Seattle Kraken Season Chatter 22/23 (Season # 2)

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 45

 

Hyman gets 3 points in Oilers win against Kraken

Kane returns for Edmonton, which has won 4 straight

 

Seattle 2 Edm 5

 

 

by Derek Van Diest / NHL.com Independent Correspondent

 1:11 AM

•  

 

 

EDMONTON -- Zach Hyman had a goal and two assists for the Edmonton Oilers, who extended their winning streak to four games with a 5-2 victory against the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Place on Tuesday.

Leon Draisaitl and Dylan Holloway each had two assists, and Jack Campbell made 29 saves for the Oilers (25-18-3).

 

"They got the first one there and our response was really good," Hyman said. "You talk about a team coming off a back to back and how you want to make it a little it harder for them (Seattle lost 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday), and I thought we managed the puck well and had a strong third period, a mature third period."

 

Daniel Sprong and Vince Dunn scored, and Martin Jones made 29 saves for the Kraken (26-14-4), who have lost two straight after an eight-game winning streak.

 

"We let them play with speed, we gave them some free breakouts, and they'll make you pay," Sprong said. "We made some mistakes and turnovers, and they ended up in the back of the net."

 

 

Sprong scored on a power play at 3:11 of the first period to give the Kraken a 1-0 lead. His backdoor pass intended for Jordan Eberle deflected in off the stick of Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.

 

Connor McDavid tied it 1-1 at 14:08. He skated through the neutral zone, gained the blue line after defenseman Justin Schultz fell down following a slight collision with Hyman, and scored from the left circle through a poke check by Jamie Oleksiak.

 

McDavid, who leads the NHL with 38 goals this season, has 12 points (six goals, six assists) during an eight-game point streak.

 

Derek Ryan put the Oilers in front 2-1 at 3:15 of the second period. He knocked in the puck on the edge of the goal line after Vincent Desharnais' shot trickled through the pads of Jones.

 

"That's a good team that we went out and played well against, start to finish," Nurse said. "We got ourselves a lead and worked hard. [Campbell] played huge and made some big saves at big times, and throughout our lineup guys contributed tonight."

 

Warren Foegele made it 3-1 at 12:30 when he was able to lift in a rebound with his backhand while sitting on the ice during a scramble in front.

 

"We gave up two right inside the blue paint in the second period, and that's the difference in the hockey game in a lot of respects," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "There are two things that stand out: too many rush opportunities that came off our play, especially our play on the wall in the second period, and the two from the blue paint. In games like this, you have to have everybody going, and we had several guys below the bar tonight."

 

Dunn scored 22 seconds into the third period with a wrist shot that went in off the glove of Campbell to cut it to 3-2.

 

Hyman was then credited with the goal that made it 4-2 at 1:23. He was trying to corral a loose puck in the slot when Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen poked it into his own net.

 

"When you score goals, you know you're going to get a push from the other team, so you need to be prepared for that," Dunn said. "We need to execute, we need to be disciplined in our structure, and we need to make those plays. It's a big couple of shifts after you score, and those need to be better."

 

Ryan McLeod tucked in a rebound at the right post at 9:18 for the 5-2 final.

 

"We haven't lost when we've scored five or more goals (15-0-0)," Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. "To do that at even strength, I think that's a positive. We're putting a lot of emphasis on defending the right way, and I think we did a lot of good things towards that direction tonight, and we were able to take two points off a divisional opponent that is front of us right now."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 46

 

Seattle 4 Devils 3 OT

 

Burakovsky scores in OT to give Kraken 4-3 win over Devils

 

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ByAP

Updated: 2 hours ago

 

SEATTLE -- — It took all of 45 games for the Seattle Kraken to match the win total from the franchise's disappointing inaugural season.

 

It also landed Seattle a spot few expected the Kraken to see this season: first place.

 

Ryan Donato had two goals and an assist, and Andre Burakovsky scored 1:10 into overtime to give the Kraken a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

 

Seattle snapped a two-game losing streak and picked up its 27th victory, matching its total from last season when the Kraken finished 27-49-6. The win combined with Vegas' loss to Detroit moved Seattle into a first-place tie with the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division, although the Kraken have a better points percentage.

 

“It tells me the work that the group in here has done. I mean, that’s that’s the bottom line, right?” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “That’s what we’re here for. You’re here to compete for a playoff spot and positioning, and No. 1 on the list — continue competing every night for important points that go into the bank toward a playoff berth.”

 

Donato powered Seattle to an early 2-0 lead, but New Jersey rallied. Erik Haula’s short-handed breakaway goal at 6:04 of the third period tied it at 2.

 

Brandon Tanev put the Kraken in front again at 7:51, but New Jersey forced overtime with another late goal. Nico Hischier jabbed the rebound off Jack Hughes’ shot past Seattle goalie Martin Jones with 1:14 left, capping an extended flurry of activity around the net after the Devils pulled goalie Mackenzie Blackwell.

 

It was the second straight game that New Jersey forced overtime with a late goal after pulling the goalie. Hughes scored with 8.6 seconds left in regulation against San Jose on Monday. The Devils eventually won in a shootout.

 

Burakovsky’s 13th goal of the season slipped under Blackwell’s pad.

 

“I think I was just lucky. I don’t know who it was, (Jesper) Bratt maybe, it hit his stick and went five-hole,” Burakovsky said. "I mean, that’s not really what I was trying to do but it worked out.”

 

New Jersey had won five straight games overall and seven in a row on the road. It missed out on a chance to sweep a five-game trip, its longest of the season.

 

Despite picking up nine of a possible 10 points on the trip. coach Lindy Ruff was disappointed with the performance.

 

“It turns out to be a good trip. I mean, you’re happy anytime you can get that amount of points," he said. "We’re not happy with the way we’re playing. Didn't like how we played tonight. Lost too many battles. Gave up too many situations that are preventable."

 

Damon Severson scored midway through the second period to pull New Jersey within 2-1.

 

Jones made 27 saves and won for the eighth time in his past nine starts. Blackwood made 36 saves, keeping the Devils in the game by withstanding an early onslaught of shots by the Kraken.

 

Donato scored nearly identical goals, snapping an eight-game stretch when he failed to find the back of the net. Donato scored in five of six games in December and then went cold with just four points during the eight-game goal drought.

 

He got his first goal at 12:27 of the first when he snapped a wrist shot from the right circle over Blackwell’s glove and under the crossbar.

 

The second goal came from nearly the same spot on the ice and gave Seattle a 2-0 lead at 4:52 of the second.

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 47

 

Seattle 1 AVS 2

 

MacKinnon lifts Avalanche past Kraken 2-1 in SO

 

 

0:59

 

Avalanche take down Kraken in a shootout

Nathan MacKinnon scores the only goal in the shootout, giving the Avalanche the win over the Kraken.

---

ByAP

3 hours ago

 

SEATTLE -- — Nathan MacKinnon scored the only goal of the shootout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Seattle Kraken 2-1 Saturday night for their season-high fifth straight win.

 

Alex Newhook scored in regulation for the Avalanche, and Pavel Francouz stopped 26 shots.

 

“You know, we’ve been playing pretty well here lately. I liked the way our team played again tonight,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “It was an evenly matched game obviously. Fitting that it goes to a shootout.”

 

Ryan Donato scored for the Kraken, and Philipp Grubauer also had 26 saves.

 

Donato, Jordan Eberle and Daniel Sprong all failed to score in the tiebreaker for Seattle, which fell to 0-2 in shootouts. Evan Rodrigues missed with Colorado’s first chance, but MacKinnon put his shot past Grubauer on the Avalanche's second attempt.

 

Colorado now has a league-best nine wins in games that go beyond regulation this season, including four shootout victories.

 

“There was hard checking both ways, both teams were defending well, not a lot of chances out there,” Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen said. “We came through even though it was the second game of a back to back, so this was a really big one.”

 

The single point for the shootout loss combined with Vegas’ win against Washington dropped the Kraken to second place in the Pacific Division. Seattle had entered the game in a first-place tie with the Golden Knights.

 

“Both teams were scratching and clawing and battling,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “Obviously it’s disappointing when you don’t win in the shootout and get the extra point, but in terms of our effort, our work level was good throughout the hockey game.”

