One: Bylsma Switches Wright and Beniers in Forward Lines

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, Minn. – Before boarding the team plane Thursday for the season’s first road trip, coach Dan Bylsma reworked his lines from the home opener to look for an offensive boost. The change moves rookie Shane Wright in between captain Jordan Eberle and Kraken all-time leading goal scorer Jared McCann. New alternate captain Matty Beniers, now in his third NHL season, slots with Oliver Bjorkstrand (Kraken analyst JT Brown said on air last week he anticipates career highs for 2024 NHL All-Star) and Eeli Tolvanen (who scored Seattle’s first goal of the year in Tuesday’s home opener). Friday’s practice here at the Wild’s training facility in St. Paul proved lively, with both the Wright and Beniers lines scoring impressive goals in drills.

“We’re looking for good combinations,” said Bylsma, whose other lines and all defensive pairs (with Josh Mahura getting work too in the latter) ran the same as Tuesday’s game. “We didn’t get the desired result in game 1 … With the continuity of the lines and players reading off each other, I think we can still strive to find good combinations.”

For his part, the aforementioned McCann said Wright’s righthandedness makes it a lot easier for the lefty McCann to work plays with each player on the forehand. He described Wright as strong on the puck. McCann indicated the line with Wright and Eberle will work as a trio for both Saturday’s game against the Wild and Sunday’s matchup in Dallas. The Kraken veteran praised both centers: “These young guys are so good nowadays they can step in and make a difference for us.”

Two: To-Do List for the Weekend

After Tuesday’s home opener, Bylsma said despite lots of solid scoring chances in the first two periods, he wanted to see more shots rather than making one too many passes.

He made it a point of discussion in a team meeting before Friday’s practice, getting pucks to the net from the points and other outer areas, then getting the bodies in front banging away at pucks.

“I think maybe we could take a little out of Jared McCann’s playbook,” said Bylsma. “When all of us get the puck, when you have the opportunity, shoot the puck, get it to the cage [net].”

Three: Know the Foe – Wild Victors in Home Opener Thursday

The Kraken are opening the franchise’s fourth season with a quartet of games against Central Division teams. Bylsma said Friday he anticipates Minnesota’s style and Dallas’s mode of play will look a lot like St. Louis’s last Tuesday.

“The Wild are a heavy-checking team [he said the same a bit later about Dallas],” said Bylsma. “If you watch them play just for a second, the puck’s gonna come quick down your throat. There will be a heavy forecheck presence which they try to establish in the offensive zone.

“Our ‘D’ is going to be under the gun. Where we can learn from last game is that we have to be able to deal with the pressure and execute, break the puck out [of the defensive zone] against heavy pressure. That’ll be a big portion of our success in the game … we will be looking for more signs of connectivity on our breakouts, coming out of the zone and our transition.

The opening loss provided some lessons. When we were effective in [the home opener], we were connecting and able to get in the offensive zone with speed. Where we weren’t would have been the opposite. The two breakouts after the first [St. Louis} goal were misplays, turnovers, that led to the momentum for the Blues.”