" 𝔹𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕢𝕦𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 "

Jones Paves the Path

In a game seemingly dominated by Kraken goals on the twin video boards at Climate Pledge Arena, the through-line of this 5-2 victory belongs to goalie Martin Jones despite the late charge by the Blues. He lost a shutout in the third period, then gave up one more, but provided the steadying influence

needed for the Kraken to take a stranglehold on this matchup with a three-goal second-period outburst. 

The veteran keeper faced a St. Louis power play just two minutes into the game. He made a couple of solid stops and survived clean when Blues forward Robert Thomas hit a post instead of net.

Within one shift, it was the Kraken embarking on an early power play. But the man-advantage scenario nearly turned horror show when Blues defenseman Justin Faulk broke in on Jones, who made the first save and a second later the rebound save to avoid letdown and any measure of St. Louis

momentum. 

Jones turned away 12 Grade-A scoring chances (per Natural Stat Trick) in the first two periods. One highlight was stopping Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko early middle period to a roaring crowd and before Seattle doused this affair with three goals in the last 10 minutes of the period. Thirty seconds

after Carson Soucy made it 2-0 good guys, Jones stoned STL forward Noel Acciari on a point-blank snap shot.

"Jonesy was good for us," said coach Dave Hakstol post-game, "especially when he made a couple of real good saves on the inside for us after we took the 2-0 lead."

This week's victorious two-game homestand featured a highly functional goalie tandem for Seattle.

Philipp Grubauer  looked equally dependable and game-preserving in Sunday's win over Winnipeg. The coaching staff is making the right calls on the right starter and, no doubt, goalie coach Steve Briere

is making an impact on the Kraken's record. 

"I said it all year," said Hakstol when asked about the two goalies currently both dialed in. "These guys have to do their part. Jonesy did his part tonight just like Grubi did a couple nights ago."

Tanev Scores Goal

Brandon Tanev scores against the St. Louis Blues to make it 5-2

Tanev putting on the finishing touches empty netter makes it 5-2 kraken!

Offense Can Be Contagious

Mid-second period, the Kraken strung together three, maybe four straight shifts during which Seattle forwards were passing tape to tape, getting behind St. Louis defenders and generally looking faster and more cohesive than the Blues. STL goalie Thomas Greiss, a career backup, made several Grade-A

stops to keep the game 1-0. 

The Kraken finally broke the Greiss barrier when Will Borgen (who simply puts pucks on net when it's his turn to shoot) fired from inside the blue line. Greiss made the save but couldn't control the rebound. Borgen's defensive partner, Carson Soucy, swooped toward the net and, one-handed, deflected

the puck in a sort of fencing move to beat a sprawling Greiss.

Soucy Scores Goal

Carson Soucy scores against the St. Louis Blues to make it 2-0

could not have re-directed that more beautifully

 

 THE ONE-HANDED PUT AWAY!! SOUCY MAKES IT 2-0 WITH TO GO IN THE SECOND

Mayhem and decibels exploded from the crowd, which had oohed and aahed on a few too many near-misses and Greiss saves. St. Louis found a bit of sustained offensive zone pressure after the second goal but Martin Jones was up to the task.

Soon after, the Kraken busted more moves. Fourth-liner Daniel Sprong jumped off the bench and linemate Morgan Geekie noticed. Pass complete at the STL blue line, breakaway for Sprong, who displayed textbook forehand-backhand-forehand stick handling before wiring a shot past the faltering Greiss.

Sprong's Breakaway Goal

Daniel Sprong gets a long pass from Morgan Geekie, takes off all alone and fires a wrist shot from the slot to make it 3-0 in the 2nd period

BING BONG IT'S SPRONG 3-0 KRAKEN WITH 3:02 LEFT IN THE SECOND

The fans were in a buoyant holiday mood with one minute to play in the period and three goals gift-wrapped. But Jared McCann wasn't done in this giving season. He broke free for a shot on goal, which came back his way with only a sharp and bad angle left for his elite shot. 

No worries. McCann banked the puck off Greiss' goalie pad and/or skate for his 15^th goal of the season (making GM Ron Francis look good for re-signing McCann to five-year deal in season last spring). The Kraken's leading goal scorer now has the most goals of any NHLer who taken less than 60 shots on goal to

date in 2022-23.

McCann Scores Goal

Jared McCann scores against the St. Louis Blues to make it 4-0

After a flurry of goals, the @SeattleKraken lead 4-0

 

 WHAT MCCANN'T HE DO UP BY 4 WITH 43.9 TO GO IN THE PERIOD

Donato Scores for Fourth Straight Time

Ryan Donato opened the scoring here on the last home game before the holiday break. Defenseman Adam Larsson, the night's bobblehead honoree, wheeled deep in his own zone, then fired a perfect stretch pass to Donato at the St. Louis blue line. Donato broke free and triple-deked Blues goalie

Thomas Greiss to deposit his seventh goal of the year into the back of the net. It's Donato's fourth straight game with a goal.

Donato Opens Scoring On Breakaway

Ryan Donato gets a long feed from Adam Larsson, races in and lifts a wrist shot from out front to make it 1-0 in the 1st period

4 straight games with a Ryan Donato Goal!

 RYAN DONATO EXTENDS HIS 4-GAME SCORING STREAK WITH AN ABSOLUTE BEAUTY

 

"That was a spectacular pass," said Donato. "I saw it coming a little bit ... On the breakaway I just kind of closed my eyes and hoped for the best."

Donato said the second-period trio of goals and close to 10 high-energy, scoring-chance-filled shifts was a result of playing simple: "If you do the right things, you're gonna get chances. Sometimes the chances don't come as often and you try to do something different, when, really you should just bear

down and do the simple things to turn it around in your favor."

 

Shane Wright Update

Named captain of Team Canada earlier in the week, Kraken forward Shane Wright is settling in with linemate Connor Bedard in preparation for the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship that starts Monday (Boxing Day in Canada). Bedard is widely projected as the No. 1 pick in

next July's 2023 NHL Draft. Wright scored two goals Monday in a lopsided win over Switzerland in a pre-tourney game. Bedard's no-look, behind-his-back, net-front drop pass to Wright for the tap-in was highlight-reel material. Wright added an assist to make it a three-point night. Make no mistake,

Canada is amped to see Wright and Bedard wreak havoc in the offensive end, especially with the tournament in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick.

 "I work on it a lot and usually go far side," said McCann. "I thought it would work to go short side tonight."

Decibels bounced every acoustic panel and baffle in Climate Pledge Arena with an extra boost when it was announced as McCann's 14^th goal of the season. Impressively, the Kraken didn't stop the aggressive offensive push, controlling the play for a good three minutes before Winnipeg could muster a

sustained visit in the Kraken zone.

just gonna drag this over to our 'hockey pics that go hard' folder

 

 

 

 

Sweet 16 Seconds: Anatomy of a Tying Goal

The Kraken needed the first goal in the third period to avoid a two-goal lead for Winnipeg, who has the personnel and veteran group to effectively go into shutdown mode. Seattle forward Ryan Donato delivered what his teammates needed, deflecting a long shot from linemate Yanni Gourde for his sixth

goal of the year and third in the last three games (one each). New-as-of-Sunday linemate Andre Burakovsky got the secondary assist for his 28^th point in 30 games wearing a Kraken uniform.

Donato Scores Goal

Ryan Donato scores against the Winnipeg Jets to make it 2-2

IT'S NOT DELIVERY IT'S DONATO!!!!!!!

It's worth taking a closer look at the Donato goal. The play actually started with Burakovsky moving the puck deep into the WPG zone. For his part, Gourde patiently held the puck near the right point and faked a pass to an awaiting Will Borgen (who is playing consistently superb hockey lately on both

ends of the rink). Borgen obliged by posing into a backswing, but Gourde instead zipped the puck net-front and airborne. Donato deflected the puck to finish a satisfying sequence.

Flipping the Script

Nearly halfway through Sunday's game, the action here equated to a buttoned-up hockey game. The Kraken were outshooting the visiting Jets, 14-4, generating several solid scoring chances but Winnipeg was leading 1-0. 

Then the script went into a full costume change. Both teams started gaining possession time in the offensive zone and put the goalies to work. With under 12 minutes remaining in the middle period, Seattle evened matters at one goal apiece when D-man Adam Larsson showed off his underrated

offensive skill set by wiring a pass to Jordan Eberle from the right point inside the blue line to the top of the left faceoff circle.

Eberle took the puck on his right forehand, spun to shoot on the backhand, and roofed the puck past the mask of Winnipeg goalie David Rittich just inside the crossbar. It's Eberle's eighth goal of the season.

Eberle's Spin-O-Rama Backhander

Jordan Eberle gets a long feed from Adam Larsson, spins and roofs a backhander to tie the game at 1-1 in the 2nd period

EBERLEEEEEE!!!!!!

 

Grubauer Holds Serve

By the end of the second period, the shots on goal totals were 22 for the Kraken and 15 for Winnipeg. The Jets broke through on a power play goal (Will Borgen went off for a holding-the-stick penalty) to make it 2-1 but SEA goalie Philipp Grubauer made two big stops to make it a one-goal game going

into the final 20 minutes.

One of those saves was against Adam Lowry (son of Kraken assistant coach Dave Lowry) on a one-timer in the high slot, choice territory for a shooter. With two-and-a-half minutes left in the period, Winnipeg forward Kevin Stenlund was all alone in front of Grubauer, but the affectionately-called German

Gentleman swallowed up the attempt and the holiday crowd was appreciative with the round of "Gruuuuuuuuu!"