 

After a scoreless first period, the Avalanche got on the board first at 8:18 of the second as Newhook fired a rebound past Grubauer for his 10th goal.

 

The Kraken answered to tie it 1:08 later. Donato intercepted the puck as Colorado tried to clear it out of the zone, and quickly fired a shot in from the top of the right circle for his third goal in two games and 11th of the season.

 

The Avalanche were inches from taking the lead with about seven minutes left in the second period as a shot by Ben Meyers dribbled past Grubauer and through the crease. Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson was able to poke it away just before the puck crossed the line to keep the score tied.

 

“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Larsson said. “We were playing last year’s champs, so I think everyone was excited for this one. Obviously we’re not happy with the end result, but there were good efforts out there.”

 

LINEUPS

 

The Kraken were without Andre Burakovsky, who leads the team in points and scored an overtime winner against New Jersey in Seattle’s previous game. Burakovsky skated in warmups but was a late scratch. ... Colorado D Cale Makar was out for the third straight game despite skating in pregame warmups.

 

MOVING UP

 

Bednar got his 265th victory, tying the franchise record for wins. Bednar matched the win total of Michel Bergeron, who coached the Quebec Nordiques for eight years in the 1980s, before the franchise moved to Colorado.

 

“I wasn’t aware of that until this morning,” Bednar said. “It’s a privilege to coach and work in the NHL, and it’s certainly a privilege to be able to work for an organization like the Avalanche that gave me my first crack at a head coaching position in the league, and I don’t take it for granted. I appreciate every day.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 48

 

Seattle 6 Nucks 1

 

Kraken get 1st-ever win vs. Canucks, surpass last year's win total

 

Oliver Bjorkstrand's two goals did more than just pace the Seattle Kraken in a commanding 6-1 victory Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks at Climate Pledge Arena.

 

The Kraken's first-ever win against the Canucks also came with the significance they surpassed their entire win total from last season. A year ago, the Kraken's troublesome maiden voyage led to them finishing 27-49-6 with questions about how long it would take for them to get better.

But now? They are 28-14-5, are in the discussion for the Pacific Division crown, could possibly contend for the best record in the Western Conference and per Moneypuck, they have a 95.4% chance of reaching the playoffs.

 

"It's a different team that's definitely figured some things out this season," Bjorkstrand said. "We're on to some good stuff. Consistency is a huge thing and I think throughout the season for the most part, I think we've been pretty consistent."

 

Although, not everything went as planned. Star rookie center Matty Beniers hit his head on the ice after he was hit from the side by Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers. Beniers played 9:52 in ice time and did not play in the third period.

 

Kraken coach Dave Hakstol was asked about Beniers' status and responded by only saying he was not available for the third period.

 

Naturally, the Kraken's turnaround from cellar-dwellers to a potential playoff team has created questions around how they have found success.

Turns out? There are quite a few reasons.

 

Some of it comes from what Kraken general manager Ron Francis and the front office did in the offseason. They switched goaltending coaches and hired Steve Briere from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kraken also hired former Winnipeg Jets interim coach Dave Lowry, who was also an assistant with three NHL teams, to Hakstol's staff.

 

They signed forward Andre Burakovsky, goaltender Martin Jones and defenseman Justin Schultz in free agency. They also traded some of the assets they acquired at last year's trade deadline to get Bjorkstrand.

 

Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand strengthened their top-six winger group. Jones gave them a goaltender who was initially set to fill in for an injured Chris Driedger, who had offseason surgery for a torn ACL. Jones then took on a greater workload when Philipp Grubauer suffered an in-season injury. Schultz gave them a top-four right-handed puck-moving option to have another experienced figure on the blueline.

 

Beniers, the No. 2 pick from the 2021 NHL draft, continued tapping into his promise, building on his nine points in 10 games last season to representing the Kraken this year at the NHL All-Star Game next week. Defensemen Will Borgen and Vince Dunn, along with forwards such as Morgan Geekie and Daniel Sprong, are all examples of players who were around last season that have earned greater roles within the team.

 

And even the in-season moves have been fruitful, such as picking up forward Eeli Tolvanen on waivers and seeing him notch eight points in 13 games. Tolvanen, who scored against the Canucks, was one of 10 Kraken players who recorded a point on Wednesday.

 

Now combine those details with a veteran core featuring Yanni Gourde, Jordan Eberle, Adam Larsson, Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz, among others.

 

It results in a team that came into Wednesday with 17 players who have more than 10 points, 13 players who have more than 20 points, an attack-minded approach that is fourth in goals per game coupled with a defensive structure that's allowed the fourth-fewest shots per game.

 

"I think the lineup that we put out every night is a little bit different than last year," said Dunn, whose two points against the Canucks gives him a career-high 36 on the season. "It's given me a lot of opportunity to create chances for myself. ... I think [it's] just the whole team doing well. You put the team first, and individual success comes from that."

 

Furthermore, Beniers continues to be among the favorites to win the Calder Trophy for the NHL's Rookie of the Year by leading his peers in goals and points. Meanwhile, Hakstol's efforts have allowed him to build a case to be considered for the Jack Adams Award which goes to the NHL's Coach of the Year.

 

There is also more to the Kraken than strong statistics, potential individual accolades, being the first team in NHL history to win a seven-game road trip and surpass last season's win total with 35 games left in the regular season.

 

Their latest win also means they are sitting atop the Pacific. Seattle is level with the Vegas Golden Knights on points. But the Kraken have a higher points percentage [.649] than the Golden Knights [.622] while also having two games in hand.

 

"Last year was not fun, right? But you gotta go through those hard times in order to work and build and there's a lot of guys in this room that went through that and stayed with it and are finding a little bit of success right now," Hakstol said. "For us, it's about the two points tonight. Now, we get a day of rest and we got two left [before the All-Star Break]. Hey, it's a hell of a lot of fun winning along the way. That's where the fun comes in. But tonight was a hard-working group."

[Buffalo Rick]

Why don't you put the Kracken in the Seattle forum?  Anyway, while I am here, I bet the Flames in parlays tonight -1 1/2 at home vs the crappers known as the Blackhawks.  They suck.  Also have Colorado, Minnesota, Boston and my Sabres to keep winning in Winnipeg.  I have the Kracken from last night on tickets as I wheeled them.  They had no trouble disposing of Vancouver and their new coach.  I am now going to go give it to Hockey Guy.  

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 49

 

Seattle 2 Flames 5

 

Flames rebound with impressive 5-2 win over Kraken

 

 

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 3 hours ago

 

SEATTLE -- — Tyler Toffoli and the Calgary Flames rebounded from one of their ugliest losses of the season and picked up an important two points in the Pacific Division before starting the All-Star break.

 

Toffoli, Elias Lindholm and Blake Coleman each had a goal and two assists, and the Flames topped the Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Friday night.

 

Calgary bounced back impressively after getting surprisingly routed at home a day earlier in a 5-1 setback to lowly Chicago. The Flames topped the Kraken for the second straight time in Seattle, took two of three in the season series and headed into their break on a high note.

 

“We talked about it the past two games," Toffoli said. “Obviously we let the Chicago game slip, but overall tonight was obviously a really important match and we did a really good job."

 

Lindholm deflected a pass from Toffoli at 7:16 of the first period for his 15th goal to pull Calgary even after Seattle took an early lead.

 

Toffoli’s 18th goal at 13:28 gave Calgary a 2-1 lead, and Nikita Zadorov scored with 4.5 seconds left in the first period to give the Flames a 3-1 advantage.

 

Noah Hanifin scored his fourth of the season with 8:20 remaining in the third period after Seattle had pulled within 3-2, and Coleman added an empty-net goal with 1:20 left.

 

Dan Vladar made 29 saves and won his fifth straight start. Calgary is 10-0-3 in Vladar's last 13 appearances, tying a club record for longest point streak by a goaltender, joining Mike Vernon (1988-89) and Brian Elliott (2016-17).

 

Recent AHL callup John Hayden gave Seattle a 1-0 lead by redirecting Will Borgen’s shot from the point early in the first period. But the Kraken seemed a step slow all night and failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities with an extra attacker. Seattle was a season-worst 0 for 6 on the power play.

