We're not yet at the halfway point of the 2021-22 NHL campaign, but this break presents a good time to reflect. Below, we dive into the five biggest surprises of the season thus far.

Ducks flying ahead of schedule

Show us someone who seriously thought the Anaheim Ducks would make the playoffs, and we'll show you a liar.

While there's still plenty of hockey left to play, the Ducks are sitting pretty. They're third in the Pacific Division and seventh in the Western Conference with a .625 points percentage. They have a sizable lead over teams currently outside the postseason spots, such as the Dallas Stars (.552), Winnipeg Jets (.550), and Los Angeles Kings (.550).

In August, Anaheim's odds of making the playoffs were +1500 - tied with the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, and Ottawa Senators as the biggest long shots.

While the Ducks have attempted to rebuild on the fly over the past few years, they haven't finished above sixth in the Pacific since 2018-19. Fans had every reason for pessimism considering captain Ryan Getzlaf is 36 and coming off his worst year and the team's next wave of young talent is still, well, really young.

However, Getzlaf has enjoyed a bounce-back campaign, as has goaltender John Gibson, who's coming off two poor seasons. Youngsters Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, Sonny Milano, Isac Lundestrom, and Jamie Drysdale have made great strides. A solid veteran supporting cast of Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Kevin Shattenkirk, Adam Henrique, and Rickard Rakell was already in place. A lot had to go right to get to this point. So far, so good.

Maurice resigns out of nowhere

This one came out of left field. Paul Maurice, who was in his ninth season as head coach of the Jets, suddenly announced his resignation Friday.

"This is a good team, I'm a good coach. ... But sometimes you can only push so far," Maurice said. "Sometimes a team needs a new voice. They haven't quit on me but need a different voice. It's the right time for it, and I know that."

He might be correct. The Jets made some much-needed additions to their blue line this offseason, bringing in Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt. That seemed to shore up the club's last remaining key weakness, yet Winnipeg currently sits outside the playoff picture.

Maurice, 54, gives incredibly thoughtful, candid, and witty answers in his press conferences, making him one of the league's most likable coaches. We applaud him for leaving on his own terms after a stellar run in which he brought the Jets to the playoffs five times, including a trip to the conference finals in 2018. If Maurice wants another NHL head coaching job, he'll surely get one.

Canadiens come crashing down

On the heels of their miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves dead last in the Eastern Conference. No NHL team has finished last in its conference the season after reaching the final since the 2002-03 Carolina Hurricanes, who were the league's worst team.

The Habs crashing down to earth shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, they weren't good in the regular season last year, either - they just happened to get hot at the right time. They lost their No. 1 center Phillip Danault (signed with the Kings), No. 1 defenseman Shea Weber (potentially career-ending injury), and No. 1 goalie Carey Price (player assistance program). Few teams could handle three absences of that magnitude.

However, it's still surprising just how bad this team is. Nobody expected the Canadiens to be worse than the Sabres, who appear to be actively trying to tank. The Habs are even worse than the Senators, who remain bottom-feeders.

Heck, even the Coyotes - who are icing arguably the worst roster of the salary-cap era - are just two games back of Montreal. Nobody saw that coming.

Kadri cashing in

It's never too late for a career year, right? Just ask 31-year-old Nazem Kadri. The Colorado Avalanche center is in his 13th NHL season yet playing the best hockey of his life.

Kadri has taken the league by storm, ranking fourth with 38 points in 24 games and third in points per game at 1.58. His career-high point total was 61 in 2016-17. His career-high points per game was 0.92 during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

While Kadri may level off a bit, his 11 goals aren't a fluke. He's only shooting 14.7% - the fourth-highest mark of his career and a mere 3.3% higher than his average.

Kadri's 27 assists appear slightly less sustainable, as his 16.01 on-ice shooting percentage is his best ever. The helpers shouldn't disappear altogether, though. He has a career-high 4.19 on-ice expected goals per 60 minutes, averages a career-high 18:27 per game, and he's surrounded by an excellent, offensive-minded supporting cast with the Avs.

