ST PAUL, Minn. — The Seattle Kraken face off against the Minnesota Wild in its second game of the season on Saturday.
The game is taking place at 5 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota.
The game will be broadcast on KONG and the Kraken Hockey Network.
What to expect from the Kraken
The Kraken began its new season Tuesday afternoon by building an early 2-0 lead in the second period against the St. Louis Blues.
Seattle was cruising for most of the game, until an unfortunate spell that lasted just one minute and 55 seconds. The St. Louis Blues capitalized by scoring three goals in that span and held off Seattle for what ended up being a 3-2 victory on Tuesday afternoon.
The hope is the Kraken will return to its playoff form in 2022 under new coach, Dan Bylsma, who is taking over for Dave Hakstol. Bylsma has not coached in the NHL since the 2016-17 season but comes to Seattle after two highly successful seasons running the Kraken's AHL franchise in Coachella Valley.
Seattle spent big in free agency signing center Chandler Stephenson and defenseman Brandon Montour fresh off winning the Stanley Cup with Florida. Montour should be an immediate boost on the blue line and former first-round pick Shane Wright has a chance to become a regular in the lineup after a strong season playing for Bylsma at Coachella Valley in the AHL.
What to expect from the Wild
After missing the postseason for only the second time in 12 years, the Wild's roster remained remarkably intact while salary cap constraints limited their avenues for improvement. General manager Bill Guerin still believes in a core that fueled a 103-point season in 2022-23 and a 113-point season in 2021-22, with proof of that faith coming in the form of contract extensions he doled out a year ago for veteran forwards Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello.
The run-it-back approach will require better health and better defense to succeed, but there's enough experience and talent to at least help the Wild be in the mix for a return to the playoffs. In the NHL, teams often just need to get in and get hot. But the Wild have not won a series since 2015, a feat only two of their current players — defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin — had a hand in.
How to watch the Kraken on KING 5
Beginning this season, KING 5 and KONG are the official local television partners of the Kraken, bringing the hockey team to free over-the-air live television. The stations will air 72 of the team's 82 regular season games, starting with Saturday's matchup against the Minnesota Wild. See the full schedule here. National broadcast partners will show the remaining 10 games.
RELATED: How to watch KONG TV
Go behind the scenes with the Kraken
In addition to games, KING 5 and KONG will air a weekly magazine show during the season called Kraken Home Ice with team-focused feature stories, player and coach interviews, and much more. New episodes will air Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. on KONG and KING 5+. Encore presentations will air on Sundays at 11:35 p.m. on KING 5 and KING 5+.