 

“I kind of feel comfortable in those situations because I know I'm going to get some action. I didn't get much the first 40 minutes so I was kind of looking forward to it,” Vladar said of Seattle's power plays.

 

Seattle appeared to pull within 3-2 with 11:01 left on Alex Wennberg’s power-play goal, but Calgary challenged for goaltender interference and the goal was overturned. The Kraken did eventually get that goal when Eeli Tolvanen scored on a rebound with 9:24 remaining, but Hanifin answered 64 seconds later.

 

Martin Jones made 33 saves, but the Kraken lost for the second time in three games and missed an opportunity to move into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division.

 

Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said “we weren't very good.”

 

“Our group wasn't good, especially the middle portion of the game we had no energy," Hakstol said. “And that's top to bottom. That's all of us."

 

Seattle is also seeing injuries start to impact its lineup. Hayden was in the lineup because rookie All-Star center Matty Beniers was out after taking a big hit from Vancouver’s Tyler Myers in Wednesday’s win over the Canucks. Beniers’ injury wasn’t specified but he was already ruled out for Saturday’s game against Columbus and his status for next weekend’s All-Star game is uncertain.

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 50

 

Seattle 3 CBJ 1

 

Wennberg scores against former team, Kraken top Blue Jackets

By SHANE LANTZ

Associated Press

 

SEATTLE (AP) Alex Wennberg scored midway through the second period against his former team to help the Seattle Kraken beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night.

Wennberg, who was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the first round in 2013, had his 10th goal of the season in his 600th career game.

Morgan Geekie and Eeli Tolvanen also scored for Seattle, former Blue Jacket Oliver Bjorkstrand had an assist, and Phillip Grubaruer made 24 saves.

Kent Johnson scored for Columbus, and Elvis Merzlikins stopped 28 shots.

After Wennberg's gave the Kraken a 2-0 lead, Johnson put Columbus on the board late in the seecond. Tolvanen scored at 5:39 mark of the third.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 51

 

 

 

Bo Horvat scores as New York Islanders beat Seattle Kraken

 

Seattle 0 NYI 4

By SCOTT CHARLES

Associated Press

 

NEW YORK (AP) Bo Horvat scored in his home debut with New York Islanders, leading his new team to a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.

Ilya Sorokin made 31 saves in his fifth shutout this season and No. 15 for his career. Samuel Bolduc, Simon Holmstrom and Zach Parise also scored in New York's fourth straight win, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau added two assists.

"There is a lot of belief in this group, a lot of energy and you are seeing now a little bit of momentum," Islanders captain Anders Lee said. "It's a tough game (for Seattle) coming out of the break, so we were able to take advantage of that."

The Islanders acquired Horvat in a blockbuster trade with Vancouver on Jan. 30. The All-Star center then agreed to a $68 million, eight-year contract on Sunday.

The 27-year-old Horvat skated in his first game with New York on Monday night, helping the Islanders to a 2-1 victory at Philadelphia.

He got his first goal with his new team 5:08 into the second period. Mathew Barzal stole the puck from Yanni Gourde in the offensive zone and set up Horvat for a one-timer.

Horvat's career-best 32nd goal of the season gave New York a 4-0 lead.

"I'm not going to lie, it definitely felt good," Horvat said. "I got to take a little bit of a deep breath. It felt even better to score it at home, then on top of that get the win, made it that much sweeter."

Martin Jones had 23 saves for the Pacific Division-leading Kraken, but Seattle dropped the opener of a five-game trip to begin the second half of the season.

"Too many mistakes that ended up in direct opportunities against," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "We could not find a way to give ourselves energy. One goal might have been able to change a little bit of momentum."

Kraken forward Andre Burakovsky left after his first shift with a lower-body injury.

Bolduc opened the scoring at 7:59 of the first period when his shot from the point found the back of the net. Lee and Kyle Palmieri screened Jones on Bolduc's first career goal.

"It's pretty nice, especially at home when you get the fans behind you," Bolduc said. "It's an amazing feeling."

Holmstrom made it 2-0 with a nifty forehand-backhand combination at 18:29. Pageau found the Swedish winger all alone in the slot from behind the net.

Parise masterfully redirected Pageau's shot past Jones to give New York a three-goal advantage 3:38 into the second.

New York improved to 22-5-2 when scoring at least three times, including shootout winners.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 52

 

Seattle 1 Devils 3

 

Hamilton scores 2 on power play, Devils win without Hughes

By TOM CANAVAN

AP Sports Writer

 

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Not only didn't the New Jersey Devils have leading scorer Jack Hughes for the first time this season, coach Lindy Ruff also gave red-hot goaltender Vitek Vanecek the night off.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 34 saves filling in for Vanecek and the Devils' power play picked up the slack with Hughes out as New Jersey rolled to hits 10th win in 12 games (10-1-1) on Thursday night.

Dougie Hamilton scored two power-play goals, fellow defenseman John Marino added an empty-net tally and Ondrej Palat had two assists as the Devils posted a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken.

"The desperation in the game was great," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "You look at some of the opportunities ahead and the way the guys laid out the body, if you're going to win games you've got to have some desperation and I thought that desperation was great."

Blackwood was the outstanding in making only his fifth start since Dec. 23.

"I liked where my game was at and I liked the way it was building," Blackwood said after improving to 7-4-2 this season. "I guess this is just a reward for sticking with it."

The difference overall was the power play. New Jersey was 2 of 4 with the extra man and Seattle was 0 for 3, including a two-man advantage for more than a minute early in the second period.

"The ultimate difference at the end of the day is they were able to run their power play," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said, adding he was pleased with the number of chances his team had.

The power-play goals were the first given up by Seattle in nine games. It had gone a franchise-record eight straight games, killing off 18 straight power plays.

Defenseman Adam Larsson scored for Seattle and goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 24 saves in losing to New Jersey for the first time in six career decisions.

Hamilton's game winner came with 10 minutes to play. His shot from near the blue line was deflected by Brandon Tanev, and Grubauer never had a chance.

Hughes, who leads the Devils with 35 goals and 32 assists, is being listed as week to week with an upper-body injury. He played Monday in a win over Vancouver.

"He's pretty much carrying us, so huge loss for us," Hamilton said. "I think you could tell with our team it was a little different, but we need guys to step up and we had that tonight. we know it's going to be a hard stretch ahead and we're going to have to keep playing well."

There were two goals in the first two periods, and they came 24 seconds apart.

Larsson, a first-round pick of the Devils in 2011, opened the scoring for Seattle at 14:05 of the second period with a shot from the right point that hit the stick of New Jersey forward Miles Wood.

"We're not happy with the game in Long Island," Larsson said of a 3-0 loss to the Islanders on Tuesday. "I thought today we responded good. We were good enough to win today. Sometimes you fall short."

Hamilton tied the game at 14:29 with a straight-on shot from just above the top of the circles for his 14th goal. It came seven seconds after Kraken defenseman Will Borgen was penalized.

The Kraken also played without their top scorer. Andre Burakovsky is week to week with a lower-body injury sustained earlier this week.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 53

 

Seattle 3 NYR 6

 

Final Buzzer: Savage Garden

Kraken battle back from 4-0 hole, but can't complete the comeback, fall 6-3 to Rangers

by Alison Lukan / @AlisonL / nhl.com/kraken

 February 10, 2023

 

NEW YORK, NY - Buoyed by a big trade for Vladimir Tarasenko the Rangers were raring to go when they hit the ice to play the Seattle Kraken. The visitors had to endure some big punches early - including an opening score by Tarasenko himself - and New York build up a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.

 

The Kraken would battle back in more ways than one. They tightened up defensively, and even as New York put up two more goals, Seattle found their scoring touch. Seattle answered back with three goals of their own, including one on the power play - their first in five games.

 

But ultimately, the Rangers early lead proved insurmountable, and the Kraken fell by a score of 6-3.