The London, Ontario, native is in the final season of a bargain six-year contract that pays him $4.5 million annually. Given how coveted centers are and how infrequently they hit the open market, Kadri is bound to cash in this summer.

Boudreau returns triumphantly

Bruce Boudreau was working as an analyst for NHL Network when the season began. Now, he's becoming a favorite for the Jack Adams Award.

The Vancouver Canucks were reeling before he arrived. Head coach Travis Green and general manager Jim Benning both got fired. Fans booed and threw jerseys onto the ice. It looked like another year spent wasting the dynamic core of Brock Boeser, Thatcher Demko, Bo Horvat, Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, and Elias Pettersson. It was ugly.

However, the Canucks are a perfect 6-0-0 under Boudreau weeks after the season looked like a lost cause. Now, the team's within striking distance of a playoff spot.

During his stops with the Washington Capitals, Ducks, and Minnesota Wild, Boudreau always seemed to get the most out of his star players, so it shouldn't come as a surprise he's doing the same in Vancouver. The team adopted an up-tempo, aggressive style of play, which suits its personnel far better than what Green was preaching.

While the blue line is still a major cause for concern, if Boudreau can somehow will the Canucks to the postseason, he'll be a lock for his second Jack Adams.

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the lead-up to the 2022 World Junior Championship, we're looking back at the 25 best players to wear the Canadian jersey at the tournament. Rather than evaluating entire careers, these rankings are based solely on performances during the world juniors. We'll reveal five players each day, culminating with the best of the best Dec. 25.

25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 (Dec. 23) | 10-6 (Dec. 24) | 5-1 (Dec. 25)

25. Marc Denis (1996, 1997)

Denis won a gold medal with Team Canada in consecutive years, though he took a back seat to Jose Theodore in 1996. He still played in two games and registered a .962 save percentage, but his time to shine came in '97.

That squad wasn't the favorite entering the tournament and lacked the star power Canadians have since grown accustomed to, but Denis stood tall. He hung tough in a 3-2 victory against a dangerous Russian team in the semifinals and pitched a 35-save shutout against the United States the following night to lead Canada to a fifth straight world junior title. Denis was named goaltender of the tournament for his exploits.

24. Marty Murray (1994, 1995)

Murray helped Canada win back-to-back gold medals in 1994 and '95, and he was stellar in his second stint with the junior team. Murray was named the latter tournament's best forward after tying teammate Jason Allison for the overall points lead with 15 over seven games.

He also ranked second among all skaters in goals after producing a goal and three assists across seven contests in the previous year. Murray is tied for sixth on Canada's all-time world junior points list.

23. Marc-Andre Fleury (2003, 2004)

Fleury was unable to get his hands on a gold medal in his two world juniors but still nabbed back-to-back silvers in 2003 and '04. Despite the heartbreak of coming up just short in both years, Fleury's legacy at the tournament is remembered to this day.

In his first go, he led Canada to the championship game with his stellar play before falling 3-2 to Russia. Despite the loss, Fleury was named top goaltender and tournament MVP. The Pittsburgh Penguins then loaned the prized No. 1 pick to Canada the following year, and he once again led the team to the finals. However, his mistake in the dying minutes against the U.S. cost his country the gold.

With the game tied 3-3 and time winding down, Fleury left his net to play a loose puck. His clearing attempt hit teammate Braydon Coburn and bounced back into his own net. The Americans held on to win 4-3. Despite the blunder and two failures to capture gold, Fleury remains one of the best goalies to suit up for Canada at the world juniors.

22. Devon Levi (2021)

Levi and Canada's 2021 outfit looked impenetrable for the majority of last year's tournament. The 19-year-old netminder started all the games and posted three shutouts, two of which came in the quarters and semis.

His numbers were undeniably great, but he and his compatriots ultimately fell short, stumbling to a 2-0 loss to the U.S. in the gold-medal game. It's safe to say Levi would be higher on our list if Canada had clinched the championship.

