Kraken hope to crash banner-raising party in Vegas vs. Golden Knights

SEATTLE – Nice championship celebration you’ve got there, Vegas. Be a shame if someone …

“That’s our plan – to try and spoil it,” Kraken alternate captain Jordan Eberle said.

Seattle is dropping in on a night of jubilation, glitter, costumes and “Vegas Lights” when the hosts raise a banner commemorating their 2023 Stanley Cup title before Tuesday’s season opener (7:30 p.m., ESPN). Aside from original Golden Knight Reilly Smith, who was traded during the offseason, it’s largely the same lineup that was on the ice June 13 during a deciding Game 5 against the Florida Panthers.

In order to meet the Panthers in the Cup final, the Golden Knights got through the Dallas Stars, who eliminated the Kraken in seven games. Seattle fell two goals short of advancing to play Vegas in the Western Conference finals.

“We wanted to play them last year,” Eberle said Monday. “I talked to a lot of the guys and used the motivation of how it felt to lose Game 7. And then you watch them raise the Cup, the excitement – that’s the dream. That’s where we want to get to and that’s where we need to get to. It starts tomorrow.”

Seattle’s Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn once had their party crashed. On their banner-raising night in 2019, the St. Louis Blues jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first eight minutes. But the Washington Capitals finished the comeback in overtime, winning 3-2 in front of a disappointed sellout crowd at Enterprise Center.

It would be fun to be on the other side of it, Schwartz said. After a solid training camp, that’s the way the Kraken want to kick off the season.

“The last week, you’re kind of like, ‘Let’s get going here,’ ” Schwartz said. “I thought it was good execution. Everyone played two to three (preseason) games, so we should be feeling pretty good.”

Everyone who could, that is. Along with the other 21 players on the Kraken’s opening-night roster, top offensive defenseman Dunn got through another full practice Monday at Kraken Community Iceplex after missing a week of training camp and all but one preseason game due to an undisclosed issue. Coach Dave Hakstol expected Dunn back early this week, though he wouldn’t commit to Tuesday.

“He hasn’t played a game in a while,” Hakstol said. “We’ll take every precaution, make sure we’re in a good spot.”

“Itching to get going” is Eberle, who said the past several weeks have been spent on finding his game, on the timing and getting used to contact again. That said, there’s always “5-10%” of regular-season intensity missing in training camp.

“You look forward to getting into that first shift in that first game, especially against Vegas,” he said.

Some speculated Vegas’ wildly successful launch was winding down after they finished four points out of a playoff spot in 2021-22, the expansion franchise’s fifth season of play. But sometimes a gut punch is needed, and your most loaded team isn’t the one that gets you all the way. As Eberle put it, you have to lose before you can win.

Similarly, the Kraken hope to harness their disappointment.

“It was kind of funny, going around this summer, people congratulating us on (last) season – we were pissed off,” Eberle said. “Any time you get past the first round, you see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s almost achievable. It becomes real. When it doesn’t happen, it’s tough settling in your stomach.”

That fire will help during a treacherous start. Seven of the Kraken’s 10 games in October are on the road, and seven of 10 are against 2023 playoff teams.

“It can get away from you if you’re not on it,” Eberle said. “We have to be on our game early. I know we will be.”

One of many things Vegas does well is spectacle. As soon as it’s done Tuesday, the hunt begins again.

“They had a great year. They capped it off with a championship,” Hakstol said. “I have nothing but respect for the depth and quality of their team.

“It’s the first game of 82. … There’s no freebies. You can’t waste any points. You’ve got to take care of your business.”