Six minutes into the third period, Grubauer made one more big stop. Winnipeg forward Kyle Connor, with a red-hot 19 points in his last 13 games coming into Sunday, was alone net front and couldn't get the puck past the Seattle goalie, who held his positioning. Grubauer finished the night with 15

saves. Teammate Ryan Donato made it clear "Grubi kept us in the game" until the offensive efforts paid dividends and two more standings points. The Kraken are now 17-10-3 with 35 points, just two points behind Los Angeles with four games in hand. 

For Openers

Winnipeg struck first here Sunday during a 5-on-3 power play in the opening period when defensive partners Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson were whistled off within 46 seconds of each other. Jets leading scorer Mark Scheifele scored 10 seconds in the two-man advantage situation to make it 1-0 eight-

plus minutes in the game. The Kraken penalty killers delivered a clean sheet on the remaining 1 minute and 50 seconds on Larsson's penalty. 

Kuhlman Flying 'First' on Jets

Karson Kuhlman proved a solid performer for the Kraken, playing on third and fourth lines plus contributing on the penalty kill (including some great runs with Yanni Gourde as the two forwards up front). When the Kraken decided to claim former Nashville forward Eeli Tolvanen earlier this week,

Kuhlman was the player placed on waivers. Kuhlman played 15 games for Seattle, notching a goal and two assists. Media reports revealed the Jets were interested in Kuhlman last season when Seattle claimed him. 

Winnipeg claimed Kuhlman off waivers and promptly inserted him in the lineup. He played 16-and-a-half minutes in a Jets win over Vancouver, including 1:20 on the penalty kill. Sunday night, with Winnipeg missing forward Blake Wheeler and other injured right wings, Kuhlman was getting first-line

minutes alongside center and alternate captain Mark Scheifele (18 goals in 30 games) and impressive rookie Cole Perfetti (six goals, 13 assists). 

Kuhlman drew an interference penalty on Kraken D-man Vince Dunn looking to break free for a solo run toward Philipp Grubauer. The Jets scored on an ensuing 5-on-3 power play.

“We’re thirty games in, now we have to keep building and keep pushing, there’s a lot of race left to run.”

 And while Seattle was able to steady the ship a bit and eventually find the back of the net twice, they couldn't build enough of a sustainable attack to come back against the team with the sixth most points in the league. 

"I think in the second we were playing with speed, we created some chances," Daniel Sprong said. And in the third I think we really pressed, we felt the game could be ours. And that's when we got (scoring chances)."

What stood out? Let's dig in.

Brush up the Breakout

Going into this game, the Kraken wanted to be more effective on breakouts. Alex Wennberg said the team needed to keep it simple and attack with speed. This remained a work in progress, especially in the first period. On the game as a whole, Seattle was successful on the breakout 59.2-percent of the

time, but this was below season average of 79-percent (11^th best in the NHL). And it was a failed breakout that led to the first Hurricanes goal. As Seattle set up the puck to move with speed up the ice, it was redirected off the intended target of Carson Soucy's stick and went directly to Andrei

Svechnikov who had a mini-breakaway chance. He did not waste the chance and beat Philipp Grubauer to make it 1-0 Carolina.

"Their five-man pressure is outstanding and they were on it all the way through the majority of the game," Dave Hakstol said. "With their sustained five-man pressure in the first period was relentless on that. So we got caught with a couple of soft puck plays a little bit slow in a couple of decisions, and

that's what that pressure can do to you."

Transitional Play

Once the Kraken did get out of their own zone, Carolina went to work making it difficult to get any farther north. Coming into this game, Carolina ranked first in the league in defensive zone denials (52.5%, all situations), and the impact was measurable. Seattle averages 6:48 of possession time in the

offensive zone per game. Tonight, they finished with 4:45. With limited opportunities to get into the offensive zone, the Kraken finished the game with 36 shot attempts, 17 of which were on target. The previous season low was 20 shots on goal Nov. 8 versus Nashville. 

The Kraken did find their way through the neutral zone a bit more as play went on. Off one successful transition, they added a goal for their efforts. Borgen won a key battle in the neutral zone and got the puck to Brandon Tanev. Next came the pass to Daniel Sprong on the right side and his shot from

the top of the circle leaked through to the back of the net.

Sprong Scores Goal

Daniel Sprong scores against the Carolina Hurricanes to make it 3-2

DANIEL. SPRONG.

 

 DANIEL. SPRONG. LET'S GOOOOO

 "Spronger's goal is by just shooting the puck," Hakstol said. "Which is something we didn't do enough of tonight. (It) gave us a chance in the last 10 minutes."

From the other bench, the Hurricanes were effective in transition throughout. The second goal came off a quick push by Carolina up the ice. That gave the home team the odd-man advantage and Jack Drury's pass got to Derek Stepan for the quick release score. The game-winner came off a penalty

shot after Adam Larsson had to take a penalty to stop a Stefan Noesen breakaway.

Play in Net

The Carolina goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov brought a two-game shutout streak to tonight's matchup. Ryan Donato ended the rookie's bid for a third when he scored a goal for Seattle 11:26 into the third. It was the 26-year-old's second in as many games and came off a redirection of Carson Soucy's shot

from the point.

Donato puts Kraken on Board

Ryan Donato deflects a shot by Carson Soucy into the net, putting the Kraken on the board in the 2nd for a 3-1 game

 DONNY ON THE SPOT!!! KRAKEN ARE ON THE BOARD!

At the other end of the ice, Philipp Grubauer put on a strong performance. The final score belied the effort the German goalie gave in a surprise start (Martin Jones had been announced as the starter at morning skate). Carolina sent 66 pucks Grubauer's way, including 39 on target (a new season high

for Grubauer). He stopped all but three and turned away 1.47 more goals than he should have based on the shot quality he faced (per MoneyPuck.com). The performance was good enough to earn Grubauer his third quality start of the season. All three have come in his last five starts.

"Grubi was great tonight," Sprong said. "He made some big saves from start to finish and we have got to do a better job in front of him."

Morgan Geekie Joins NHL Now

Kraken forward Morgan Geekie joins NHL Now to discuss his transition to Seattle and the team's love for Mario Kart

By the Numbers

Daniel Sprong led all Kraken skaters in 5-on-5 shot quality according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

 The Kraken penalty kill has been called into action 15 times over the last five games and given up only two goals against. They were perfect in two opportunities tonight.

 Jordan Eberle led all Seattle players in controlled entries (6). 

 Matty Beniers led all skaters in possession time in the offensive zone with :42.

Here's a look at our data-driven Instant Analysis from Sportlogiq (Click HERE for how to read this graphic):

 “As the game went on we took more control, we just got to get rid of those grade-a chances that we gave up.”

Kraken Sound: Dave Hakstol - Dec. 15, 2022 Postgame

Kraken Sound: Ryan Donato - Dec. 15, 2022 Postgame

Kraken Sound: Daniel Sprong - Dec. 15, 2022 Postgame

Ryan Donato added a second goal with five seconds remaining in play but that was all the finishing the Kraken could muster on a night when they were also without Jamie Oleksiak and Justin Schultz on the blue line.

Donato Scores Late in The 3rd

Ryan Donato gets the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy with less than 5 seconds to go in the game, making it a 6-2 game in the 3rd period

Donato scores with just a few seconds left on the clock to make it 6-2, them.

"We had some decent spurts," Jaden Schwartz said. "I think in the second period, they had three goals in a 10-minute span so that was a big momentum swing for them. I thought for probably 40 minutes of the game, we worked hard. (We) probably didn't get to the inside enough in the offensive zone.

But yeah, that's that momentum is what hurt us in the second." 

What stood out? Let's dig in.

 Tonight marks Carson Soucy’s 200th @NHL game. Congrats, Carson!

Stormy Start

Tampa Bay got going as soon as the first puck dropped in this game. They generated the first five shot attempts of the game (which included the first goal against) and had two goals off ten shot attempts in the first 8:24 to Seattle's three. Ian Cole wired a puck through traffic with a shot from the blue

line, and Erik Cernak finished off a cross-slot pass from Brayden Point. Nikita Kucherov had the secondary assist on both goals getting him to 400 NHL assists in his career.

Thereafter, the Kraken started to find their legs. They began to get into the offensive zone for sustained work starting with a shift by the Alexander Wennberg-Jaden Schwartz-Andre Burakovsky line 11:28 into period one. The Kraken eventually pulled closer to Tampa Bay entering the offensive zone with

control 10 times (50% success rate) and firing off 22 shot attempts to the Lightning's 26 across the first 20 minutes of play.

 Always a great night watching our boys.⁦ @CJF_98 @fleury96⁩ #proudparents

 

*respectfully* no he’s ours now

 

 

Danger Zone

The start was so impactful in part because Tampa Bay ranks fourth in the NHL in passes to the slot as well as generating shots from that dangerous area. They established that game early against the Kraken. In the first period alone, they generated enough shot quality to earn 1.72 goals according to

Natural Stat Trick. This included eight shot attempts from the most dangerous areas to Seattle's one.

Jared McCann told ROOT Sports NW's Piper Shaw during the first intermission that his team needed to do a better job clogging lanes left available for both shots and passes. Arguably, the Kraken wanted to close up gaps against the Lightning skaters as well. Seattle did start the second period well in this

regard. After allowing seven passes to the slot in period one, Seattle allowed one in the middle frame. They also blocked 40-percent of all Tampa Bay shot attempts after getting in front of just 23.1-percent in period one. The result was that the Lightning had just 46.27-percent of all 5-on-5 shot quality

in the second period after earning 79.41-percent in the opening frame.

