Pregame Kraken notes: Seattle might have a window to win against Capitals on a back-to-back

The Kraken are 0-9-0 in games they trail after the first period. That’s felt like the spot they’re in every game of late.

Jordan Eberle said following the latest loss, on Friday night to the Avalanche, it feels like they need to grind out just one win to turn it around. That won’t be easy with the upcoming schedule, facing four of the top teams in the league.

The first of those squads visits Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday. The Capitals, in the fourth game of a west-coast swing, are coming off a 4-0 win over San Jose on Saturday night. With Washington playing less than 24 hours later, perhaps Sunday’s game presents a chance for the Kraken to jump.

Seattle needs to start out a heck of a lot better, though.

“It’s difficult to play from behind,” said Kraken coach Dave Hakstol. “A lot of discussion, and warranted discussion, in terms of starts happens with fast starts and slow starts. It’s not always just dictated by the first goal of the game, it’s dictated by the rhythm of the first 10 minutes, the first 20 minutes, as much as who scores the first goal of the game.”

The Kraken have surrendered the first goal in each of the past four games, all on home ice. Perhaps an even more concerning trend is that they haven’t allowed less than four goals since they defeated Buffalo on Nov. 4, their last victory.

Chris Driedger started and was pulled against the Avalanche, but Philipp Grubauer gets the nod against his other former squad, the Capitals. He allowed three goals on 17 shots in relief on Friday.

Of goalies with at least 200 minutes played, Grubauer has the worst save percentage in the league at .875. That’s something they hope and need him to turn around.

A big save early, something the Kraken have lacked, might be what sparks a turnaround, and one of those better starts Hakstol is looking for.

“I think it’s very important, but we can’t do what we did last game where we kind of get away from our game and then it gets away from us,” said Marcus Johansson, another former Capital. “It would be good to have a game where we don’t have to keep chasing.”

Projected Kraken lines

Based on Sunday’s morning skate:

Forwards:

Marcus Johansson-Alexander Wennberg-Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz-Yanni Gourde-Calle Jarnkrok
Brandon Tanev-Jared McCann-Joonas Donskoi
Ryan Donato-Morgan Geekie-Colin Blackwell

Defense

Jamie Oleksiak-Mark Giordano
Carson Soucy-Vince Dunn
Jeremy Lauzon-Adam Larsson

Notes

• For the first time all season, Hakstol didn’t make any changes to his skater group.
• Grubauer starts in net against his former team after he didn’t start against his other old squad, the Avalanche, on Friday night.
• Along with Grubauer, Johansson is a former Capital.

Broadcast info

Time/place: 6 p.m., Climate Pledge Arena.
TV: ROOT Sports.
Radio: KJR-AM (950).

About the Capitals

This season: 11-2-5 (last game: 4-0 win over San Jose).

Player to watch: Alex Ovechkin.

Notes: Capitals defenseman John Carlson assisted on seven of the Caps’ eight goals in their last three games. … Washington’s 62 goals scored are the third-most in the NHL this season. … The Capitals’ 87.62 five-on-five high danger save percentage is the fifth-best in the NHL.

Projected lines

Forwards:

Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Wilson
Jonsson-Fjallby – McMichael – Oshie
Sheary – Protas – Sprong
Hagelin – Dowd – Hathaway

DefenseL

Fehervary – Carlson
Orlov – Jensen
Van Reimsdyk – Schultz