Hingham, Mass. native Matty Beniers having All-Star season for Kraken originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Seattle Kraken have one of the NHL’s best records and will bring a six-game win streak into TD Garden when they play the first-place Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
One player who has been largely responsible for the Kraken’s recent dominance and strong play throughout the 2022-23 season is rookie center Matty Beniers — the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
The Hingham, Mass., native is the favorite for the Calder Trophy — awarded annually to the league’s best rookie. He leads all rookies with 16 goals and 34 points. His 18 assists are tied for the second-most. The 20-year-old forward was selected to the 2023 NHL All-Star Game last week.
Beniers has scored in five consecutive games, all on the road. In fact, the Kraken own the league’s third-best road record at 14-4-4. The Bruins still haven’t lost in regulation at home this season (19-0-3), but that could change if they start slow Thursday night.
The Kraken went into Toronto last week and demolished a very good Maple Leafs team 5-1. Beniers scored a fantastic goal to give Seattle a 4-1 advantage in the second period.
Beniers has plenty of flash and high-end skill in his game, but he’s also not afraid to mix it up in the dirty areas of the ice, including the front of the net. He outworked the Sabres early in the third period of Tuesday’s matchup in Buffalo for a hard-fought goal that put the Kraken up 3-2. He later picked up the primary assist on Justin Schultz’s goal, which ended up being the game-winner.
Beniers also has improved on faceoffs. He took an important draw with 14 seconds left against the Sabres and won it cleanly, allowing the Kraken to secure a 4-3 victory. That’s not an easy spot for a rookie center.
Another positive for Beniers has been his penalty differential. After making his NHL debut late last season, he has drawn 16 penalties and taken only one in his first 50 career games. He’s physical but does it without putting his team in shorthanded situations.
The Kraken had a disappointing debut season as an NHL franchise in 2021-22.
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The goaltending wasn’t very good, a lack of a No. 1 center was a huge weakness and the overall scoring depth was a problem. Through 40 games this season, the Kraken already have 10 players with 20-plus points. Seattle is scoring 3.68 goals per game, which is the third-most of any team. This group scored just 2.60 goals per game last season, which ranked 29th out of 32 teams. The goaltending remains a concern, though. The Kraken’s .889 save percentage ranks 28th overall. However, during this five-game road trip the Kraken have a .934 save percentage.
Seattle enters Thursday’s matchup in Boston with a 24-12-4 record and 52 points — four behind the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights but two games in hand.
There are plenty of quality players in the NHL who are from Massachusetts. Golden Knights center Jack Eichel is the best of the group, and Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes is an All-Star this season. Don’t sleep on Beniers. He’s a fantastic center who’s playing a leading role on a team that could be a tough out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