21. Shayne Corson (1985, 1986)

Corson was a key supporting member on Canada's gold-medal winning squad in 1985 but was truly a man among boys in '86, sharing the tournament lead in both goals (seven) and points (14) while wearing the "C." Canada was unable to repeat in '86 but did bring home silver due in large part to Corson's efforts.

Familiarity may have played a part in Corson's dominant performance in '86. The tournament took place at a brand new Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, where Corson played his junior hockey with the OHL's Hamilton Steelhawks.

"It's one of the greatest moments I've had in my hockey career for sure," Corson told the Hamilton Spectator in 2014. "I would put the world juniors right up there with anything in my career."

The tournament wasn't as popular in the '80s as it is now, but Corson almost certainly would've been a fan favorite today due to his punishing style of play and offensive touch.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is saddened his Olympic dream is once again on hold.

The 31-year-old was set to make his debut on the biggest international stage in February as one of the first three players named to Sweden's roster, but the NHL officially withdrew from participation in the Beijing Games over COVID-19 concerns.

"That's sad," Hedman said, per The Athletic's Joe Smith. "It's something we have been looking forward to for a very long time. It's out of our control what's going on in the world. We were preparing for a battle in February in China but, like I said, it looks like it's not going to happen, so it's a bummer to us to not be able to go. It's going to hurt for a while, but, at the end of the day, you know, safety and everything.

"We’ll go for another Stanley Cup. That will be a good make-up for us."

Despite being one of the league's top defenders for much of the past decade, Hedman has never been to the Olympics. He was surprisingly left off the 2014 team that captured a silver medal, and then the NHL didn't go to PyongChang in 2018. If the league is able to attend Milan in 2026, Hedman will be 35 and on his next NHL contract if he's still playing.

Hedman won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2017 world championship, and he's also represented the country at the world juniors and World Cup of Hockey.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's last game prior to the season's break didn't disappoint.

The Tampa Bay Lightning reigned supreme in Tuesday night's 4-3 slugfest against the Vegas Golden Knights, a battle that featured the No. 1 teams in the Atlantic and Pacific Divisions.

The Golden Knights entered the contest on a five-game win streak.

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos potted Tampa Bay's third unanswered goal to secure the victory and passed Martin St. Louis as Tampa Bay's all-time game-winning goal leader in the process, according to team beat writer Bryan Burns.

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone scored twice in his return to the lineup before exiting midway through the second period. He saw just 7:46 of ice time. The 29-year-old winger was a late scratch in Sunday's shootout victory against the New York Islanders.

Both teams were dealing with substantial absences. Defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Nicolas Hague, forward Evgenii Dadonov, and goaltender Robin Lehner were all sidelined on the Golden Knights' end.

The Bolts, meanwhile, were without head coach Jon Cooper.

Lightning rookie Gabriel Fortier drew first blood with his first-ever NHL goal in his eighth career game, beating Vegas netminder Laurent Brossoit on his blocker side. Stone responded just three minutes later by redirecting the puck home.

Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy scored a beauty to give Vegas a two-goal lead before the Lightning struck twice in 43 seconds at the end of the second period.

Tampa Bay never looked back after Stamkos buried the game-winner on a power play in the final frame. Star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made several key saves in the last minute.

Stone got clipped in the first period by Lightning forward Mathieu Joseph and had to crawl to the bench. He initially stayed in the game and scored his first goal of the contest shortly after.

Vegas head coach Pete DeBoer said postgame the team pulled Stone from the game because of the issue that held him out of Sunday's matchup, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

DeBoer added that he didn't think it would be worth it to leave Stone in the contest due to the upcoming break.

The Lightning improved to 20-6-4 on the season, while the Golden Knights fell to 20-12-0.

Tampa Bay's 44 points leads the NHL heading into the pause.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames are pulling the plug on a project that would've brought the city a new NHL arena.

On Tuesday, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek announced on Twitter that Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation's primary shareholder Murray Edwards informed her of the franchise's intention to terminate the new arena deal.

Gondek added that the Flames are backing out of the deal due to an additional fee of about $9.7 million concerning climate mitigation and road/sidewalk right-of-way issues.

