Three Takeaways From Kraken's 5-2 Loss To Avalanche

The Seattle Kraken were defeated for the fifth game in a row, losing 5-2 to the Colorado Avalanche in Seattle's final game before the week-long holiday break. Here are three takeaways from the Kraken's loss to the Avs:

1. Once again, a lack offense is the difference between Kraken winning and losing.

For the fifth straight game. Seattle lost, primarily because the Kraken could not produce more than two goals. In fact, in all five games Seattle has been defeated, they failed to score three goals or more. Twice, they've scored two goals; twice, they've scored one goal; and once, they've been completely shut out. the first period and never posted 10 or more shots on net in any period against the Avs.

The Kraken currently have the NHL's 10th-worst offense at an average of 2.60 goals-for per-game. And we've already talked about their sub-par offense. There's just no way this Seattle team can 2-1 or 1-0 their way into a playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

The Kraken can''t be losing much longer before the playoffs are out of the question. And Seattle's offense has to at least win a few games, or the Kraken will no longer be on the island of relevancy.

2. Newcomer Kaapo Kakko Nets First Goal As A Kraken

In his second game with Seattle since being acquired from the New York Rangers on Dec. 18, newcomer right winger Kaapo Kakko netted his first goal as a Kraken, blasting a shot through the legs of an official and past Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Wedgewood for Kakko's fifth goal of the season.

It no doubt was a relief for Kakko to score nearly immediately in his Kraken career, but don't kid yourself, Kakko still has to be consistently contributing something -- either offense, or an increasingly-committed improvement on defensive play. And if Kakko can provide both those things, all the better.

Kakko's career-high of 18 goals came in his fourth NHL season, and so it's fair to say he's a slow learner. That's not an insult, either; so long as you're learing, whether it's fast or slow doesn't matter. In any case, Kakko has quicky got the monkey off his back in Seattle by scoring Sunday, and now, he can focus on honing his craft.

3. Overall lackadaisical performance shows Kraken were in need of this week-long break

The Kraken looked like a team that was waiting impatiently for the NHL's holiday break to arrive. For instance, the Kraken put only three shots on net in the first period Sunday, and they never had 10 shots or more in any subsequent period against the Avalanche..You need your goaltending to play well, but if you're generating little-to-no offense and you can't even generate shots-on-net, it's no wonder you're on a losing streak.

Seattle now has the next five days off before they take on the Canucks in Vancouver on Saturday, and it sure feels like they need a mental reset They appear to be a team that doesn't want to pay the price from getting in and around the net to score in those high-danger areas. The Kraken still have time to turn their season around, but with every game that comes and goes, the more you get the sense that (a) this Seattle team is just not skilled enough to be a post-season team; and (b) the Kraken should be sellers at the March 7th trade deadline.

These current five losses have exposed Seattle's weaknesses, and they're not easily solved. The Kraken aren't a brutal team, but nor are they a team that can easily make the playoffs. When that changes, so will Seattle's sub-par current place in the standings.