 

"We got off to a little different start tonight," Dave Hakstol said. "We did not get them stopped. This team you have to get stopped in the offensive zone or on their side of the red line and we didn't do that in the first period. That cost us… getting ourselves into a hole which we spent the second and third trying to dig out of. The effort and the will during the second and third periods were very good but we dug ourselves too big of a hole in the first period."

What stood out? Let's dig in.

 

In Transition

The Rangers scored three times in the first period. Each goal was finished off in a different way, but more than a few opportunities came of miscues in transition.

 

With just under three minutes gone in the game, Ryan Donato sent a pass across the neutral zone, but before it could connect with its intended target in Alexander Wennberg, Artemi Panarin seized possession. way. The winger streaked into the offensive zone and set up friend and newest teammate, Vladimir Tarasenko in the slot who fired a puck past Martin Jones. 

 

Just over two minutes later, a Kraken clear out of the defensive zone was gathered by one of the three Rangers clogging the neutral zone. They pushed play back toward the New York offense and Alexis Lafreniere passed the puck from behind the net to Filip Chytil. Chytil fanned a bit on a shot, but the bobbing puck got to the left side of the net and with Jones coming out to challenge the original scoring chance, Kaapo Kakko was able to tap the puck in for the second of the game. Another goal for the "kid line" and the seventh point in seven games for Lafreniere (3-4-7).

 

The third goal came off an individual effort by Vincent Trocheck who worked his way across the crease and through a Jared McCann check to beat Jones from the right, but that possession started off a lost battle in the neutral zone.

 

"We were slow," Jordan Eberle said. "We gave them everything they had as far as turnovers and they're a fast team. They're going to counter. I like the way we battled back into the game. We gave ourselves a shot. But ultimately, it's tough to come back from three."

 

Keep Fighting

As the Kraken steadied their play in the second period, things started to get going.

 

After a power play goal by Jacob Trouba, the Kraken got on the scoreboard.

 

As both sides went for a line change, Eeli Tolvanen got the puck on his stick in his own zone and spotted linemate Bjorkstrand streaking behind the Rangers' counter in the neutral zone. The waiver wire revelation sent a stretch pass that connected perfectly with the Dane's stick. From there it was all Bjorkstrand's finish for his tenth of the season.

 

00:42 • February 10th, 2023

That made the score 4-1 and pushed the number of ten goal scorers on the Seattle roster to nine, tying them for the lead with Boston and Las Vegas. 

The Kraken wouldn't get on the board again until the final frame of regulation. But it would come in bang-bang form.

Thanks to the second Niko Mikkola penalty of the game, the Kraken power play created solid movement that got the puck to Jared McCann who didn't miss from high in the zone for his 24^th of the season.

 

M

22 seconds later, Vince Dunn sent the puck north to Ryan Donato in the neutral zone. He found a streaking Brandon Tanev who drove net front and moved the puck from the front blade of his stick to the back to beat Igor Shesterkin.

 

• 00:38 • February 10th, 2023

Tanev wasn't done. He'd create excitement with a short-handed breakaway with 3:48 to play. That drew a tripping call on Adam Fox negating the Rangers' power play and gave Seattle one more chance to draw even closer on the scoreboard but it wasn't enough and the Rangers added on an empty net goal to seal the game, 6-3.

 

In the Crease

When these two teams met in November, part of the Kraken's success was the ability to challenge the Rangers in close with sustained offensive pressure. A key against a New York team that has allowed the sixth most goals in the league from within 15 feet of the net.

 

But in this game, the net front area was more foe than friend to the Kraken. 

 

Kakko and Trocheck's goals both came from Rangers players being able to dictate their position in front of Jones. And Mika Zibanejad's power play score came when he set up to the right of Jones to receive a cross-slot pass from Chris Kreider.

 

In the first period, Seattle generated only two slot shots on net while New York had nine. By the time period three was over, those totals had increased by just one for each side but that mean the home team still had a strong advantage. With a third-period push, the Kraken were able to almost completely even the tally, (including the shot that became Tanev's goal), but the visitors weren't able to overcome the impacts of the early deficit. 

 

"We had some chances trying to get around (Shesterkin)," Eberle said. "It's tough to find things, especially with him. He's one of the best goalies in the league. It's hard to beat them straight up. I think we had a good screen on Canner's goal, and then obviously the breakaway, and then Tanev's (goal). But you know, we've got to try and find more in and around and whether that's just getting bodies or even just getting pucks to the net. . .we had a lot blocked too. So again, give credit to their team. At the same time, we've got to try to find ways to get it (net front)."

[J0e Th0rnton]

Martin Jones has let in 4 or 5 goals every game for the last bunch he has played. Grubauer has let in like 2 max and has a 96% sv lol

 

May be time to let the 6 million dollar goalie play again

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 54

 

Seattle 4 Flyers 3

 

Schwartz scores twice in Kraken's 4-3 win over Flyers

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 1 hour ago

 

PHILADELPHIA -- — Jaden Schwartz scored twice, Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist and the Seattle Kraken sapped some of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl Sunday excitement with a 4-3 victory over the Flyers.

 

Eeli Tolvanen also scored and Philipp Grubauer made 18 saves for the Kraken, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Seattle entered in fourth place in the Pacific Division and two points out of third.

 

Eberle said Seattle sorely needed the win.

 

“Anytime you’ve lost three in a row, especially coming out of the break, you start doubting yourself a bit,” he said. “Ultimately, you come back and you just get a win and you start moving forward.”

 

James van Riemsdyk, Owen Tippett and Patrick Brown scored for the Flyers. Philadelphia completed a homestand with its third loss in four games.

 

“I just don’t think we were on,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said.

 

Serving as the appetizer for Sunday night’s Super Bowl featuring the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Kansas City Chiefs, the pregame had a party atmosphere. Flyers players entered the arena wearing Eagles jerseys, matching many fans’ choice of Eagles apparel. Defensemen Travis Sanheim and Tony DeAngelo sported Eagles winter caps during warmups, and Eagles legend Vince Papale pounded the drum before the opening faceoff.

 

The video board was lit up in green and “Go Birds” scrolled across the screen. Longtime national anthem singer Lauren Hart donned a Jalen Hurts jersey and PA announcer Lou Nolan wore an Eagles baseball hat.

 

There were eight “E-A-G-L-E-S!” chants in the first period, and the hometown fans were enthused when Tippett snapped an 0-for-13 team skid on the power play with a close-range goal 2:11 into the contest to put the Flyers ahead 1-0.

 

But Philadelphia didn't take a shot in the final 16:35 of the first period, and the Kraken made them pay with goals by Eberle and Tolvanen.

 

The teams traded tallies in the second period before Schwartz gave Seattle a 4-2 lead with his second of the contest just a minute into the third. The Kraken second-line forward was all alone in the right circle and fired a wrist shot over goalie Felix Sandstrom’s right shoulder.

 

Sandstrom, Philadelphia’s backup to Carter Hart, made 15 saves while falling to 1-8-1.

 

It appeared Schwartz’s second goal would be plenty of breathing room for Seattle, especially after Travis Konecny was sent to the box for a delay-of-game penalty late in the third. But Brown converted a short-handed tally with an unlikely goal on a slap shot from the side boards.

 

The Kraken withstood the Flyers’ furious 6-on-5 rally effort in the final 1:35.

 

“Other than the third period, we did a pretty good job,” Schwartz said. “Once we got up by two, we were on our heels a little bit. But big to get back in the win column.”

 

Schwartz broke a 2-all tie with 1:01 left in the second with his first tally when his wrist shot from the slot through a screen beat Sandstrom on the blocker side.

 

Van Riemsdyk tied it at 2-all 3:33 into the second, deflecting Tippett’s initial shot, which hung in mid-air. As if he was a batter across the street at Citizens Bank Park, van Riemsdyk used a backhand swing to swat the waist-high puck past Grubauer.

 

“Certain plays they capitalized on and obviously some miscues by us,” van Riemsdyk said. “They were on us quick and made it tough on us.”

 

FINAL TALLY

 

Philadelphia fans finished with 24 Eagles chants.

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 55

 

 

Seattle 2 WPG 3

 

Scheifele, Dubois score in shootout, Jets beat Kraken 3-2

 

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored in the shootout to give the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.