But while more lanes were closing, Tampa Bay skaters were able to still make the most of the space given to them. Corey Perry re-established the two-goal lead scoring off the rush with a lead pass just as the Lightning power play was about to expire. Quick follow-up goals by Point and Ross Colton

widened the gap to 5-1. Colton's goal came right after Dave Hakstol made a switch in net going from Philipp Grubauer to Martin Jones.

"We carried the play at the end of the first period we had a great second period," Dave Hakstol said. "We had one hell of a penalty kill in terms of our effort and execution you know, and you know, when that third goal went in that took a lot out of us."

Grubauer Saves Three In A Row

Philipp Grubauer makes two saves in a row and then tumbles to his side to save a third and cover it, defending the net against the Lightning

Managing Momentum

The three quick goals at the end of period three came within 3:23 of consecutive game time. While the opening penalty kill seemed to have provided a spark to the Kraken's play in the second period, Perry's goal with five seconds left in Seattle's second block of short-handed play started a waterfall of

scores against. It marked the ninth and tenth time this season the Kraken have allowed two opponent response goals, (the Kraken have had a response goal of their own ten times this season as well).

Yanni Gourde would try to swing the energy his team's way with a scrap five minutes into the final frame. Morgan Geekie brought physicality sparring with Cal Foote later, as well. But ultimately control of the flow of play wasn't in the cards for the visiting team that would allow one more goal by Steven

Stamkos, extending his point streak to 14 straight games. 

"We can be a little better to start the hockey game," Hakstol said. "When you come in on the road, we know you have to play a full 60 minutes. We got ourselves in a little bit of a hole, but we're able to dig out of that. We deserve a little bit better."

 "I thought we were really really good tonight that felt like how we were playing on that seven-game winning streak," Martin Jones said. "That was a really strong effort for us. . .we checked really well. When we're playing like that, we just make it really tough on teams to create any offense, anything

off the rush. And we just don't spend a ton of time in that zone. A really, really strong effort (tonight)."

What stood out? Let's dig in.

MARTIN. JONES. jonesy's stellar performance on the PK gets tonight's @WaFdBank Save of the Game Honors

Hit the when you sea the puck

 

Beniers Buries Opening Goal

Matty Beniers gets a feed in the slot and wires a one-timer into the back of the net, opening the scoring early in the 1st period

Welcome to the Matty Beniers show

 

 

 

MATTY OFF A BACKHAND PASS FROM CANNER!

 

Role Reversal

The last time these two teams met, Carter Verhaeghe was a thorn in the Kraken's side scoring the first two goals of the game to establish what ended up being an insurmountable lead. This game, the forward once again helped open the scoring, except this time it was for the other team. 51 seconds

into the game, Verhaeghe's shot rang off the crossbar. Ten seconds later the puck was in the other end of the ice and the Panther skater lost control of the puck. Jared McCann gathered it up and sent a backhand pass to Beniers in the slot who fired a one-timer past Bobrovsky for the first goal of the game.

 

fun day at the beach  , #seakraken fam

 

 

 

Gourde Scores Goal

Yanni Gourde scores against the Florida Panthers to make it 5-1

Check, Mate

The stat sheet may not always be able to reflect every puck battle, but the Kraken checking game was dialed in this game. The first goal came off a loose puck retrieval by McCann. After Eric Staal evened the score at 1-1, the second Seattle goal came off a perfectly timed takeaway by Oliver

Bjorkstrand at the top of the attack zone. The winger gained possession and sent the puck low where Yanni Gourde was able to retrieve it. For his 250^th career point, Gourde sent a feed from the half wall to Andre Burakovsky who buried from the top of the right circle for his tenth of the season. The

score also marked the tenth time this season the Kraken have scored a response goal right after an opponent's tally.

Burakovsky Wires Home a Shot

Andre Burakovsky gets the puck at the top of the circle and unloads a shot that finds the back of the net, giving the Kraken a 2-1 lead

Andre Burrrrrrr-akovsky Strikes again for his 10th Goal of the Season!

 

"I think we kept to it pretty good in the first (period)," Beniers said. "And then I think we've been. . . having trouble keeping our momentum so they had a good pushback, but I think we had another pushback after that. We were able to keep our momentum."

In the second period alone, there were multiple changes in possession that went the Kraken's way thanks to the effort from skaters like Carson Soucy and Beniers who denied more than a couple of scoring chances off Panthers skaters' sticks. The strong fight for puck control continued up and down the

lineup throughout all 60 minutes of play. On the official stat sheet, Florida was charged with 15 giveaways.

"Pregame we talked about it," Dave Hakstol said. "We talked about just getting back to who we are and a little bit better (in) five-on-five (play) in terms of all three zones, in terms of how we checked and skated. We did that tonight. That was a big, a big piece of our game."

Eberle Scores Goal

Jordan Eberle scores against the Florida Panthers to make it 3-1

EBS!!!!!!! 3-1, KRAKEN!

No Rest for the Weary

The Panthers returned home for Sunday's game after playing in Tampa Bay on Saturday night (a 1-4 loss). It marked the fourth time this season Florida has played in a back-to-back and they have yet to string together two wins in any of those pairings. The Panthers have only won one of the matches

in any two-game set once this season (Nov. 5-6). This was also the first time this season that goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has played both games in a back-to-back schedule. He did it once last season and won both games. This loss marked only the ninth time the goaltender has lost both matchups in

54 instances of playing two games in two days. 

The Kraken also took advantage of what may have been some tired legs by establishing the first lead of the game and re-setting it going into the second intermission. Going into this game, on the season, the Panthers are 0-6-1 when trailing after one and 0-8-1 when trailing after two. 

"I don't like talking about them being on a back-to-back," Yanni Gourde said. "I think we've done that...too often this year. And I think just focus on us, focus on what we can do, focus on our start. Doesn't matter whether they are back-to-back or if they are rested. We just have to go out there and play

our game."

Sprong's One-Timer PPG

Daniel Sprong gets a pass at the bottom of the circle and wires a one-timer into the cage, extending the Kraken's lead to 4-1 in the 3rd period

By the Numbers

The Kraken controlled offensive play throughout the game earning 52.86-percent of all shot attempts and 62.34-percent of all shot quality.

 Matty Beniers led all skaters in the game with a 3.59 game score. That's the third-highest of his career. He also led all skaters in individual shot quality with .53 expected goals (5-on-5).

 Each team had approximately 5:55 of power play time. Seattle made better use generating .8 expected goals to Florida's .5.

 In all situations, the Kraken successfully entered the zone 55.8-percent of the time and had 72 successful zone exits (86.1%).

Here's a look at our data-driven Instant Analysis from Sportlogiq (Click HERE for how to read this graphic):

Things we love to SEA:

Kraken Sound: Dave Hakstol - Dec. 11, 2022 Postgame

“That was a really strong effort from us, top to bottom.”

Kraken Sound: Matty Beniers - Dec. 11, 2022 Postgame

Kraken Sound: Yanni Gourde - Dec. 11, 2022 Postgame

Kraken Sound: Martin Jones - Dec. 11, 2022 Postgame

"The biggest problem was in the second period," Dave Hakstol said. "We couldn't find our legs, we couldn't find any momentum in that period."

What stood out? Let's dig in.

Grubauer Makes Triple Save

Philipp Grubauer dives and uses the pads to defend against three shots on goal in a row in the 3rd period

“WHAT A SAVE! TWICE! THREE TIMES THE CHARM!”

 

when you see it

 

 

 

 

Final Line of Defense Solid

Washington had the first four shots of the game and, in the initial period established an advantage in both shots (16) and shots on target (12). But on the Kraken side, goaltender Philipp Grubauer was having a strong start as well. He turned away all the pucks sent his way in the opening 20 minutes

and turned away all but 2 of the 36 pucks that were on target. This included grade-A chances from Conor Sheary and T.J. Oshie in period one; big back-to-back saves against Erik Gustafsson and Dylan Strome in period three and all eight of the pucks that came off the stick off Alex Ovechkin when

Grubauer was in net. 

"He was solid," Hakstol said. "He gave us a couple big saves in the first and third that came on a couple of flurries."

In all situations, according to NaturalStatTrick.com, the netminder turned away 2.34 more goals than should have been scored. In total, Washington fired 62 pucks toward the Kraken net.

Strong Start

Grubauer's strong play gave his team time to find the back of the net. With 2:13 to play, off a Morgan Geekie faceoff, Karson Kuhlman made a key play to gain possession and direct the puck back toward Adam Larsson. The blueliner had the lane to get his shot through traffic and past Charlie Lindgren

for the score. It marked the 18^th time this season that the Capitals have allowed the first goal of the game. That's the third most in the league. But also, for the third straight time, the Capitals found a way to battle back. 

"I thought the start was there today," Adam Larsson said. "We had a really good first period and they were better the second and the third was kind of even. It was a 2-1 game with a few minutes left. The game was right there for us."

The Big Cat pounces

 

THE BIG CAT!!!!!! 1-0, US!!!

 

Going Down a Skater

Dave Hakstol has placed a premium on special teams' play especially as teams get into the meat of the season. After a penalty-free first period, it was the Kraken that went down a skater first. A little over 4.5 minutes after Alexander Alexeyev scored his first NHL point (a secondary assist on the

Anthony Mantha goal), he was checked in the corner by Jamie Oleksiak. Alexeyev headed to the Capitals' room and the officials revised their penalty call to be a match penalty for an illegal check to the head. The penalty not only removed the Kraken defender from the game but gave Washington a five-

minute power play. The Kraken penalty kill fought valiantly including aggressive play by Yanni Gourde and Geekie who pushed play north, but with 1:33 left in the power play, Washington gained their first lead of the game. Sonny Milano passed a centering feed to Marcus Johansson net front who got the

puck up and after initial contact by Grubauer, it popped over him and into the net. That pushed the score to 2-1 in favor of the Capitals.

