Grubauer has not played since December 9th when he exited the game with a lower-body injury, and remains out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis. Chris Driedger was recalled from the AHL, but Joey Daccord has filled in, starting each game, and performing admirably in the process, including a 24-save shutout in Seattle's last game, a 4-0 victory over the Florida Panthers.
Daccord is coming off his first career shutout, a 24-save performance, in a 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. Daccord has become the de facto starting goalie for the Kraken with Philipp Grubauer out of the lineup but has been better than him between the pipes all season. Over his past three starts, Daccord has saved 73 of 77 shots (.949 SV%) but only managed a 1-2-0 record due to the Kraken's inability to score consistently. That said, Seattle has a favourable matchup on Thursday as -236 home favourites against the Chicago Blackhawks, who have lost two straight and rank second-worst in the league offensively (2.36 GF / GP).
With Philipp Grubauer out of the lineup, Daccord will start for the second consecutive game. In his first game as the number one goalie for Seattle, Daccord played well, saving 23 of 25 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild, but as has been the case most of the season, he did not receive ample goal support. The 27-year-old goaltender has been serviceable this season, even outperforming Grubauer, but has only managed three victories in 15 appearances (3-5-6) while posting a 2.92 GAA and .896 SV%.
Mahura has not played since November 16th and will have to wait a little longer, despite being cleared from a lower-body injury, as he will not return to the lineup on Tuesday. Mahura was a regular in the lineup before Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad returned from injuries and will likely have a tough time drawing back in as long as their defensive core is healthy.
With Philipp Grubauer out of the lineup, Daccord will likely start for the second consecutive game. In his first game as the number one goalie for Seattle, Daccord played well, saving 23 of 25 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild, but as has been the case most of the season, he did not receive ample goal support. The 27-year-old goaltender has been serviceable this season, even outperforming Grubauer, but has only managed three victories in 15 appearances (3-5-6) while posting a 2.92 GAA and .896 SV%.
Meyers will make his season debut against the Flames on Monday. The 25-year-old has five goals and seven assists in 17 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) this season.
Meyers had five goals, 12 points and a +3 plus/minus in 17 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) and has earned his first call up to the Avalanche this season. The 25-year-old appeared in 39 games for the Avalanche in 2022-23, scoring four goals, six PIMs, 33 SOG and a -6 plus/minus.
Burakovsky returned to the Seattle lineup on Thursday after a six-week absence due to an upper-body injury. However, after just one game, he will be on the shelf again on a week-to-week timeline with an unrelated upper-body injury, a tough blow for Burakovsky and the Kraken. The 28-year-old forward played 9:05 time-on-ice in his return, recording one assist and one shot on goal.
Grubauer will start for Seattle on Thursday, continuing a mostly forgettable season for the German netminder. Grubauer has recorded a sub-.890 SV% in eight consecutive appearances (3-3-1), posting a cumulative, ugly .859 SV%. His .200 quality start rate through 15 games is among the worst in the entire league. The Kraken are +126 home underdogs against a New Jersey Devils team that ranks fourth-best in the league offensively (3.70 GF / GP).
Grubauer will likely start for Seattle on Thursday, continuing a mostly forgettable season for the German netminder. Grubauer has recorded a sub-.890 SV% in eight consecutive appearances (3-3-1), posting a cumulative, ugly .859 SV%. His .200 quality start rate through 15 games is among the worst in the entire league. The Kraken are +126 home underdogs against a New Jersey Devils team that ranks fourth-best in the league offensively (3.70 GF / GP).
Schultz is expected to be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Ryker Evans to make his NHL debut. Schultz has struggled lately, with only one point in his last five games (0G / 1A), posting a -6 plus/minus while averaging 16:50 time-on-ice.
Burakovsky has not played since October 21st, missing 20 games with an upper-body injury, but is expected to make his long-awaited return to the lineup on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. Burakovsky had two points (0G / 2A) in six games before his injury and will likely slot in on the second line with Jared McCann and Alexander Wennberg.
Justin Schultz is expected to be a healthy scratch, allowing Evans to make his NHL debut on Thursday. The 21-year-old Evans was the 35th overall pick of the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and has spent the last two seasons with the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL, scoring 52 points (8G / 44A) in 89 combined games. He is expected to play with Brian Dumoulin on the third defensive pair.
With Buffalo acquiring Eric Robinson from Columbus on Wednesday Brandon Biro has been reassigned to Rochester (AHL). The 25-year-old left-winger had just returned from an injury for a three-game spell and had two goals and two SOG in five games prior to his demotion. He heads back to Rochester, where he had six goals and 12 points in 10 games before his previous promotion.
