Kraken not panicking about NHL-worst faceoff win percentage

SEATTLE – So the Kraken are last in the NHL in faceoff percentage at 44.4% through 29 games.

“It’s definitely not fun to look at,” center Morgan Geekie, contributor, said. “Everyone knows.

“It’s an important stat – obviously good faceoff teams start with the puck more and it leads to more chances. I’m not too worried about it. Everyone’s working on it.

“I think we do have to do a better job for sure, but it’s not something we need to worry about.”

Faceoffs happen dozens of times per game, and it’s sometimes a case of winning the battle vs. the war. Just because the initial draw goes down as a loss doesn’t mean the tide can’t immediately turn. The Kraken have won more than they’ve lost this season after coming up short in the faceoff circle.

“I think faceoffs, percentage-wise, are such a weird stat. Depending on where you play, things are a little subjective, as it is everywhere,” Geekie said.

“If you look at just the stats and the headlines and stuff, it may not look the best. But maybe some of those draws that we end up losing turn into our possession. If we can’t win it clean, get a 50-50 puck and try to win it from there.”

Geekie’s 52.5% success rate at the faceoff dot was best among Kraken skaters that took more than 10 faceoffs last season, and he was particularly successful in the defensive zone, where his 56.9% was seventh best in the league (200 minimum) according to the team.

Yanni Gourde has the best career mark on the team at 45.05%, 96th among active NHL players on QuantHockey’s list of players who have taken at least 100 draws. His mark on the season is a bit better than Geekie’s – 45.8% to 45.4%.

Ryan Donato, who’s been on Geekie’s wing much of the season, is higher at 50%. Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz, both wingers who like Donato aren’t taking as many draws, have held their own in relief when their centers are thrown out of the faceoff circle. Matty Beniers, the youngest of the team’s centers, is last among them at 44.1%.

He’s workshopping techniques, as is everyone. Geekie said the Kraken take draws in practice best-of-five or best-of-seven, then switch sides.

They’ve made some headway, then slipped back at times, coach Dave Hakstol said. No one wants to be in last place, and everyone wants to dominate possession. But Hakstol, too, didn’t sound worried.

“That’s an area that we knew we were going to have to grow in throughout the year,” he said.

Pink at the rink

Geekie recently debuted a pink-hued, tinted visor when he returned from an upper-body injury. He said he’s looking for workarounds for an eye condition.

“I tried the smoky tint (visor) in Anaheim and Lars hit me,” Geekie said, referring to Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson and a collision that caused him to miss three games.

“It’s supposed to be the same thing; it’s just instead of it being so dark, it’s pink, and there’s no glare from the lights. It works really well and definitely helps my eye.”

Retired Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Calvert, who dealt with concussion issues throughout his career, wore a pink-tinted visor for a time with positive reviews. Kraken equipment managers, among others, urged Geekie to give this relatively new technology a shot. He’d resisted before but tried it and liked it.

Oleksiak back

Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak finished serving a three-game suspension before Sunday’s matchup with the Winnipeg Jets. Seattle dropped two of three in his absence.

Oleksiak drifted behind the net and into the path of Washington Capitals defenseman Alexander Alexeyev on Dec. 9, pushing his shoulder into the head of the shorter player. Oleksiak received a match penalty for an illegal check to the head. Alexeyev hasn’t played since. It was the second time Oleksiak had been suspended in 463 career games.

“I’m not trying to overthink things. Just going to go out there, keep playing my game, keep playing physical,” he said. “Do what I can to help the boys win.”

His defensive partner, Justin Schultz, also rejoined practice Saturday at Kraken Community Iceplex. Schultz has missed two games for undisclosed reasons. Blue liners Cale Fleury and Gustav Olofsson assumed most of their minutes in back-to-back road losses.

“You just wish you could be in the trenches, battling with them,” Oleksiak said. “I think we did a good job considering, but obviously not getting the results.”