The Jets were the only NHL team that hadn't played in the shot contest. They're now 8-1 past regulation.

"I had a penalty shot at one point (this season) so I wasn't as rusty," Dubois said. "I don't remember the last time I was in a shootout. But a win's a win. We're all happy in here and getting ready for a big road trip."

Blake Wheeler and Dubois scored for the Jets, who have won three in a row. David Rittich made 27 saves.

Scheifele and Wheeler rushed the net during overtime, but Wheeler's shot missed.

John Hayden and Jared McCann scored for the Kraken, who ended a five-game road trip going 1-3-1. Philipp Grubauer stopped 38 shots.

"Tonight is a hard-fought road game for us," Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. "That's a good team, a lot of respect for the ability and the way they play.

"Disappointed not to get two (points), but that's a real important road point for us."

Dubois had tied the game 2-2 at 9:39 of the third period when his shot went off Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn at the front of the net.

There was no scoring in the first period, but the Kraken had the best opportunity with their second power play of the period. They went on a four-minute man advantage after Jets forward Morgan Barron received a double minor for high sticking.

Seattle only managed three shots on goal during the lengthy power play, which actually starred Winnipeg forward Adam Lowry.

Early in the power play, Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon had his stick break during a clearing attempt. Lowry handed him his stick and then went on the defensive with only his body.

Lowry first blocked one Kraken blast with his skate. A second shot deflected off him and over the glass to draw a whistle and stoppage in play. Lowry then skated to the bench to cheers from the crowd of 14,237.

"Yeah, I could have been a goalie," Lowry said. "I played it when I was young for a bit (under age 13), and ultimately had to make the decision. I guess I made the right decision. . There were a few kick saves tonight."

Winnipeg got its first power play of the game two minutes into the second period, but two shots at the net couldn't get past Grubauer.

"(Grubauer) tonight, and the last few times he's played, he's been unbelievable," Seattle forward Morgan Geekie said.

"It's great to see him have success, but unfortunately we couldn't get it done for him tonight. I think we need to work on scoring some more goals when he's in there."

MORRISSEY MAGIC

Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey assisted on the Dubois goal, giving him 45 assists, which is a franchise record for assists in a single season by a defenseman in Atlanta Thrashers/Jets history. Toby Enstrom held the previous record.

Morrissey also has 56 points this season, tying Dustin Byfuglien for the franchise's all-time points by a defenseman.

Morrissey is also riding a three-game point streak (three goals, two assists).

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 56

 

Seattle 6 Flyers 2

 

Gourde's 3-point game powers Kraken to 6-2 win over Flyers

 

 

0:44

 

Jared McCann scores short-handed goal vs. Flyers

Jared McCann scores short-handed goal vs. Flyers

---

ByAP

Updated: 3 hours ago

 

SEATTLE -- — Yanni Gourde had two goals and an assist and the Seattle Kraken beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-2 on Thursday night.

 

Five Seattle players scored for the Kraken, who outshot Philadelphia 30-19, including 12-1 in the first period.

 

“Everyone was in the lanes,” Seattle forward Jared McCann said. “We were blocking shots. We were making them miss the net when we had to. I think that kind of speaks to our character in the room. Guys were stepping in lanes and blocking shots.”

 

McCann, Justin Schultz, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Matty Beniers also scored for Seattle. Philipp Grubauer had 17 saves.

 

Travis Konecny scored twice and Noah Cates had two assists for Philadelphia, which has dropped three straight.

 

“They were just playing better in all areas,” said Konecny, who had 26 goals. “They just wanted it more. They’re a fast team and we knew that coming in and we just let them do their thing.”

 

Ivan Provorov also had an assist. Carter Hart (15 saves) allowed four goals on 19 shots before giving way to Samuel Ersson (nine saves) in the second period.

 

“I am not going to talk about my hockey team after a performance like this,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “It doesn’t do me any good. It doesn’t do the team any good. Those are the people I’m most concerned about.”

 

Gourde scored his first goal at 14:39 of the opening period. He added another on the power play at 14:43 of the second.

 

“It’s good to get some confidence,” Gourde said. “It’s good to shoot the puck and get the puck going. It’s always good to score a few goals going forward, but at the same time don’t change the way you play. Just play hard and play your game and good things happen.”

 

Gourde’s two goals tied a career high.

 

“He does it all, every game all year,” McCann said. “There’s a reason he’s got back-to-back Stanley Cups. That’s the guy that we need to watch and need to learn from.”

 

The Flyers trailed 5-0 after two periods.

 

McCann opened the scoring early in the first period with an unassisted, short-handed goal. It was his 26th of the season. McCann has registered points in four consecutive games for the fourth time this season.

 

Schultz scored Seattle’s first power-play goal at 5:52 of the second. The Kraken went 2 for 3 on the power play.

 

“We knew there was going to be a response after the first period,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “(Philadelphia) had a response. That power-play goal, it settled things down for us and it pushed the momentum back in our favor into the second period.”

 

Bjorkstrand scored on a breakaway to push Seattle’s lead to 4-0. Bjorkstrand has four points in his last three games.

 

Seattle’s Eli Tolvanen has nine goals and 14 points since making his Kraken debut on Jan. 1, and has earned a point in each of Seattle’s last four games.

 

“We got to show up with everybody and go out and play well as a group to have a chance to win,” Hakstol said. “We were ready to play tonight.”

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 57

 

Seattle 4 Wings 2

 

 

Eberle scores twice, lifts Kraken over Red Wings 4-2

Associated Press

 

SEATTLE (AP) Jordan Eberle had two goals and an assist on Saturday night as the Seattle Kraken defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2.

Jamie Oleksiak and Eeli Tolvanen also scored for the Kraken and Philipp Grubauer had 20 saves.

Pius Suter and Dylan Larkin earned goals for the Red Wings, and Ville Husso stopped 21.

Eberle gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 16:50 in the first. Suter tied the game up for Detroit at 1-1 with 16 seconds left in the period. Eberle put Seattle ahead once again early in the second period with his 13th goal of the season.

Oleksiak made it a 3-1 game with eight seconds left in the second period, with Eberle and Matty Beniers assisting.

Tolvanen's goal at 4:49 in the third gave the Kraken a 4-1 lead. Larkin put the puck past Grubauer at 17:39.

Beniers finished the game with two assists.

The Kraken beat the Red Wings for the second time in franchise history.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 58

 

Seattle 0 SJS 4

 

Reimer makes 26 saves, Sharks blank Kraken 4-0

 

---

ByAP

26 minutes ago

 

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- — James Reimer stopped 26 shots for his second shutout of the season and the San Jose Sharks beat the Seattle Kraken 4-0 on Monday.

 

“The team played great,” Reimer said. “We’ve had a couple of really solid games start to finish this year and this is one. Blocking shots, making hard plays, making smart plays.”

 

Logan Couture, Evgeny Svechnikov, Noah Gregor and Michael Eyssimont scored for San Jose, which snapped a three-game skid. Erik Karlsson had two assists.

 

“I thought from the get-go we were on our toes,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “We were playing an aggressive style. We were on the attack. ... From top to bottom, I really liked our effort.”

 

Martin Jones made 19 saves against his former team but lost his fourth straight start as Seattle was shut out for the third time this season.

 

“They were quicker and harder at the puck," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “They worked at a level that they were winning and dictating those battles.”

 

After a scoreless first period, Couture was credited with his 20th goal of the season on a bizarre play midway through the second. Off a faceoff, Couture battled Seattle’s Yanni Gourde, who won the draw back toward his own goal and past Jones into the net.

 

“Trying to win the faceoff, it’s unfortunate,” Gourde said. “I don’t think that Jonesy sees the puck at all. ... It’s a quick play. Doesn’t have time to react.”

 

Couture became the third Shark to reach 20 goals in at least 10 seasons, joining Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski.

 

Later in the second period, Svechnikov intercepted a pass by Vince Dunn and beat Jones on his own rebound to make it 2-0.

 

Gregor added a goal with 17.2 seconds remaining in the period and Eyssimont made it 4-0 late in the third.

 

“This is a really good team we just beat tonight,” Quinn said. “It’s good to see we can step up our game when we need to.”