"On a project worth over $650 million, to have one party walk away for 1.5% of the value of the deal is staggering," Gondek wrote, adding that she's "disappointed."

CSEC and the city originally struck a deal in July 2019 for an arena that would cost $550 million split equally between the two parties. The city was also to provide additional funds, including covering 90% of the cost to demolish the Scotiabank Saddledome. Gondek, who wasn't elected mayor until October 2021, says she supported the initial deal.

The project hit some snags from there. In April 2021, it was put on hold by the City council over budget concerns. A new deal was agreed to in July, with the cost increasing by over $50 million. Gondek, however, says she didn't support this.

Calgary Municipal Land Corporation was removed as the development manager as part of the new deal. Both the city and the NHL franchise added $12.5 million for cost overruns, plus an additional $10 million from the city in event management costs. The two parties set a target date of early 2022 for construction to begin prior to this most recent complication.

Before Gondek was elected mayor, she served as a city councilor and a member of the city's planning commission. Former Mayor Naheed Nenshi was in office during the original negotiation of the deal.

Scotiabank Saddledome has been the home of the Flames since 1983. Excluding the Seattle Kraken's Climate Pledge Arena, which underwent extensive renovations before the club debuted this year, the Saddledome is the second-oldest building in the NHL, trailing only Madison Square Garden.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning placed head coach Jon Cooper in COVID-19 protocol before Tuesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.

Assistant coach Derek Lalonde will run the forward lines in tonight's game.

The Bolts' clash with the Golden Knights ended up being the only game on Tuesday's slate due to a rise in positive tests around the league. It will also be the last NHL game played before the holiday break.

The Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers were initially scheduled to play Tuesday, but their matchup was postponed earlier in the day due to COVID-19 issues impacting the Caps.

The NHL and NHLPA announced Monday that the league will pause all operations from Dec. 22-25 in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19 within teams.

Cooper has helped guide the Lightning to a 19-6-4 record to start the season. The Bolts sit at the top of the Atlantic Division.

Earlier this month, the 54-year-old became the fastest NHL coach ever to notch 400 wins.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

That escalated quickly. With the NHL on pause over the holidays, we have an opportunity to catch our breath and evaluate where teams stand through the first third of the season.

I've rated each team based on analytics I value, which are heavily weighted toward even-strength play and therefore don't account for factors like injuries or illnesses. I then use the ratings to create my weekly projected moneylines, as explained here.

The following ratings measure a team's strength relative to average, which holds a rating of 1.00. The greater the number, the stronger the team.

The Panthers have played the best hockey this season and can be considered 17% better than an average team, despite being three points behind the Hurricanes for first in the NHL standings. At 18-11 on the moneyline, Florida has played better than its betting record indicates.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Canadiens are the worst-rated team at 19% below league average. This isn't a shock if you've bet on the Habs, as they're 7-24 on the moneyline.

The Kings are the biggest surprise. With their 14-11-5 record, they're on pace to surpass their projected 84 points. If they keep performing - and win more in overtime - they can be even more profitable on the moneyline.

The Islanders are the biggest disappointments relative to the point total market. However, the Isles may have an excuse for their 8-18 moneyline record: They started the season with an extended road trip while awaiting a move to their new arena.

We can use these ratings, along with our preseason priors, to create a predictive model that'll help us make positive expected value bets for the remainder of the season.

Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

You know those teams who get smoked every time you bet them, and they crush every time you fade? Yeah, you're not alone.

We all have those teams and players we can't seem to peg down - the ones who have no regard for our bankrolls - and that's why we have the naughty list.

The following teams and players were especially bad to us in 2021 and deserve nothing but coal in their stockings.

Alabama Crimson Tide, Illinois Fighting Illini (NCAAB)

If you're betting responsibly, no one game should hurt your bankroll. Ideally, we'd like to avoid a bad run with a team as well. So I'll focus on a pair of great futures bets that needed epic failures when it mattered most to somehow prove unprofitable.

