The NHL is a weird league with weird parity. In the last couple of days the lowly Blue Jackets beat the Oilers and forced the Flames into OT, the Coyotes stomped the Blues 5-0, the Ducks beat the Avs 5-3, and the Hawks beat the Flames 5-1. Gary Bettman must have called these lottery teams and begged them to play their hearts out after his laughable comments about teams not tanking.

For the record he was right about one thing; players and coaches do not tank, but General Managers and Owners 100% make decisions in order for their teams to be in lottery contention. Back to the game at hand, the Calgary got absolutely embarrassed last night against the Blackhawks and are playing the second of back to backs tonight against the Kraken. You can bet Sutter had a few choice words for his team after that loss which means we should expect a highly motivated Flames team tonight against the Kraken.

Calgary currently sits 3 points back of the Oilers for the top Wild Card spot and tied with Colorado, though the Avs have two games in hand and are starting to finally get a healthy roster. With over half the season finished and the loser point alive and well, that 3 point gap is larger than it seems and with every passing loss it becomes harder and harder to gain ground. A win tonight for Seattle puts more distance between themselves and a divisional rival.

It looks like Seattle may be down a few more players tonight. No word as of now if Matty Beniers will play. Tyler Myers took a run at Beniers in the Kraken-Canucks game and Beniers would not return to the ice. Beniers wasn't anywhere near the puck when Myers hit him. It was a dirty hit and exactly the kind of hit the NHL should be trying to eliminate from the game. No word about a suspension or fine as of now which is shocking to me.

Hopefully even if Beniers misses this game it isn't anything serious and he can continue what has been an impressive run for the Calder in his first NHL season.

In addition to Jaden Schwartz still out, it looks like Justin Schultz is now being placed on the IR. It looks like Schultz was injured in the game against Edmonton on what looked like a fairly harmless play but he was nursing his hand off a regular hit and did not return to the game. He is currently considered week to week.

A strength for Seattle all season has been their depth but slowly that is starting to take a hit. That means the coaching staff will need to stack up the top depth chart more, risking a loss of production from the bottom of the lineup.

Calgary has had troubles scoring all season so the best strategy tonight is to focus on playing smart in front of their own net and let their guys shoot at will on likely Dan Vladar who like Markstrom, has struggled mightily this season.

Two more games until a long All Star Break for the Kraken. Seattle needs to put their head down and focus on the games in front of them or like a bunch of teams last night, they will get beaten by a bottom feeding team.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the game!

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