 

Seattle’s Jared McCann and Eeli Tolvanen each saw five-game point streaks come to an end as the Kraken fell to 4-2 against San Jose in their history.

 

“It’s a good feeling that you can play spoiler a little bit,” Reimer said. “They’re a talented team. They’re a hard-working team. We played a suffocating, aggressive style of play tonight and just didn’t allow them to get anything going.”

 

The Sharks won at home for the sixth time this season. Their 6-14-7 home record is the worst in the NHL.

 

Both teams were 0 for 2 on the power play.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 59

 

Seattle 5 Bos 6

 

DeBrusk scores late in 3rd period, Bruins edge Kraken 6-5

By SHANE LANTZ

Associated Press

 

SEATTLE (AP) Jake DeBrusk scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:38 left in the third period and the Boston Bruins edged the Seattle Kraken 6-5 on Thursday night.

The win avenged Boston's first regulation home loss of the season, which was a 3-0 defeat to Seattle back on Jan. 12, still the only time Boston has been shut out this year.

Seattle's Matty Beniers scored just 40 seconds into the game, and the teams went back and forth the rest of the way.

Jaden Schwartz put Seattle ahead 5-4 at 15:50 of the third period. Brandon Carlo tied it less than 30 seconds later.

DeBrusk scored the go-ahead goal at 18:22, with an assist from Charlie McAvoy.

The two teams combined for 74 shots on goal. Boston's Jeremy Swayman made 36 saves for the Bruins and Phillip Grubauer finished with 27 for Seattle.

Patrice Bergeron put Boston ahead 4-3 at 17:51 of the second period. Yanni Gourde tied it on the power play at 18:52.

David Krejci, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand also scored for the Bruins.

Vince Dunn and Jamie Oleksiak scored for Seattle.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 60

 

Seattle 1 Leafs 5

 

Matthews scores 2, Maple Leafs beat Kraken 5-1

By MARK MOSCHETTI

Associated Press

 

SEATTLE (AP) Auston Matthews had two goals and Mark Giordano scored in his first game back in Seattle since being traded to Toronto last season as the Maple Leafs beat the Kraken 5-1 Sunday.

Timothy Liljegren had a goal and an assist for Toronto, and John Tavares also scored. Mitchel Marner haded three assists; William Nylander and Michael Bunting had two each. Ilya Samsonov made 26 saves.

Vince Dunn scored for Seattle. Phillip Grubauer started and gave up four goals on 21 shots before he was replaced early in the second period by Martin Jones, who had 11 saves.

After Dunn's 11th goal of the year gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead 3:47 into the game, Giordano tied it just 71 seconds later. Giordano, who served as Seattle's captain last season until he was traded to Toronto for draft picks last March 20, fired a hard shot from the left faceoff circle that hit Grubauer's right pad and deflected into the net for his fourth of the year.

In the second period, Girodano got his skate on a shot by Seattle's Carson Soucy to set a record with his 2,045th career block. The old mark of 2,044 was by former Calgary teammate Kris Russell. Blocked shots have been recorded by the NHL since 2005-06.

"It's something I'm definitely proud of. It shows that you care and try to do the right thing for the team," Giordano said. "You think about it (getting the record), and it's something in the back of your mind. It's not a glamorous record by any means, but I think it speaks to playing a long time and playing hard and playing the right way. I don't take it lightly."

Tavares put the Maple Leafs ahead for good permanently in front at 7:06. Justin Hoff's hard shot from the right circle bounced off heavy traffic in the goal crease. Nylander got his stick on and poked it over to Tavares in front of the left post and Tavares put it into a wide-open net for his 27th of the season.

Liljegren's hard wrister from the right circle with 6:09 left in the first extended the lead to 3-1 as Toronto finished the period with a 19-7 advantage in shots. It was his fifth.

Giving up three goals in nine minutes after taking the 1-0 lead didn't sit well with Kraken coach Dave Hakstol.

"Our response to their first goal, again, wasn't good enough," Hakstol said. "Our energy at the start of the game was good, but we have to have a better response and have to be stiffer When a tough goal goes in, we have to be stiffer than that - not just the next two shifts, but for the rest of the period."

Matthews scored at 4:15 of the second to push Toronto's lead to 4-1 lead and end Grubauer's night.

Mathews got his second of the game and 28th of the season with 7:29 left in the third to cap the scoring.

The Maple Leafs reversed last month's result in Toronto, when the Kraken came away with a 5-1 victory.

"Last time we played these guys, they were leading the league in goals, so we knew what to expect," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "If you look at a lot of different areas statistically, we might have played a better game at home when we lost 5-1. The difference today is we scored early and got a good lead. Last time, we played well, but didn't score, and we gave up some really good looks."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 61

 

Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues 5-3

 

Seattle 5 Blues 3

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

ST. LOUIS -- — Morgan Geekie scored twice and the Seattle Kraken snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.

 

Geekie ended a 10-game scoring drought that dated to Jan. 28 with his first multi-goal game of the season and first since March 11, 2021, as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.

 

“I think we tried to play below the goal line as much as we could,” Geekie said. “I think we’re a pretty heavy team, we moved the puck well underneath them. I think we stuck to our gameplan.”

 

Jared McCann, Jamie Oleksiak and Brandon Tanev also scored, and Martin Jones made 22 saves as the Kraken kicked off a four-game trip. Daniel Sprong and Eeli Tolvanen each had two assists.

 

Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich each had a goal and an assist, and Brandon Saad scored for the scuffling Blues, who lost their sixth straight. Jordan Binnington made 21 saves.

 

Geekie’s second goal of the game gave the Kraken a 3-2 lead with 6:28 left in the second, and Oleksiak’s goal midway through the third proved to be the winner.

 

“We had a little bit of a slow start in the first seven, eight minutes,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “After that you know, we played a good road game. We had a response. Each time they scored, you know, we bounced back and score within a couple of minutes to push the momentum back the other way.”

 

Buchnevich scored with 5:31 left, but the Blues couldn’t get the equalizer before Tanev scored into an empty net with 6.5 seconds left.

 

“Pretty good game, but I don’t think we were fast enough,” Buchnevich said. “We have to play quicker and I don’t know, like I said, when you lose six in a row … you have to find something positive to build from that and stop this losing streak.”

 

The Blues started the game with an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal, but trailed on the scoreboard after Geekie beat Binnington with a wrist shot from the left circle midway through the first.

 

Thomas evened the game for the Blues with a short-handed goal early in the second period, scoring off Jones from nearly the identical spot that Geekie did the previous period.

 

“Just little patience in the D-zone,” Thomas said. “Sometimes there’s plays to be made and you can get some good looks off the rush.”

 

McCann put the Kraken up 2-1 a couple minutes later with his team-high 27th goal of the season. It also matched a career-high for a season set last year.

 

Saad tied the game for St. Louis midway through the second with his first goal since Feb. 11.

 

WELCOME BACK

 

Forward Jaden Schwartz made his first appearance at Enterprise Center since signing with the Kraken as a free agent in 2021. Schwartz was a first-round draft pick by the Blues in 2010 and was a part of the 2019 Stanley Cup championship team.

 

Schwartz received a standing ovation from the crowd after being honored with a video tribute during a break in the first period.

 

FACE IN THE CROWD

 

Roman Bürki, the goalkeeper and captain of the Major League Soccer expansion team St. Louis City SC, was in attendance. St. Louis beat Austin 3-2 in its first game on Saturday.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 62

 

Seattle 5 Wings 4 OT

 

Bjorkstrand's OT goal gives Kraken 5-4 win over Red Wings

 

 

0:48

 

Oliver Bjorkstrand wins it in OT for the Kraken

Oliver Bjorkstrand's second goal of the game wins it for the Kraken in overtime vs. the Red Wings.

---

ByAP

7 hours ago

 

DETROIT -- — Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his second goal on a power play with 1:27 left in overtime, lifting the Seattle Kraken to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.

 

Jared McCann also had two goals for the Kraken, scoring twice in the opening 12 minutes and giving him a career-high 29 goals. Jaden Schwartz also had a goal for Seattle.

