Speed and (Some) Chemistry

Wearing their full game jerseys for the first time and in front of a raucous crowd at Kraken Community Iceplex, the Seattle Kraken played a fast and intense scrimmage Saturday on the eve of their first preseason game.
Team White skated away with a convincing 5-1 win over Team Blue thanks to a pair of goals from winger Joonas Donskoi and steady goaltending from Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord. Brandon Tanev stood out for Team Blue as he flew around the ice and threw the game's biggest hit in the corner. A hit that shook the boards.

Saturday's scrimmage was a first look for head coach Dave Hakstol to see how his players performed in a game setting.
"We saw a little bit of chemistry out there," he said about his group. "They continued from practices with certain groups, and then also little pieces of some of the systems areas that we worked on that I thought were solid. So, those are the positives that I pull out of today."
Donskoi started quickly, scoring the game's first goal early in the opening period. He was parked on the doorstep and tipped a perfect cross-ice pass from Morgan Geekie past goalie Chris Driedger. It was the start of a good day for the Finn as he would later score his second of the period to make it 3-0 with an unassisted goal after he stole the puck and flung a wrist shot through traffic and into the net.
Throughout the game, the Geekie line - with Donskoi and Ryan Donato on the wings - was flying. They pushed the puck and spent a lot of time in Blue's zone.
"It's our first kind of game together but you know I love that we've been practicing together the last couple days," Geekie said about his line. "I think we've got some good chemistry and… we all kind of play similar games, we're just kind of feeding off each other and just trying to find spots for each other to get open."
Donskoi also added a nice shoot out goal between periods as the team traded off taking shots on the goalies. After a slick back and forth stick handling move, he slid the puck between Driedger's legs for a score that brought a roar from the crowd. While technically he put the puck in the net three times, it doesn't quite count as a hat trick.

The combination of the crowd, the jerseys, and getting to play a hockey game had Donskoi along with all the Kraken flying Saturday.
"You can tell the guys were super excited," Donskoi said. "I was talking to Giordano, and you know he's been in the league for 17 years. He was like a little kid, you know new team, new guys, he was all excited. So, I think you got to tell the guys were very excited. Maybe there was too much speed if you know what I mean."
Someone who may not know the meaning of too much speed is Tanev.
He played Saturday's game the only way he knows how. At full tilt and top intensity.
Not only did he throw that game's biggest hit, but he was a ball of energy and noticeable every time he was on the ice for Team Blue. After two days of drills at practice, Tanev was ready to play a game.
"It's not always fun bag skating and working hard at practice." He said. "But you have to do that in order to get better for the game. Practice makes perfect and I think we did a great job here as a group on the scrimmage."
The scrimmage gave us a glimpse of what's to come for the Kraken.
Play was fast and nothing on the ice came easy. That attitude was personified by a guy like Tanev and there's little doubt he's going to become a fan favorite.

"One of the elements that he brings is that energy," Hakstol said of Tanev. "It's infectious and that seeps through the bench. That's the way Brandon works, and I mean every drill, every shift, every time he's on the ice he brings that."
When the game ended, the team saluted the crowd by raising their sticks in appreciation.
The Kraken will have an early morning skate Sunday before jumping on a plane and flying to Spokane where they will face the Vancouver Canucks in the franchise's first ever preseason game. The game starts at 6 PM and can be seen on ROOT SPORTS and listened to on KJR 950 radio.
"It was great to see a great group of fans here at the practice facility," Tanev said in summing up the day. "I think we're in for a really, really big treat with the group that's gonna be behind us this year. I think that's the goal of everything to build the brand in Seattle and to start off the jump and be super competitive. That's the name of the game."

Other scrimmage notes

Between periods the two teams went through a shoot out drill. While it was entertaining and highlighted by a slick conversion from the stick of Ryan Donato - he got the goalie leaning one way with several fakes before sliding the puck past Driedger - there was a purpose to the fun.
"We've got to learn a lot of things here," Hakstol said. "If you look at our shoot out stats, that's one of the areas where we don't have a lot of players that have a lot of attempts in their career. It's really hard to get a lot of shoot out opportunities in practice and this is one way that we can look at different guys in that situation."
Alex Wennberg did not skate Saturday as he was given a 'personal day'.
Kole Lind had a strong day for Team White. He scored the fourth goal after he intercepted a breakout pass and walked in alone to score. Lind was selected by the Kraken from the Vancouver Canucks during July's Expansion Draft and is looking to earn a spot on the Seattle roster. The 22-year-old played seven games for Vancouver at the end of last season without any points.