Seattle Kraken: The 10 percent solution

After winning 7-2 on Sunday, the Seattle Kraken lead Dallas 2-1 in their best-of-7 series. So far, Seattle’s fortunes are tied to their faceoff win percentage.

Ten percent. How much of a difference is 10 percent? When it comes to winning Stanley Cup Playoff games, it makes the difference between the Seattle Kraken winning and losing games.

Coming into the Western Conference Semi-Finals, one of the biggest differences between the Kraken and Dallas was each team’s performance in the faceoff circle.

During the regular season, Dallas led the NHL, winning 54.1% of their draws. Conversely, Seattle’s 45.3% win rate was second to last. In fact, of all the Kraken players who took over 300 faceoffs, Matty Beniers, Yanni Gourde, Alexander Wennberg, and Morgan Geekie none of them won at least half of them.

This disparity was never more evident than it was in Seattle’s Game 2 loss. They won only 20 of 64 faceoffs during a 4-2 defeat. That’s only 31.25%

Meanwhile, in the Seattle Kraken’s two wins, they won 41.79% and 43.28%, respectively. While a win percentage in the low 40s isn’t very good, it might be enough to win 4-of-7 with their balanced scoring.

Dallas puts at least two guys on each line who can win draws, one from each side of the goalie. Here’s why it makes a difference.

Defensive Zone

When Dallas wins, it gives them more opportunities to shoot. If Seattle Kraken goalies save 90-91%, the numbers game will catch up with them.

It’s even a bigger disadvantage for them in PK situations. If the Kraken can’t win draws, it makes it much harder to clear the puck.

When Seattle is on the power play, by not winning faceoffs, Seattle loses valuable time, and Dallas gets to run off more time.

Offensive Zone

By being less proficient in the dot, the Seattle Kraken lose too much time, especially when they have a man advantage. Dallas can kill off an extra 10-20 seconds.

In addition, the Stars get more puck time, and possession is king in hockey.

The 10% Solution

So by winning at least 10% more faceoffs in Games 1 and 3, the Seattle Kraken got more chances to gain the zone, take shots, and kill off penalties. That’s why it matters.

For two years, Kraken fans have been begging for better faceoff men. Players such as Dallas’ Luke Glendenning keep getting jobs. His career 55.7% win percentage is well worth the $1.5M per season he earns. This is the next area GM Ron Francis needs to conquer is finding players who can win draws.