 

The Red Wings, seemingly conceding they won't make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, dealt a pair of key players in the two days leading up to the NHL trade deadline on Friday.

 

The Kraken, in their second NHL season, are on pace to make its first postseason appearance as a Western Conference wild card or as one of the top three teams in the Pacific Division.

 

“This is a fun time of year to play hockey when you are looking at the standings and you’re trying to make a push to get into the postseason in Year Two,” said forward Jordan Eberle, who had two assists. “A lot of these guys are from the foundation, which is a lot of fun as well.

 

“I don’t think many people expect us to make the jump we’ve made.”

 

Martin Jones gave up three goals on 12 shots and was benched late in the second period and replaced by Philipp Grubauer, who finished regulation with 16 saves.

 

“We felt like we kind of gave the goalies a tough time,” McCann said.

 

Detroit's Ville Husso made 31 saves through three periods, including one with 7:20 left in regulation after Bjorkstrand's shot went off and over the goaltender and bounced around the crease before he smothered it to keep the game tied.

 

“It was a weird bounce,” Bjorkstrand said. “It would have been nice if that went in, but it was nice to get the one in OT.”

 

The Red Wings rallied recently to get into contention for an Eastern Conference wild card spot, but a three-game losing streak over the last week led to general manager Steve Yzerman deciding to trade players for picks instead of possibly adding help to make an aggressive push to end a seven-year playoff drought.

 

Detroit dealt forward Tyler Bertuzzi to Boston for first- and fourth-round picks on Thursday, a day after dealing defenseman Filip Hronek to Vancouver for first- and second-round picks.

 

“It was an emotional morning,” coach Derek Lalonde said. "I think guys were taken by surprise a little, but you can never predict the trade deadline. I give our guys credit for fighting through that.”

 

While signaling that rebuild is very much still in progress, the team signed captain Dylan Larkin to an eight-year contract worth nearly $70 million and signed defenseman Jake Walman to a three-year, $10.2 million this week.

 

Walman's sixth goal of the season pulled the Red Wings into a 4-all tie with 5:12 left in the second period..

 

Detroit recalled physical forward Adam Erne from the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins earlier in the day and he tried to provide an immediate jolt of energy for his disheartened teammates, getting in a fight with Yanni Goude a minute into the game.

 

McCann, though, scored his first of two goals 12 seconds later to extend his points streak to four games. His second goal gave the Kraken a 3-1 lead midway through the opening period.

 

Ben Chiarot and Erne also scored for the Red Wings, who have lost four in a row to hurt their chances of earning a spot in the postseason.

 

“Every game for us is a playoff game," Walman said. “Stuff happens outside the rink that we can’t control, but we just have to keep playing hard."

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 63

 

Seattle 4 Jackets 2

 

 

Wennberg, McCann lead Kraken to 4-2 win over Blue Jackets

By NICOLE KRAFT

Associated Press

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Alex Wennberg and Jared McCann each had a goal and an assist, and the Seattle Kraken beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 Friday night for their third straight road win and a season series sweep.

Joran Eberle and Brandon Tanev also scored for Seattle, and Vince Dunn had two assists. Philipp Grubauer stopped 23 shots for the Kraken, who stayed ahead of Edmonton for third place in the Pacific Division - two points behind Los Angeles and Vegas.

"We had a really consistent effort," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "I liked our third period. We came out and were on our toes in the third period-could have easily stretch the lead in the first part of that period. That didn't happen, but we responded well and were able to close out the game."

Adam Boqvist and Patrik Laine each had a goal and an assist for Columbus, which has lost two of its last three games and remains in the NHL basement. Elvis Merzlikins, in his first game as the Blue Jackets' full-time starter after the trade of Joonas Korpisalo to Los Angeles, stopped 34 shots.

"It wasn't like a terrible effort," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "I know there's another level of competitiveness at the puck that's going to be required. We could have killed a lot more plays and had the puck more."

Laine put Columbus on the board at 10:18 of the second period with the first power-play goal given up by Seattle in nine games dating back to Feb. 14.

The lead was short-lived, as Seattle got two goals in 48 seconds - one from McCann and the other on the power-play from Eberele.

Boqvist pulled Columbus even at 4:53 of the third, but a goal from Wennberg against his former team 9 seconds into a Kraken power-play, his first since Jan. 28, to put Seattle up for good at 7:12.

"It's nice to have success and score against your former team," Wennberg said. "Right now it doesn't matter who scores. It's important to win the game."

Tanev scored the empty-netter with 47.5 seconds remaining to seal the win.

HELLO AND GOODBYE

The Blue Jackets had a new face in the backup goalie spot after welcoming Michael Hutchinson from Vegas as part of a flurry of trades that also sent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goalie Joonas Korpisalo west to Los Angeles.

INJURY UPDATE

Columbus forward Sean Kuraly suffered a left oblique strain in practice Thursday and will be sidelined the remainder of the season. Oliver Bjorkstrand, in his first Columbus appearance since being traded to Seattle in the off-season, left the game in the third period with a lower-body injury.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 64

 

Seattle 3 AVS 2 OT

 

Gourde's OT goal lifts Kraken to 3-2 win over Avalanche

 

 

0:48

 

Kraken prevail on Yanni Gourde's OT goal

Yanni Gourde's 10th goal of the season gives the Kraken a 3-2 overtime win over the Avalanche.

---

ByAP

5 hours ago

 

DENVER -- — Yanni Gourde scored 1:24 into overtime, and the Seattle Kraken rallied to beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Sunday night for their fourth straight win.

 

Brandon Tanev and Alexander Wennberg also scored for Seattle and Philipp Grubauer stopped 21 shots against his former team.

 

Alexandar Georgiev rebounded from a rough game in Dallas the previous night with 32 saves, and Nathan MacKinnon and Denis Malgin had goals for Colorado.

 

The Kraken controlled the puck in overtime and won it when Gourde got a breakaway and beat Georgiev with a low shot for his 10th goal of the season.

 

“I didn’t see much of the net,” Gourde said. “He’s a great goalie, he challenged shots a lot. I didn’t see much, just felt that shooting low blocker was my best option.”

 

It spoiled a bounce-back game for Georgiev. He allowed five goals on 19 shots in a 7-3 loss to the Stars on Saturday and was pulled in the second period but he was sharper Sunday night. Georgiev made seven saves on Seattle’s two-minute 5-on-3 to start the third and 15 overall in the period.

 

“He played really well. He had some big saves, some timely saves,” Kraken center Jaden Schwartz said of Georgiev. “We had a decent amount of power plays and he made some big ones so we had to just stay with it.”

 

Colorado managed just seven shots on goal after the second period.

 

“It was tough sledding tonight, energy-wise,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “Mentally it looked like we were fried. I didn’t think our top guys had a very good night at all.”

 

The Kraken took advantage of that fatigue to take the season series from the reigning champions.

 

“I got a ton of respect for this team,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “They’re playing on a back to back so we had to find a way to take advantage of that.”

 

MacKinnon has points in nine of his last 10 games and leads the team with 74 despite missing three weeks in December with an upper-body injury. His 25 goals are second on the team to Mikko Rantanen’s 41.

 

MacKinnon gave Colorado the 1-0 lead at 9:19 of the first to extend his goal streak at home to six games.

 

Georgiev stopped Tanev on a breakaway early in the second but the Kraken tied it on Wennberg’s 12th of the season at 9:52.

 

Malgin put the Avalanche back in front with a breakaway goal at 11:45, his sixth of the season.

 

Seattle kept the pressure on throughout the third period and finally broke through when Tanev scored at with 2 1/2 minutes left to send it to overtime.

 

“Obviously, you’ve got to close down the game,” Andrew Cogliano said. “That’s what it comes down to.”

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 65

 

Seattle 5 Ducks 2

 

 

 

McCann scores 31st, Kraken win fifth straight 5-2 over Ducks

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 3 hours ago

 

SEATTLE -- — At this point of the season with a possible first playoff berth on the horizon, the Seattle Kraken know they must avoid faltering when the schedule turns in their favor.

 

Case in point came Tuesday night when the Kraken managed their way through a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on a night Seattle wasn't at its best but still picked up its fifth straight victory.