In the depths of the COVID-dominated summer of 2020, I made two NCAA Tournament champion bets: Alabama 125-1 and Illinois 110-1. I watched both teams excel over the season, march hand-in-hand up the rankings, and find themselves with No. 2 and No. 1 seeds, respectively. Based on seeding, the basic expectation was a Regional Final for both, at which point it would be an easy hedge to lock in a profit. If only it were that easy.

First, Illinois fell victim in Round 2 to Loyola-Chicago, which was painful to watch. At least the Tide survived through the first weekend in what was perceived as the easiest region.

I watched in horror the following Thursday as Cinderella UCLA hit every mid-range shot while Alabama's best player battled foul trouble. In one last tease of hope, the Tide hit a buzzer-beater to force overtime, only for the Bruins to pull away for the victory.

Would Alabama have beaten Michigan like UCLA did? I think so. Would it have given Gonzaga the game the Bruins did in the Final Four? There's no way to know - though the irony is not lost on me that the Tide beat the Bulldogs handily in Seattle this season. Either way, I'd have liked to find out.

Two of the best futures bets I will ever make in my life resulted in zero profit. Naughty, indeed.

- Matt Russell

Atlanta Braves

You know that one team you just can't believe in, no matter how many times they spite you? That was the Braves for me after they clawed their way back from a below .500 record in August to somehow win the NL East despite losing their best player in Ronald Acuna Jr. in July.

I didn't believe in them when they entered the playoffs as 12-1 long shots. In fact, I bet against them in every round and told you to make a bet, as well. This team couldn't really pull it off with a contact-heavy rotation and strikeout-happy lineup, right? The fluky power surges had to end at some point ... right?

Of course not. It felt almost personal when Atlanta torched my World Series tickets on the Brewers (50-1) and Astros (20-1) en route to one of the most uninspiring title runs in recent memory. I refuse to acknowledge that the Braves actually won the World Series this year, even if my wallet knows differently.

- C Jackson Cowart

Boston Bruins

This is so gross I don't even want to relive it. The Bruins were a wagon down the stretch of the 2021 season after acquiring Taylor Hall, and I was all in. This team profiled as legitimate Cup contenders, and I didn't see them running into much trouble until at least the third round. I hit them at +1300 to win the Cup and doubled down on them to come out of the East at +165 and +200.

After comfortably beating the Capitals in five, I think I blacked out. As if I didn't already have enough to gain from Boston beating the Islanders, I decided to push in all my chips. I loaded up on the Bruins as big favorites in Round 2, betting their series price of -204 and -1.5 (+100) series handicap. A huge mismatch is what I dubbed it. In fact, I wrote: "It's hard to see New York charting a path to Round 3 without Sorokin significantly outplaying Tuukka Rask." You know where this is going.

Up 2-1 in the series, Rask tore his hip labrum - kind of significant for a goalie, I guess - and Boston thought it was a good idea to keep playing him! And because this isn't a Disney movie, he didn't put in a miraculous performance to lead his team to victory. No, the Bruins dominated the remainder of the series but lost three straight with Rask unable to make a save. The Isles won in six, and I got more rinsed than a dishrag.

- Alex Moretto

Dallas Cowboys

The 2021 NFL season was a bloodbath for survivor pool players. With a little luck, and even more strategy, I was still alive heading into Thanksgiving with 137 entries left competing for a $6-million prize from a field of 4,000.

It wasn't the first time. I know it's cheating, but I'm counting Thanksgiving 2020 along with Thanksgiving 2021 as part of this exercise. Since this contest requires a Thanksgiving Day selection, I planned to have the biggest favorite available: the Cowboys. Sure, their blow-out loss to Washington in 2020 knocked me out, but as 7-point favorites against the hapless Raiders this year, it was a no-brainer to go back to the well ... only to fall in.

You saw the game, you know what happened; Missed kicks, a strangely effective Raiders offense, and a parade of flags, including a dubious pass interference on third-and-18 in overtime that would have otherwise forced a punt with plenty of time for Dallas to drive for a field goal.

