Kraken-Predators pregame notes: Calle Jarnkrok to face ex-teammates as Seattle eyes new win streak

Perhaps it will be the start of a new win streak.

The Kraken are seeking their fourth win of a six-game homestand that concludes Tuesday night at Climate Pledge Arena against the Nashville Predators. They had won two in a row before a 5-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night, then rebounded with one of their better-played games of the season in a 5-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.

The last time the Kraken faced the Predators was Oct. 14, a 2-1 victory in Nashville that was the first in franchise history. They survived a third-period push from the Predators to earn that win.

One difference this time is center Calle Jarnkrok will face his former team. The Kraken expansion draft pick from Nashville was in COVID-19 protocol and missed the first game.

“It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” Jarnkrok said Tuesday after the Kraken’s morning skate. “I have a lot of friends over there still. It’s a lot of fun.”

Jarnkrok has played well lately, boosting his goal total to seven, with four tallies since Jan. 1.

“We looked at some of the areas that we had success,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said of the first meeting between the teams. “But it’s a long time ago that we played them. That team, they’ve got a lot of different elements there. … Every game has got a different feel to it. This one has a good, competitive edge in a lot of different respects.”

Nashville at one time led the Western Conference in points, but recently ended a four-game losing streak. The Predators have been strong on the road at 13-7-3. They are led by goaltender Juuse Saros and his .925 save percentage.

It’s a solid challenge for the Kraken to end what could be a strong homestand.

Projected Kraken lines

Based on Tuesday’s morning skate:

Forwards:

Marcus Johansson-Jared McCann-Jordan Eberle
Calle Jarnkrok-Yanni Gourde-Mason Appleton
Ryan Donato-Alexander Wennberg-Joonas Donskoi
Colin Blackwell-Riley Sheahan-Karson Kuhlman

Defense:

Adam Larsson-Mark Giordano
Vince Dunn-Will Borgen
Haydn Fleury-Jeremy Lauzon

Notes

• Forward Joonas Donskoi will return to the lineup after missing Sunday’s game. Morgan Geekie is the odd man out.
• Philipp Grubauer will start his second consecutive game in net. Joey Daccord will back up, despite Chris Driedger (COVID-19 protocol) returning to the ice Tuesday morning.
• Defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Carson Soucy remain out because of lower-body injuries. Hakstol said Oleksiak is day to day and Soucy is week to week.

Broadcast info

Time/place: 7 p.m., Climate Pledge Arena.

TV: ESPN+/Hulu

Radio: KJR-AM (950).

About the Predators

This season: 26-14-3 (last game: 4-1 win vs Detroit).

Player to watch: Roman Josi.

Notes: The Predators are tied for sixth in the NHL with a 25.6 power-play percentage. … Nashville has won 13 one-goal games this season, the most in the NHL. … The Predators’ 70 goals scored on the road are sixth-most in the league. … Nashville is undefeated at 20-0-1 when trailing after two periods. … Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki leads the NHL with 88 penalty minutes.

Projected lines

Forwards:

Cousins-Johansen-Kunin
Forsberg-Granlund-Duchene
Trenin-Sissons-Jeannot
Smith-McCarron-Tomasino

Defense

Josi-Carrier
Ekholm-Benning
Borowiecki-Tennyson