 

“I liked the intelligence of our team,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “We had some recognition that we maybe weren’t gonna be at our best in terms of energy. As we got through the second half of the game, we managed it pretty well and managed especially the third period very well.”

 

Jared McCann scored his fifth goal in the past five games and Daniel Sprong scored for the first time since Jan. 17, and the Kraken posted their fourth win streak of at least five games this season. Seattle's longest win streak last year in its inaugural season was three games, accomplished once.

 

McCann stayed hot as his 31st goal of the season gave Seattle a 2-0 first-period lead. Sprong’s 16th goal late in the second period pushed Seattle’s lead to 3-1 after Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras scored a spectacular between-the-legs goal in the opening seconds of the period.

 

Jamie Oleksiak also scored his career-best ninth of the season for Seattle, Eeli Tolvanen scored on a power play midway through the third period off an assist from McCann, and Jaden Schwartz added an empty-net goal with 17 seconds left.

 

Matty Beniers had two assists and extended his lead as the top scoring rookie in the league. and the Kraken inched closer to Vegas for the top spot in the Pacific Division.

 

“We’re gonna have to play well every single night,” McCann said. “Obviously we’re going to be playing some divisional games here soon and those are going to matter a lot more.”

 

Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 20 saves, including a pair of key stops on Max Jones early in the first period, and won his fourth straight decision. But the one shot he couldn’t stop was a stunning finish by Zegras that’ll be added to his career highlight reel.

 

Zegras slipped behind Seattle’s defense in the opening moments of the second period, pulled the puck between his legs and flipped it over Grubauer’s shoulder for his 21st goal of the season. Max Comtois scored with 1:27 left, but Anaheim saw its streak of points in five straight games come to an end.

 

“I thought we had more ‘A’ chances than them. We just couldn't bury them. Their goaltender played very, very well.” Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. “I think the thing that hurt us tonight was our power play. We didn't get many good looks there, especially when we needed it.”

 

Anaheim goalie John Gibson made 26 saves.

 

DUNN DONE

 

Seattle's Vince Dunn was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the third period after screaming at an official from the bench and slamming his stick against the glass. Dunn took a big hit from Comtois near the head that went uncalled and left Dunn's nose bloodied. Dunn was later pulled from the penalty box and sent into the locker room after medical spotters stopped the game.

 

“I don't have a reason for concern right now, but I have not talked to our medical people,” Hakstol said.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 66

 

 

Seattle 4 Sens 5 OT

 

DeBrincat's overtime goal lifts Senators past Kraken 5-4

 

 

0:51

 

Alex DeBrincat scores goal vs. Kraken

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 4 hours ago

 

SEATTLE -- — Alex DeBrincat scored the tiebreaking goal with less than three minutes remaining in the third period to give the Ottawa Senators a 5-4 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.

 

Shane Pinto, Jakob Chychrun, Claude Giroux and Patrick Brown also scored for Ottawa. Mads Sogaard made 29 saves. Nick Holden and Tim Stutzle each had two assists for Ottawa. Giroux, Mathieu Joseph and Jake Sanderson also recorded an assist.

 

“A lot of guys are stepping up,” DeBrincat said. “When maybe some guys don’t have it, other guys are putting it in the net. That’s good to have and that’s what good teams have. If we can keep that rolling, we’ll be good.”

 

Jared McCann scored twice and Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz added goals for the Kraken, who had their five-game winning streak halted. Philipp Grubauer had 26 saves. Alex Wennberg, Yanni Gourde and Daniel Sprong each had an assist, and Schwatz extended his points streak to five games.

 

“I feel like we were rushing the play,” McCann said. “We just gave them free breakouts. We didn’t finish checks in the first 20 minutes of the game. Their defense was jumping by us and getting odd-man rushes.”

 

Ottawa scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-1 after the first period.

 

“We gave them every opportunity that they had,” Dunn said. “They’re a very desperate team right now. They’re right in the playoff race. They gave it the best first 10 minutes they had. We need to be prepared. We need to do a better job in our building.”

 

The Kraken then scored three straight, briefly taking the lead on Dunn’s goal at 3:23 of the third. That advantage didn’t last long as Giroux scored less than a minute later to tie the game.

 

“That’s a big win for us, to stay with it the way we did and find timely goals,” Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. “That’s as fast a team as we played and that’s a good hockey team."

 

DeBrincat then scored at 17:37 to seal a victory for the Senators, who were coming off a 5-0 loss to Chicago on Monday.

 

“We had a tough game in Chicago,” Pinto said, “but I just think the way we responded and the maturity we showed tonight will go a long way.”

 

Pinto, Chychrun and Brown scored in the first period for the Senators. Chychrun, who also had an assist, has two goals and two assists in three games since joining the Senators.

 

“That’s a tough game to play sometimes,” Brown said. “You get up early and then all of the sudden you’re down in the third. We stuck together and we kept playing the right way. We didn’t try to cheat for offense. We just kept playing the right way and we got rewarded.”

 

McCann, who has 33 goals this season, had the Kraken’s lone score in the first period and added another in the second. McCann has scored in each of the three games Seattle has played against the Senators since the start of the 2021-22 season.

 

“We scored enough tonight,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “That wasn’t the issue. We gave up too much. It doesn’t have to be a huge volume. It’s what we gave up and how we gave it up tonight, especially in the last 10 minutes of the hockey game.”

 

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 67

 

Seattle 3 Stars 4 OT

 

Heiskanen scores in OT to lift Stars to 4-3 win over Kraken

 

 

1:00

 

Miro Heiskanen scores Stars' game-winning goal in OT

Miro Heiskanen scores Stars' game-winning goal in OT

---

ByAP

Updated: 2 hours ago

 

SEATTLE -- — Miro Heiskanen scored 3:26 into overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 4-3 win against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.

 

Roope Hintz, Mason Marchment and Joe Pavelski also scored for Dallas, which has won five of the last six. Jake Oettinger had 28 saves.

 

“It just shows the resiliency of our group,” Marchment said. “I don’t think there was a doubt we were going to come back and win that one. We played a great game, great road game and that was a huge win.”

 

Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Donato scored, and Vince Dunn had two assists for the Kraken, who lost two in a row. Phillip Grubauer stopped 22 shots.

 

The Kraken controlled the puck for almost the entire overtime, but after the Stars won a faceoff Heiskanen took a pass from Max Domi and fired in the winner.

 

"That was a great pass by Maxi,” Heiskanen said. “It’s been a while since our last overtime win, so it’s great, of course. And it was a huge comeback win for us.”

 

The last time Dallas had an overtime goal was on Dec. 12 against Detroit, although the Stars have had three shootout wins since then.

 

“I think we did all the right things and sometimes it’s just not going to go your way,” Donato said. “They have a lot of good guys that can capitalize on a split-second opportunity. We had a lot of good chances at the end, but it is what it is."

 

After a scoreless first period, the Stars broke at 4:51 of the second with Hintz’s 32nd goal of the season. The score was set up by a rebound off Grubauer toward the left circle, and Esa Lindell fired a cross-ice pass to Hintz in the right circle, leaving an open net as Grubauer couldn’t dive back across the crease in time.

 

The Kraken evened the score less than three minutes later, as Dunn fired a shot from near the blue line that was deflected by Matty Beniers and Eberle in front of the net. Beniers was initially given credit for the score, but it was later changed to Eberle. It was Eberle's 15th.

 

Dallas regained the lead about midway through the second period. After the Stars won a faceoff in their offensive zone, Marchment deflected Ryan Suter’s shot past Grubauer for his 12th.

 

Donato tied the game again at 2-2 midway through the third period with his 13th goal.

 

The Kraken took the lead when Bjorkstrand scored a power-play goal with 3:25 left, but Pavelski tied it 3-3 with just over a minute left as he took advantage after Grubauer lost his stick in a flurry of activity in front of the net.

 

Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said his team didn’t show any concern after Bjorkstrand’s goal.

 

“Honestly, I think we felt pretty confident. I think we’d played a real good game to that point,” DeBoer said. “The guys felt confident we’d get the goalie out and score a goal.”