On the game as a whole, the remaining five defenders were effective in the extra minutes they absorbed. Adam Larsson took on most of the shifts with Justin Schultz after his usual partner left the game. And the penalty kill was perfect on the two other instances of short-handed play.

By the Numbers

In 5-on-5 play, the Kraken earned 45.50-percent of all shot attempts and 21.04-percent of all shot quality. They had possession in the offensive zone for 5:46. The Capitals had 7:09 of time in the attack zone.

 Grubauer's effort qualified as a Quality Start - his second of the season.

 While transition play was challenging, Alex Wennberg led all Kraken skaters with eight controlled entries and tied with Andre Burakovsky with 10 controlled exits.

 Adam Larsson led all Kraken skaters with six shot attempts.

Here's a look at our data-driven Instant Analysis from Sportlogiq (Click HERE for how to read this graphic):

Kraken Sound: Dave Hakstol - Dec. 9, 2022 Postgame

Kraken Sound: Philipp Grubauer - Dec. 9, 2022 Postgame

Kraken Sound: Adam Larsson - Dec. 9, 2022 Postgame

The Kraken were roaring to go to begin the final period-arriving on time, per the hockey saying. But two close-in, gaping net opportunities skittered away instead while Allen and teammates scrambled to keep the puck out of the net and keep the score at 4-2 Habs. But the game slogged more than

soared in the final minutes, with Montreal mounting scoring chances to help offset any Kraken momentum. Allen fended off any opportunities that made it to his net to prevent any Seattle climb-back into a regulation tie and potential overtime win. 

"You give up the goals that we did in the second period, those are hard to dig out from," said Kraken coach Dave Hakstol after the game. "Then the one later in the [second] period. They capitalized on those opportunities and made us pay for those."

The Kraken's record now stands at 15-7-3 with games in hand against first-place Vegas (two) and third-place Los Angeles (three). Their home record is 7-6-2 on the season and 8-1-1 on the road. The team leaves Wednesday for a four-game Eastern Conference swing against Washington (Friday),

Florida, Tampa Bay and Carolina over the next week. 

"We weren't efficient enough in terms of getting through the neutral zone, getting out of our zone," said Hakstol about what needs to improve before facing the Capitals Friday. 'Our play with the puck [in the defensive zone] has to get a little bit more organized and have a little bit more cohesion to it."

 

 

Let's Get LOUD for the Second! Jared McCann

 

Right Side of Scoring Chances, Wrong End of Scoreboard

Halfway through this final game of the early December homestand, the Kraken were outshooting Montreal 14 to 7. Six of the Seattle shots were Grade-A chances, as per Natural Stat Trick with one for the Canadiens. 

While the Kraken controlled the tempo and scoring chances during the first period and continued to generate a good handful of second-period scoring attempts on veteran goalie Jake Allen, the visitors were thriving on the twin video scoreboards. The 1-1 tie game to start the middle period vanished two

minutes and five seconds later when an Andre Burakovsky pass was intercepted by 23-year-old Montreal captain Nick Suzuki, who promptly moved the puck to linemate Cole Caufield for a 2-1 lead on American-born Caufield's 15^th goal of the year (breaking a team scoring-lead tie with Suzuki).

Off the ensuing center-ice restart faceoff, three Canadiens touched the puck over seven seconds to stun the Seattle crowd and establish a 3-1 lead. Rookie and No. 1 overall 2022 draft pick Juraj Slafkovsky started the scoring play and veteran Josh Anderson finished it, sending a shot past Martin Jones.

Dunner is all of us rn

 

 

Wright at Home

 

Down But Not Out?

The pace of the game and Kraken rushes seemed to slow during the second half of the middle period. To worry hometown fans, even more, Montreal managed a fourth goal from forward Rem Pitlick, his first goal of the year in nine games. When playing for the Minnesota Wild last season, Pitlick notched

a hat trick in a 4-2 Minnesota win against the Kraken during November of the inaugural season.

The Pitlick goal was scored with 80 seconds left in the middle 20 minutes. The Kraken maximized the time left to mount a final run in the offensive zone. With .9 seconds remaining, Jared McCann redirected yet another highlight-reel pass from Kraken-leading scoring and primo free-agent signee, Andre

Burakovsky.

It's McCann's 12^th goal of the year, tops among Kraken players while Burakovsky's 17^th assist leads the Seattle squad. SEA fans, players, and coaches alike retreated to the second intermission with hopes for a full comeback.

(Can)ner You Believe it?! with 0.9 Left on the Clock

WITH 00.9 LEFT IN THE PERIOD JARED MCCANN

 

 

Not the Story

While there was lots of temptation among Montreal media to size up Tuesday's game as a proving ground that 6-foot-3, 238-pound, Slovakia-born forward Juraj Slafkovsky was the better choice at No. 1 overall in this past summer's draft. For his part, the Kraken's top draft choice, Shane Wright, was

having none of it. He calmly and cheerfully answered all media questions Monday that he was viewing Tuesday's game as a chance to show the five-game conditioning loan to American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley was good for his game. 

Mission accomplished. Wright scored his first-ever NHL goal in the first period, with a net-front assist from linemate Oliver Bjorkstrand and a trademark puck battle and pass by Yanni Gourde. Wright, who scored four goals in five games for the Coachella Valley Firebirds, was ready for the feed from

Bjorkstrand. He one-timed it with the skill and speed of a seasoned pro. Jubilation on his face and mega-decibel cheers after the score then even louder when the goal was officially announced.

Wright's 1st Career Goal

Shane Wright gets the puck out front from Oliver Bjorkstrand and quickly snaps it in for his 1st NHL goal, tying the game at 1-1 in the 1st

Shane Wright Scores His First NHL Goal

Wright Place, Wright Time for Shane’s First @NHL Goal!

 

 

Shane’s First @NHL Goal!

 

 

Wright Place, Wright Time for Shane’s First @NHL Goal!

 

Another LOOK!! 

 

 

WRIGHT ON THE MONEY!!!!! SHANE WRIGHT'S FIRST @NHL GOAL!!!

 

Stick taps for the rook A night Shane will remember forever

 

 

"Obviously it's going to be something I'll remember for the rest of my life," said Wright after the game. "Everyone was pretty happy for me and congratulated me and told me to go get another one."

In fact, Wright nearly scored a second goal later in the first period and had a third legitimate scoring chance before his first of many NHL goals over what promises to be a stellar career. Wright also blocked a shot late in the opening frame that kept the game close. The three scoring chances were all

close to the net. 

The majority of the goals are scored from inside the blue paint inside the crease," said Wright, who handles media scrums like a veteran of 10 years. "If I want to score goals and create opportunities, that's where I've got to go."

For his part, Slafkovsky earned an assist on the first Montreal goal and was stoned on a solo mini-break by Martin Jones with 11 minutes left in the contest.

@PiperShawTV caught up with Shane Wright during the intermission to talk about his first NHL goal.

“It’s gonna be something I remember for the rest of my life.” - Shane Wright

Editor-in-Chief @bybobcondor shares three game essentials for fans to keep an eye on → https://bit.ly/3GE120622

Hero Of The Deep: Amy Bettle

The Kraken honored Amy Bettle as the Hero of the Deep during the game vs. the Canadiens. ORF will donate $32k to Spark Northwest in Amy's honor

"I think we're a little slow to pucks," said Jared McCann, who scored the lone Kraken goal. "We didn't have any jam ... We weren't playing the way we normally do. We had a good streak going. It's time to reset and refocus."  

"Many parts of our game weren't very good tonight," said Dave Hakstol post-game "That's a tough way to win a game. The bottom line: We take a day off tomorrow, get a day of practice and get back to work."

McCann Scores Goal

Jared McCann scores against the Florida Panthers to make it 2-1

Jared McCann, Canner Scoring Goals got us like

 

 IT'S CANNER TIME

 

Grubauer Gets Crowd Going

The "Gruuuuuuu" cheers for Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer began with starting lineup introductions and rose again several times in the first period. Thirteen minutes in the game, Grubauer had defended nine shots before surrendering a goal to Florida's Carter Verhaeghe while the Seattle goaltender

was scrambling to get upright after being flat on his back.

Grubauer had been knocked over by Florida defenseman Marc Staal right before the goal, leading Hakstol and his staff to challenge the score due to potential goalie interference. The Kraken lost the review (best guess because Grubauer was outside the blue paint of the crease when hit, though former

NHLer and Kraken analyst JT Brown said on-air he considered it interference). Verhaeghe was credited with his 13th goal of the year. Let's agree the home crowd was furiously and noisily displeased with the decision.

Florida coach Paul Maurice told reporters he saw it as a "hockey play" with Staal looking to retrieve the puck and easing up as the veteran defenseman realized he was going to collide with Grubauer. His counterpart had a different opinion and both head coaches know the interpretative nature of goalie

interference in today's NHL.

Yanni is just in a Silly, Goofy Mood

"I felt like a goaltender didn't have a chance to do his job," said Hakstol, adding there's 20 to 30 seconds to make a decision to challenge and that "we needed to stand up [for Grubauer] a little bit."

But Hakstol was clear he didn't see the unsuccessful review as the night's turning point. He instead identified the middle period and Florida's third goal as a game-changer.  

"We take an undisciplined penalty in a situation [Vince Dunn called for slashing in the neutral zone], then don't get the kill," said Hakstol about ensuing the result in the form of Matthew Tkachuk converting the second of three Florida man-advantage goals. "That puts us [back] to a two-goal deficit. We

had the opportunity to respond, which our team has been really efficient [during the seven-game win streak].

