat early success.
He continues to be the power play wizard, scoring four of his five goals this season on the man advantage. Schwartz is second on the team in shots on goal, with 32, giving him a 15.6 % shot percentage.
The veteran winger is one of the best forwards on the Seattle Kraken. Over the last week, he put up a total of four points in three games, including two pivotal goals against Vancouver and Pittsburgh. He has continued to impress since being our third star during the opening week of the season.
Schwartz continues to stand out for Seattle, especially in their last two games. Hopefully, he stays hot and continues his scoring streak as Seattle opens up week four on the road.
Do you agree with our assessment of Week 3? Who would you nominate as the three stars of the week? Let us know in the comments below.