Last season I won the rest of our mapped-out games, and this season my plotted path remains undefeated so far. There's a very good chance my record will be 36-2 over two seasons, with the two eliminating losses being the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Naughty? Sure. Just plain gross with a $6-million prize pool up for grabs? Definitely.

- Russell

Dallas Stars

The Stars were an absolute roller coaster during the 2021-shortened season, and for all the wrong reasons. It seemed like they were on the wrong end of the most crushing defeat possible every night. Up 3-0 heading into the third period? Dallas would find a way to blow it in the dying seconds and lose in extra time. Down 3-0 heading into the third? Fear not, this team will fight. The Stars would erase huge deficits with ease, getting my hopes up before losing 15 seconds into overtime.

In hindsight, I should have avoided betting on a team whose best player - arguably, anyway - in Roope Hintz was a game-time decision every night. To this day, I remain scarred from the emotional trauma this team put me through.

- Todd Cordell

Gonzaga Bulldogs (NCAAB)

Much like Russell's NCAA Tournament horror story, I entered this year's tourney well-positioned for a big payout thanks to well-timed futures bets. Except I wasn't banking on two massive long shots: I was invested in half the field.

That's right, I had a title ticket on 32 of the 64 teams in the tournament - including 14 of the top 16 seeds - and the value increased for 25 of those tickets after I bought them. That included ridiculous values on No. 1 Michigan (80-1), No. 2 Iowa (50-1), No. 2 Alabama (80-1), No. 6 USC (100-1), and No. 8 Loyola-Chicago (300-1).

The elephant in the room was top overall seed Gonzaga, which blitzed its way to a perfect season and looked like the biggest (only?) threat to my perfectly crafted portfolio. So I placed a sizable futures wager on the perennially disappointing mid-major giant at short odds and picked the Bulldogs to win every office pool, auction, and tournament game thereafter.

You know how that went. My entire portfolio went up in flames by the Elite Eight except for Gonzaga - which miraculously survived its Final Four test against UCLA on one of the greatest shots I've ever seen - before Baylor demolished the Zags on a sad Monday night in April. I've never felt so smart going into a sporting event and so dumb after it.

- Cowart

Najee Harris

I don't know whether to blame Harris, offensive coordinator Matt Canada, or the Steelers' offensive line. Frankly, it's not Harris' fault. However, this is a results-driven business, so he'll have to shoulder the blame regardless of the underlying issue because I'm hurt, and someone needs to hear about it.

Harris was coming off a three-game stretch in which he produced 98 yards per contest when Derrick Henry went down with an injury. Harris looked primed to have a monster second half. Volume is king, and he was getting a ton of it. With an opening in the rushing leaders market, I scooped up all the Najee I could. Turned out he peaked early. Hampered by predictable play-calling and a miserable offensive line, Harris hasn't generated much since, including a 12-carry, 39-yard game against the Chargers' league-worst run defense in which I bet the over on both his attempts and rush yards.

Those are two of the many Harris props I seem to have lost this year. I've been as useless betting his anytime TD props as a urinal in a nunnery. He had scored in five straight ahead of a mouth-watering matchup against the Lions, where I unloaded on him to find the end zone. He did, only for it to be called back for holding. That was fun.

There are some players you just can't seem to win on, no matter what, and Najee is clearly one of them for me. Good thing he's got another 10-plus years in this league.

- Moretto

Seattle Kraken

The Kraken gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling as a new NHL franchise, one with plenty of forward-thinking minds in the front office and - more importantly - beautiful jerseys! The feeling disappeared very quickly.

I saw the Kraken had an edge in most of their games for about the first month of their inaugural season. How did they repay my faith? By losing significantly more often than not. It wasn't necessarily because they played poorly and were overmatched. No, that'd be too easy to accept. They continually lost due to horrifically bad goaltending from Philipp Grubauer. Seattle's big-money star and supposed backbone of the team - months removed from a Vezina nomination - couldn't stop a beach ball. He routinely got shredded early, which is problematic considering the Kraken have won just one of the 14 games they've trailed after 20 minutes.

- Cordell

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.