"We just couldn't get it done. We had the opportunity on the powerplay right after we went down 3-1."

Losing such a challenge begets a bench penalty for delay of game, leaving Seattle with a penalty kill to stave off further damage. But after Grubauer made an outstanding stop on major trade acquisition Matthew Tkachuk, Verhaeghe buried the rebound to make it 2-0. The two visitors' goals were scored

in 26 seconds.

20 minutes to go, let's get back in this

Grubauer made at least five great saves in the period, three of them after Florida took the two-goal lead. The Kraken penalty killers (featuring a trio of Grubauer saves in the first minutes and several clears in the second minute) doused a late-period Panthers power play. Just before intermission, Matty

Beniers had a primo chance to cut the lead to 2-1 but couldn't elevate a close-in over prone FLA goalie Spencer Knight. Both goaltenders turned in a quality period.

 

 

Reverse, reverse - cha cha now y'all!

 

This weekend only, use code RETRO for free shipping on our reverse retro jerseys → https://bit.ly/KrakenTeamStore

 

 

Chasing the Game

The second period started with promise for the full house here at Climate Pledge Arena. After high-volume refereeing booing in the first period, fans generated Seattle-worthy decibels when Jared McCann gathered a rebound to go backhand to receive the feed than his lefty forehand to shoot and beat

Knight. 

The scoring play actually started with McCann disrupting a Florida attempt to clear the puck from the goal line, tipping the puck to Eberle on the side boards. Eberle, from one knee on the ice, nonetheless shot the puck on net. Knight made the initial save before McCann roused the crowd. McCann took

the team lead with his 11^th goal and Eberle tied Andre Burakovsky for the team lead in assists (16).

Third and Long 'Knight'

The chasing and hot pursuit of a second Kraken goal continued into the third period. The Beniers line made a strong dash with Eberle getting a pass to Beniers for a one-timer that Knight smothered. Just a couple handfuls of seconds later, Grubauer made a huge stop net-front to keep Kraken chances alive. 

But eight minutes in the final frame, Florida racked up a fourth goal and seemingly doomed any notions of a full comeback. Even the hearty and loud home faithful uncharacteristically quieted for about a half minute before cheering a big hit. The clock was no friend of Seattle and the home squad lost for

the first time in eight games, busting up a four-game winning streak at home.

“We got to shake it off, and we got to get back to work.” Hear more from Soucy, McCann & Coach Hakstol on the adjustments the #SeaKraken will make moving forward following tonight’s loss → http://bit.ly/KrakenYT22

Hero Of The Deep: Adrienne Hall

The Kraken honored Adrienne Hall as the Hero of the Deep during the game vs. the Florida Panthers.

Beniers Streak Continues in Dramatic Fashion

Earlier Thursday, Vegas rookie goaltender Logan Thompson was named NHL Rookie of the Month by the league, in large part for Thompson's 8-2 record. The guess here is if November had 31 days instead of the standard 30, Beniers might have nudged past the Vegas goalie. Beniers is riding a six-game

point streak with five goals and seven assists. That's 2 points per game. And that's just the last week of the month. For the season, he has 20 points in 22 games.

"I don't know if I've seen that before," said veteran forward Jaden Schwartz. "That happened quick ... I think I was grabbing water, looked up and [Beniers] was on a breakaway. They [Beniers and Burakovsky] were hungry off the faceoff there. We were ready and we're super happy for him."

[Matty] has been awesome for us. He's a hard-working kid and learns from other guys and he's hungry to win. He's hungry to score goals. It's nice to have that and definitely brings a spark to our team and excitement for us and excitement for the fans too."

While Schwartz looked up from a drink of water, Dave Hakstol said, smiling, his quick thought seeing the Beniers breakaway was "shoot it in the net." 

I don't care if it's overtime ... or five on five in the middle of the game," said Hakstol, who broke out into a grin a few times during his media scrum. "It comes down to little battles like that, right? It's all about your battle level and your 50-50 puck wins."

 #SeaKraken

 

Back to Their Best Look

After recent high-scoring games, the Kraken found their tight-knit defensive selves Thursday but took a bit longer to convert on the offensive end. After halving a 2-0 lead late second period, Daniel Sprong grabbed ahold of the puck, deked, and dangled laterally deep in the Washington zone to lift a

backhand shot at Caps goalie Darcy Kuemper. The save was made but the rebound was fair game. Yanni Gourde rammed it past Kuemper for his third goal of the year and the game-tying.

Gourde Evens Game Late

Yanni Gourde grabs a rebound out front and sends it in on the backhand to tie the game at 2-2 with 2:27 remaining in the 3rd period

Yanni Gourde, NO QUIT IN THIS TEAM!!

 

GOURDE TIES IT UP WITH 2:27 TO GO!!!!!

"I thought we played like we're used to seeing how the Kraken win games," said Gourde. "This is exactly the type of game that we want to be in. I'm not saying down by two in the third [period] but a close game that's tight all the way through. We didn't give up too many chances. Grubi was

phenomenal [when there were chances] and we just kept grinding away."

Second-Period Surge Lasts into Third

With seven minutes left in the second period, the shots on goal count was 18 total, with both teams in single digits with nine apiece. Per Natural Stat Trick, Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer faced five Grade-A scoring chances compared to one for Seattle against 2022 Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Darcy

Kuemper (who signed with the Capitals after a championship season with Colorado).

In those next seven minutes, the Kraken added three Grade-A chances, including a power play score by SEA forward Jaden Schwartz, who converted a Vince Dunn bank shot off the back boards to cut the lead to 2-1. Andre Burakovsky earned an assist for starting the play and now has five goals and

five assists in his last five games. He assisted on the OT winner too.

Schwartz Taps In Loose Puck on PP

Jaden Schwartz gets to the loose puck out front first and sends it in with a wrist shot on the power play to make it 2-1 in the 2nd period

SCHWARTZY!!!!! good guys get on the board

One shift later, Jordan Eberle took an elite pass from rookie star Matty Beniers and looked like he was about to knot this physical, taut game. Eberle's shot rung a goal post instead and Beniers couldn't collect the spinning, rolling puck on a rebound attempt. 

The Schwartz goal clearly energized the Beniers line. Just seconds later, the puck was in the Kraken offensive zone and on the stick of third linemate Jared McCann. No goal ensued but the rest of the period was exciting for fans.

Grubauer Keeps Kraken In It

Philipp Grubauer sticks out his left pad and makes a save on Evgeny Kuznetsov to keep the Capitals from increasing their lead in the 2nd period

Philipp Grubauer, GRUBI WITH THE SLIDING SAVE brb cataloguing this under things we Love to Sea

Grubauer's Night

The aforementioned end-of-second-period action might have been a little too exciting. Phillip Grubauer, facing the team that drafted him and with whom he won a Stanley Cup, made a huge net-front stop on Evgeny Kuznetsov with 70 seconds left in the period. It could easily have been a 3-1 score

going into the second intermission with no blame on Grubauer on the would-be third goal. 

Grubauer made a big stop toward the end of the first period, too, keeping the score at a manageable 2-0 deficit for Seattle after the opening frame. On that play, offensive-minded Caps defenseman Erik Gustafsson fired a shot from the left point that his defense partner and future Hall of Famer John

Carlson expertly tipped outside the Kraken crease. Carlson was likely anticipating his eighth goal of the year (high for any NHLer at the quarter-mark, especially so for a D-man) but smothered the attempt.

More Grubi high points: He made two big saves on Alex Ovechkin during a second-period Caps power play, both one-timers from his "office" at the left faceoff circle. Grubauer really stretched on the second attempt. You just know those two had their share of showdowns in practice during Grubauer's

time in D.C.

There were more timely saves for Grubauer during the third period, keeping the game and fans' hopes alive. Two games into his return from a lengthy stint on injured reserve, it appears the Kraken might be featuring a goaltender tandem that will keep their squad in the hunt for standings point most

nights if not every night. 

"Grubi was big," said alternate captain Schwartz. "He made some big, timely saves for us. There might have been probably a handful of close calls and he allowed us to get that comeback. I'm super happy for him with missing some time with injury."

Ovechkin Fuels Early Lead

The home crowd welcomed the Kraken back with loud cheers during the starting lineup introductions, but the rest of the opening 20 didn't satisfy. The visiting Washington Capitals scored first, with a foiled Alex Ovechkin shot bouncing right to teammate Martin Fehervary, who scored his second goal on

year on a bullet train of a shot. 

Ovechkin, who is nearing 800 career goals picked up his second assist of the first period with a secondary assist on a power play score by Conor Sheary. The tic-tac-toe goal started with Ovechkin, moved quickly to former Kraken forward Marcus Johansson, then to Sheary (eight goals on the year).

Washington's man-advantage goal came with Jordan Eberle whistled off for tripping inside seven minutes remaining in the period. Trouble is, Eberle was in the box sitting next to Yanni Gourde, who was serving a five-minute fighting penalty drawn in a lengthy scrap with Caps alternate captain T.J. Oshie.

It certainly roused the Climate Pledge Arena full house, featuring fan-favorite Gourde trading blows with Mountlake Terrace native Oshie. Both benches reacted as if their guy won. It all started when Gourde took exception to Oshie dropping a hard hit on Kraken linemate Brandon Tanev. 

"Awesome," said SEA defenseman Carson Soucy when asked by ROOT SPORTS' Piper Shaw during the first intermission about Gourde's fisticuffs. "He's sticking up for his teammate. He's a warrior night in and night out."

To be frank, the overtime didn't entirely cheer up players like Jared McCann and Andre Burakovsky, who both scored two goals on the night. They were practically glum talking about surrendering so many goals and leaving goalie Martin Jones without much a chance on most of the scores. Both said it

was imperative the team get back to "who we are" and how the Kraken played during most of the current six-game winning streak and throughout a November that included a five-game winning streak as well (with one October game in that win streak). And their coach agreed.

"It's not a formula that anybody wants to duplicate, but we did get two points out of it," said Dave Hakstol. "It's the end of a long divisional run here [the Kraken swept all five games]. We get a day off tomorrow. We get to clear our heads. We don't have a day of practice. We don't need a day of

practice. We just need to get back to it when we get back and play at home here in two days."

The overtime was as thrilling and crazy as the rest of this memorable game. Andre Burakovsky scored his second goal of the Wild Night to bring a 9-8 victory to Seattle, with the primary assist going to Jordan Eberle, his fourth of the night. There was joy and relief on the ice and Kraken bench.

Burakovsky Nets Kraken's 8th Goal

From behind the net, Alex Wennberg feeds the puck to Andre Burakovsky, who snaps a shot from the circle to make it 8-6 in the 2nd

'Touchdown, Seattle Kraken' has a nice ring to it. shoutout to whoever has Bjorky on their fantasy football team.

Believe It or Not, Part 1

Crazy fact: When Oliver Bjorkstrand scored the Kraken's seventh goal mid-second period, it moved the score to 7-5 in favor of Seattle. It was the first two-goal lead of the game for either team. The Kraken and Kings effectively traded goals during the previous 11 scores here in a game that was not

conducive to making a sandwich in the kitchen or otherwise taking your eyes off John Forslund and JT Brown calling the game on ROOT SPORTS.

OT is Underway Justin Schultz Schwartzy, Wenny, Lars & Jonesy in Net

Sprong Scores Goal

Daniel Sprong scores against the Los Angeles Kings to make it 6-5

SPRONG GETS IN ON THE FUN!!! 6-5, good guys.

Bjorkstrand Scores Goal

Oliver Bjorkstrand scores against the Los Angeles Kings to make it 7-5

McCann Nets 2nd Of Game

Jared McCann gets the puck from Adam Larsson and slaps it in for his 10th goal of the season and 2nd of the game to make it 5-4 in the 2nd

Betcha Jared Can't Score Agai---YES, HE MCCANN!

 

YES, HE MCCANN!!! *whispers* now lets pls keep it this way

Believe It or Not, Part 2

Despite the gaudy numbers on the scoreboard, Kraken goalie Martin Jones made several huge saves to keep the game at 1-1 and 2-2 during the first-period fireworks, stopping the likes of LA forwards Blake Lizotte and Trevor Moore. When Seattle went up 7-5, Jones and the penalty kills doused the two

minutes in large part due to spectacular saves by Jones against Viktor Arvidsson on a breakaway, plus close-in attempts by free-agent signee Kevin Fiala, Arthur Kaliyev (who scored two power plays in a Sunday win over Ottawa) and perennial all-star Anze Kopitar. Jones ended the night stopping 27 of

the 35 pucks sent on goal.

Of course, Los Angeles narrowed the lead yet again to make it 7-6 right after the late-second period ended and before a fifth Kraken player could skate to the scene. Before Andre Burakovsky joined the free-for-all scoresheet inside of the final minute of the second period, Jones made one more monster

stop on Kaliyev, who grimaced for a second time in short order at not getting the puck past Jones. Credit to Dave Hakstol and his staff, who watched LA change goalies but held firm with a player who had been in net for 11 previous wins this season and clearly is highly capable of making the "timely

saves" that Hakstol describes as a necessary agreement on not just penalty kills but at times when another goal can give the opponent momentum and game control. 

"Zero," said Hakstol when asked if he gave any consideration to pulling Jones. "Through the first half the hockey game, whatever it was at the halfway point, it was a 7-5 hockey game and he had made four or five outstanding saves. I don't believe he had a whole lot of opportunity on the ones that went

by him."

Beniers Lights Lamp Again

Matty Beniers gets a feed from Jordan Eberle and snaps home a shot from out front to give the Kraken a 4-3 lead in the 2nd period

ATTY x2

 

THE KID IS ON FIRE!!!! MATTY PUTS US BACK OUT ON FRONT!

Believe it or Not, Part 3

We can keep doing this the entire plane ride back to Seattle, but let's contain it to one more section of have-to-see-it-to-believe-it material will do for now. The Kraken won their sixth straight game, breaking the franchise record five-game win streak they set earlier this month-as in November, in which

the squad posted a 10-1-1 record. It's the sixth straight win over Pacific Division opponents dating back to a Nov. 1 road win over Calgary and including the last five games played this month (LA at home, San Jose at home, in Vegas, in Anaheim, and here in LA). The nine goals break a record that

Kraken set less than a week ago on Thanksgiving Eve. 

There's more: The Kraken's last two road trips have resulted in a pair of three-game sweeps. The team is 8-1-1 on the road. Matty Beniers has 12 points in his last five games, including two goals Tuesday, his eighth and ninth of the season. It's his first multi-goal game and won't be the last. Jordan

Eberle notched four assists and has 13 points in the last nine games. Justin Schultz notched three assists of his own and now has 10 points in his last six games. 

Whew, one more item: Hockey broadcast legend, on-air personality, and must-follow Twitter contributor John Shannon let the rest of us know the longest time between goals in the first two periods was five minutes and 46 seconds of playing time.

Wennberg's PPG Gives Kraken Lead

Alex Wennberg gets a piece of Daniel Sprong's shot from the circle on the power play to make it a 3-2 game in the 1st period

First Things First

The Kings scored first and fast, 16 seconds into this final of three divisional games on the road trip. In the first of two power play goals for Seattle, rookie rock star Matty Beniers scored his eighth goal of the year, sending a heads-up chance pass to Alex Wennberg net front. Wennberg attempted to tip

the puck past two-time Stanley Cup-winning goalie Jonathan Quick. The Kings goalie made the save but rebounded out front where Beniers had smartly skated to after the pass. It was Beniers' third goal in the last five games to go with seven assists during the same stretch.

Beniers Grabs Rebound For PPG

Matty Beniers gets a rebound in the slot and snaps a shot past Jonathan Quick on the power play to even the game at 1-1 in the 1st period

It’s a Me, Matty!  Matty Beniers

Matty Beniers’ first-period goal extends his point streak to five games, matching his career high that he has reached on two previous occasions.

The rookie now has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in his last five games played.

Three minutes later, Jordan Eberle was working the puck behind the Los Angeles goal line, getting LAK defenseman Mikey Anderson to pursue. Instead of turning toward the goal, the veteran alternate captain took a couple of strides toward the blue line, then abruptly and gracefully reversed, shaking

free of Anderson and sending the puck to linemate Jared McCann for a quick tap-in with long-time Kings defenseman coming to cover McCann too late.

Problem is, the "High Noon" thing was just gearing up. One shift later, Kraken D-man Vince Dunn was whistled for a two-minute roughing penalty when he ripped the helmet off LA forward Blake Lizotte. The Kings scored nine seconds later to tie matters at two goals apiece. 

The Pacific Division squads traded power-play goals to make it 3-3 before 20 minutes could expire and both coaching staffs could retreat to the locker room whiteboards or whatever they could conjure to get this back to the systems both Seattle's Dave Hakstol and LA's Todd McLellan likes to play. In

total, 12 different players from SEA and LA logged at least one point (goal or assist in the opening period).

#SeaKraken #FIFAWorldCup

more chances to see our Reverse Retro Jerseys in Action, Pres. by @pepsi Secure your seats → https://bit.ly/SeaSGT2022

 

 

It's Sprong's fourth goal and 11^th point in 14 games. He had a goal and assist here. It was also Beniers' third point of the night (a goal and two assists) and ninth in his last four games. He leads all NHL rookies in scoring with seven goals and 11 assists.

Donato proceeded to act as a decoy net front (he's deft at getting to the crease). It afforded Sprong plenty of ice and time to get to the far side of the Anaheim net. Ducks goalie John Gibson, moving over to track Sprong, was disrupted by two ANA defensemen (Kevin Shattenkirk and Nathan Beaulieu)

falling backward onto him. Sprong made sure to bury the puck into the gaping net. Gibson immediately left the game with backup Anthony Stolarz replacing him.

Sprong Takes The Lead

Daniel Sprong puts a backhander into a wide-open net to give the Kraken a 5-4 lead in the 3rd period

Ding dong, it's Daniel Sprong!!

"We were on a breakout and then Donnie gave it to me, when I wanted to dump in the puck and go for a long change," said Sprong when asked about the scoring sequence. "I think it ended up hitting [Mason] McTavish in the foot and came right back to me in a slot."

Sprong said he appreciates the regular playing time he's received after missing some early games due to a visa issue and ensuing healthy scratches to get back to game shape.

"It's a little bit easier mentally," he said. "You don't have to think about if you're in or out. But we have a really good, deep team. Every night there's different guys stepping up ... I think we're a really tight group in here [locker room]. We're all happy for each other and our goal is to win games and it

doesn't matter who gets it done."

Dave Hakstol told the post-game media scrum he liked what his squad got done in the third period after Sprong regained the lead for the Kraken. He was especially pleased with the consistent forechecking pressure.

"It was good to go flip the switch, lock it down a little bit and play a good 20 minutes on the road," said Hakstol.

Beniers Buries Rebound For PPG

Daniel Sprong's shot rebounds right to Matty Beniers, who puts it home for a power-play goal that makes it 4-2 in the 2nd period

MATTY ICE He has eight points in the last four games!

 

 

Jones Delivers Again

After Sprong's game-winner, the rest of the period was a proverbial nail-biting time for Seattle fans. Jones continued his stellar work after the fourth goal was scored late second period. He made a pair of vital saves (ones not every NHL goaltender makes) in the final period to keep the one-goal lead.

True to what his teammates and head coach say about him, Jones was in position, calm and poised, making saves, including letting the puck hit him, to deny the home crowd one more goal roar. Jones is now 11-4-2 on the season.

Jones' teammates played with equal poise to keep Anaheim from getting too many scary chances, especially deploying rigorous and effective forechecking plus a bevy of blocked shots. Stolarz was pulled with a bit more than two minutes remaining, but Seattle gave up little in that final span.

"When you get those types of saves at the right time," said Hakstol, "it gives us a chance to get into the intermission. Then take a deep breath and then go back at it ... Then he's got two timely saves in the third period in which we gave up very, very little. But again, you need to have those saves or it

can be a tough night."

"You can look at the second period, there's stretches where Jonesy had no work. All of a sudden, we've [facing] two power plays in a row coming at us and he's got chaos around him. That's not an easy game for a goaltender to play. When you find those he saves, that's why we're standing here talking

about a win."

 #Seakraken fam

 

 

 

 

Timely Save after Pair of Disappointing Penalties

Lost among the two late second-period Anaheim power play goals was a big and timely save by Martin Jones right after veteran winger Adam Henrique tied this back-and-forth at 4-4. Just 17 seconds following Anaheim came back from a 3-1 deficit, Vince Dunn lost the handle on a puck and Anaheim

free-agent center Ryan Strome took advantage with a wide-open chance on Jones, who turned away the backhanded shot attempt to keep this game in hand.

 

First of All ... 

Seattle struck first with goal 33 seconds into the game. Matty Beniers steers a face off to the right side wall. Jordan Eberle gives extra effort, sending the puck net from his knees. Linemate Jared McCann was there to slip in his eighth goal of the season before Ducks goalie John Gibson could react.

It was Eberle's 11^th assist of the season and the 10^th for Beniers, who leads all NHL rookies in scoring. McCann takes over the team lead in goals, tied with Andre Burakovsky going into Sunday's road affair.

Seven minutes into the opening period, the Kraken entered the Anaheim zone with a 3-on-1 break courtesy of a Ducks defenseman pinching up into the play and then sliding to the ice in the neutral zone. Defenseman and alternate captain Adam Larsson started the scoring sequence with a dart-like

pass to Burakovsky, who one-timed a pass to fellow Swede and first-liner Alex Wennberg at the right post. Wennberg, a magician with the stick, dangled and, abracadabra, puck in the net to make it 2-0. Burakovsky logged his team-leading 14^th assist on the goal

Storybook Bookend

When Daniel Sprong was whistled for a hooking penalty mid-period, the Kraken penalty killers snuffed out an offensively-talented Anaheim group. Less than two minutes later, the PK couldn't repeat the feat. Troy Terry, who scored twice in the Oct. 12 season opener for both teams that ended in a 5-4

Ducks overtime win here at Honda Center, tallied his third against Seattle this season (including the October OT winner). Terry, given too much time and space net front, did his own abracadabra dangling, to tighten the contest.

But, in the Kraken 2022-23 mode of finding ways to win, the Yanni Gourde line generated a scoring chance in the final minute. Gourde retrieved a puck from exiting the offensive zone, sending it back to the Ducks' goal line, where Oliver Bjorkstrand collected. Bjorkstrand deked a pair of defenders

wheeling at the left faceoff circle. He moved the puck to Vince Dunn, who moved up for a shot with patience, still 15 to 20 feet, beating ANA goalie Gibson clean. It marked Seattle's 16^th defenseman goal of the season, second in the NHL. Only the New York Islanders have more, with 18 but in two more

games than the Kraken.

When asked about winning on his birthday, Grubauer smiled and said, "Besides my dog, the two points are the best birthday gift I've received."

"not on my birthday!" -grubi, probably don't miss tonight's @wafdbank Save of the Game!

Jackpot!

 Knighted

 

Anotha one added to our 'hockey pics that go hard' folder.

 

 

THIS. TEAM.

 

 

 

 

 

Let's Finish this One Out! GRUUU

 

Seconding the Motion and Emotion

With Philipp Grubauer doing his job by making several big saves in the middle period, including four Grade-A chances per Natural Stat Trick, the Kraken dropped a two-spot on Vegas with Jamie Oleksiak first setting up Andre Burakovsky's second goal of the night (another elite shot from longer range, a

big reason GM Ron Francis signed the two-time Stanley Cup winner), then Matty Beniers executing yet another highlight-reel pass to linemate Jordan Eberle, who was stopped by Vegas goalie Adin Hill on the first attempt, but Eberle stayed with the puck and elevated the rebound over the prone VGK

goalie to make it 4-2.

Some cleanup details: Eberle now has five goals in his last seven games; he looked particularly jazzed to score on the second try, putting on a clinic lately in driving the net. Beniers leads all NHL rookies in scoring. Grubauer's best save of the period was a glove stop on Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore

right at net-front. And, oh yeah, Burakovsky almost notched a hat trick in the final minute of the middle frame.

Eberle Sticks With It and Scores

Jordan Eberle toe-drags around a defender, gets his initial shot stopped but follows it up and scores, extending the Kraken lead to 4-2

Viva Las Ebs! Jordan Eberle

 

DAD STRENGTH ACTIVATED EBS EXTENDS THE LEAD!!

 

Right Start, Wrong Turn

This Friday night showdown couldn't have started any better for the visiting Kraken with Ryan Donato and Andre Burakovsky both scoring goals in the first eight minutes and both scoring a goal for a second straight game. But Vegas reorganized the momentum, first scoring late on a power play and just

over two minutes tying the game when an unfortunate bounce off Carson Soucy's stick (with the Kraken D-man making the right play with wrong puck luck) pinballed to well-traveled veteran goal scorer Phil Kessel.

Burakovsky Scores Goal

Andre Burakovsky scores against the Vegas Golden Knights to make it 2-0

Things We Love to Sea Burky's First Multi-Goal Game with the #SeaKraken!

 

#BURKYSMIRK AGAIN!!! 3-2, Good Guys with Great Jerseys.

 

The opening period finished with 9 shots (four Grade-A chancers per Natural Stat Trick) for the Kraken and nine off the sticks of Vegas. After the score knotted at two goals apiece, Grubauer made a couple of key saves to keep matters tied after 20 minutes, aspiring to coach Dave Hakstol's penchant for

timely saves. The Grubauer hold-the-line work continued into the second period, with an early save on Shea Theodore.

Kraken coach Dave Hakstol was pleased with the win, but like returning goalie Grubauer emphasized, "you can't get too high or too low" over the long season. For Hakstol's part, he views Friday's big win as a more important divisional win and less redemption against Vegas. But that doesn't mean fans

can't savor the victory. In any case, Hakstol was satisfied with the effort on the ice.  

"We're not looking for a measuring stick," said Hakstol when asked about gauging progress with a win over first-in-conference Vegas. "We're looking to win games. This was an important two points here on the road. We beat a good team here tonight." 

Defense on the Offense

Kraken defensemen have scored 15 goals this season with Jamie Oleksiak leading the way with four goals in 15 games (halfway to his career-best). The 15 goals represent nearly a quarter of Seattle's 66 goals. Only the New York Islanders have more defenseman goals. By comparison, Vegas D-men

have notched eight goals, or roughly 10 percent of the Golden Knights' 77 scores, but are second-best in the NHL in total points (translating to a plethora of assists).  

Jamie Oleksiak didn't score Friday night in Nevada but his rink-long rush in the second period drew two VGK defenders, affording time and space for suddenly hot Andre Burakovsky. Oleksiak was at the Vegas goal line when he nimbly spun his 6-7, 257-pound frame 360 degrees to feed the puck to

Burakovsky. The Kraken sharpshooter beat Vegas goalie Adin Hill short side and retook the lead for his second goal of the game and seventh of the season. He now has 10 points in the last seven games.

Burakovsky Nets His Second

Andre Burakovsky gets to the center of the circle and snaps a shot into the back of the cage, giving the Kraken a 3-2 lead in the 2nd period

#BURKYSMIRK AGAIN!!!

 

It should be noted the Kraken's opening goal was set up by an Adam Larsson one-timer shot from the blue line, stopped by VGK goalie Hill but left near-crease for Donato to start the night's scoring. Larsson was one of the last shooters to leave the ice during warmups, maybe he had something in mind. 

"Lately we're getting rewarded when we got pucks," said Larsson. "[The first goal] was a prime example. Just close your eyes and shoot. It landed pretty much on [Donato's] stick, so that was nice." 

In his own manner, Larsson was effusive about the Friday night victory and the 18th and 19th points of a possible 22 standings points in the last 11 games.  

"I thought it was a great, great team win today," said Larsson "There's lots of big blocks, and that kind of fires up the boys ... and Grubi played great."

 

First Goal First for Donato

Ryan Donato scored the first-ever goal here in Vegas during the Kraken's first-ever game last season. He did it again early first-period Friday in a late-afternoon start, staying upright in front of the Vegas net to snag and shoot a rebound off SEA defenseman Adam Larsson's shot from the point. It's

Donato's second goal in two games and he continues to be one of the most effective net-front scorers and scrappers for Seattle.

Donato Sweeps in Opening Goal

Ryan Donato sets up in front of the net, finds a rebound and sends it into the back of the cage, giving the Kraken a 1-0 lead in the 1st period

Fun Fact Friday

Last year Donny scored the #SeaKraken first-ever goal right here in Vegas, so it’s only right that he scores again tonight.

SPECIAL DELIVERY!!! DONNY PUTS US ON THE BOARD FIRST!

First-Quarter Numbers

Friday's Vegas matchup is the 20^th game of the season for the Kraken. While it's too early to be closely watching the Pacific Division or Western Conference standings - Kraken play-by-play man extraordinaire John Forslund says he doesn't take it seriously until after the winter holidays - there is one

school of hockey thought that NHL teams need to start worrying if they are not in one of the eight playoff spots in each conference by Thanksgiving. 

According to NHL Stats, since the 2005-06 season, 76.3 percent of teams in a playoff position on Thanksgiving Day made the playoffs. That excludes the 2019-20 season paused in March due to COVID-19 and eventually included 12 teams from each conference. Same for the 2012-13 and 2020-21

seasons because neither started before the day of gratitude.

Three-time Stanley Cup winner Mark Recchi, who has worked as an assistant coach with Pittsburgh and New Jersey, wrote in a recent "Coaches Room" NHL.com column that the "Thanksgiving deadline" was definitely a topic of discussion by both Penguins and Devils coaches.

As per usual at the quarter mark of the league's season, the NHL Stats crew also assembles fun facts and trends. Here's a "by the numbers" sampling relevant to Friday's showdown in Vegas: 

6 - Number of non-playoff teams from 2022 that currently hold a playoff spot: New Jersey (No. 1 in Metropolitan), NY Islanders (No. 2 in Metropolitan), Detroit (No. 3 in Atlantic), Vegas (No. 1 in Pacific), Seattle (No. 2 in Pacific) and Winnipeg (No. 3 in Central). There has been a playoff turnover of at

least five teams in every season under the wild card format.

13 - Number of teams in NHL history that have produced a year-over-year improvement of 35+ standings points (min. 80 GP in first season) - the Devils (+68 points), Kraken (+48 points) and Golden Knights (+35 points) all are on pace to do so in 2022-23. 

22 - Number of teams currently with a point percentage .500 or higher, including seven outside the playoff picture last season (New Jersey, Vegas, Seattle, Winnipeg, Detroit, NY Islanders, and Montreal).

After one period, it looked like the Kraken might slip back to the .500 overall mark at home, trailing 2-1 after 20 minutes. The Kraken responded to the first-intermission deficit with three straight second-period goals (Vince Dunn, Ryan Donato, Jamie Oleksiak) to take a 4-2 lead.

MATTY BENIERS Time To Get KRAKEN

 

Oleksiak's Tip-In Goal

THE BIG RIG!!!! Jamie Oleksiak gets his stick on Justin Schultz's shot from the point to increase the Kraken's lead to 4-2 in the 2nd period

THE BIG RIG!!!! KRAKEN GOING OFF RN!

Sharks star Timo Meier, calling for a pass with loud rapping of his stick on the ice, narrowed matters to 4-3 with his second goal of the night, but the Kraken skated off for the second intermission with the lead. But the breathing room took a gut punch when San Jose tied matters at 4-4 exactly one

minute into the third period.

Seattle's 70-Second Surge

Less than two minutes later, qualifying statistically as a response goal, Oliver Bjorkstrand broke an 18-game goal drought to score his second goal of the year, nudging the score to 5-4 Kraken. The scoring play started with Brandon Tanev forechecking a puck away from a Shark in the SJS zone.

Linemate Yanni Gourde collected the loose puck and moved it quickly to Bjorkstrand, who patiently but with purpose waited for Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to move low to the ice, flipping the puck and in.

Bjorkstrand's Sweet Backhander

Oliver Bjorkstrand gets a feed from Yanni Gourde and lifts a backhander into the net to give the Kraken a 5-4 lead in the 3rd period

WHAT A MOVE OLIVERRRRRRR TAKE BACK THE LEAD!!!

Seventy seconds later, Matty Beniers entered the San Jose zone and found Andre Burakovsky, who in turn made yet another elite pass and the ultimate primary assist on Jaden Schwartz's sixth goal of the year. Schwartz, always with the veteran move, snapped the puck as soon as he receive the puck.

Kahkonen didn't have a chance and Seattle moved back in control of the night. They have now earned 17 of a possible 20 points in their last 10 games.

Schwartz Increases Kraken's Lead

Jaden Schwartz gets a pass from Andre Burakovsky and fires a snap shot from the slot to make it 6-4 in the 3rd period

A One Goal Lead just wasn’t good enough for Schwartzy

 

AGAIN SCHWARTZ MAKES IT 6-4

 

Schwartz Lights Lamp Again

Jaden Schwartz launches the puck at the empty net from the neutral zone to increase the Kraken's lead to 8-5 in the 3rd period

Donato Puts Kraken On Top

Ryan Donato gets a pass from Daniel Sprong and snaps a shot home from out front to give the Kraken a 3-2 lead in the 2nd period

DONATO DELIVERS, Y'ALL!

When asked about the high-scoring 13-goal affair, Dave Hakstol said, "Sometimes there's just nights like this ... it kind of had that feel right from the go. I look at our goaltender [Martin Jones] and he didn't let in a bad goal tonight and he made some huge saves. You've gotta win games all different

ways. This isn't the way you draw it up but you've got to find a way to win hockey games."

"I think it was a game going back and forth a lot," said Burakovsky who capped his night with a goal and two assists. "I think we're doing a really good job taking care of the chances that we created and chances given to us. It was really good to see so many players contributing on the offensive side

and defensive side .. but overall two points is two points so great win."

Jones says "NOPE" in tonight's @WAFDbank Save of the Game!

Jones Makes Save

Martin Jones makes a save on Matt Nieto in the 3rd period

Burakovsky Evens Game With PPG

Andre Burakovsky gets a feed from Vince Dunn and fires a wrister from the circle on the power play to tie the game at 1-1 in the 1st period

Vince Dunn Serving up some Thanksgiving Dunner tonight

Matty Beniers made several end-to-end rushes Wednesday night. Get used to it in all good ways, Kraken fans. He started taking control of a shift, even power plays, as early as his second game last season, fresh from the NCAA. He will only grow more confident in moving the puck from his blue line to

the opponent's goal mouth and add a significant threat to Seattle's bustling offensive game this season-and seasons beyond. 

He finished the game as the No. 1 star with a goal and two assists. The crowd, roaring all night, reached back for something extra when Beniers came to yeet the fish.

Beniers' Powerful Wrist Shot

Matty Beniers gets a feed from Jared McCann, skates to the slot and fires a wrister past the goalie to make it 7-5 in the 3rd period

"That was kind of an up-and-down game with a lot of offense so it was a fun game to play in," said Beniers. "You're always kind of active so it's easy to stay in it ... tonight we really beared down and put our chances away. It's not always like that every night but it's good to see it tonight."

Beniers, Dunn Team Up For Goal

Vince Dunn gets a backhand feed from Matty Beniers and snaps the puck in from the slot to tie the game at 2-2 in the 2nd period

How'd we do? @Seahawks  Touchdown, Seattle!

 

 

REMEMBER THE NAME MATTY BENIERS

 

 

Oleksiak Back in Gear - and Goal Mode

Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak missed the last four games with a lower-body injury. He returned to the lineup Wednesday, pairing with usual D-partner Justin Schultz during even-strength and pulling top minutes on the penalty kill. 

Oleksiak and Schultz have partnered before when both veterans played for Pittsburgh, pairing for a good part of the 2017-18 season. 

"We know each other's tendencies," said Oleksiak in a recent conversation. "It's a different system [in Seattle], which takes some adjustments. But [Schultz is] pretty easy to read off of. I like how he's able to move the puck."

Schultz moved the puck with elite ability on the Kraken's fourth of the night, which happened to be Oleksiak's fourth goal of the season. Schultz faked a shot on goal and steered it net-front to his partner who had moved up into the play. 

"We complement each other," said Oleksiak. "He's so poised with the puck. It's great having a partner who is there when you get in trouble. And if you give him the puck in the offensive zone, he's gonna make a play."

 That 8 Goal Win Smile

 

 

 

 

"The atmosphere in this building is awesome - it's a party happening for 18,000 people." - Head Coach Dave Hakstol on tonight's high-scoring victory over San Jose.

Did Someone Mention Playoffs?

No one is jumping too far ahead in the Kraken locker room but Eberle did compare this past week's tight games going into overtime to playoff hockey. For a guy who stood in front of the media last year answering questions after tough losses and especially the thin line between winning and losing in the

NHL, the Saturday hero is no doubt happy to talk about thrilling victories. 

The Kraken are now 3-1-1 on the six-game homestand with San Jose left on the docket Wednesday and they are a franchise-best five games over the .500 mark at 10-5-3, one point behind Los Angeles for second place with three games in hand. Seattle is only six points behind first-place Vegas, who

are off to a scorching start and have one game in hand. It's been a week of weeks for this group of guys and the Kraken faithful. 

"I think it's important to play these games and feel comfortable," said Eberle. "That's the biggest thing. I think we're doing a better job of that. You know, once you get into the postseason, a lot of games are close. You have to feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations."

As for practicing 3-on-3 overtime situations in two mid-week practices, Dave Hakstol joked when asked about Saturday's overtime, saying "I guess all we had to figure out is just get 7 and 13 on the ice. That's the formula. I don't think it has anything to do with the practice." Winning creates a lighter

mood, no doubt.

Adding these to our 'hockey pics that go hard' folder

 

 

Hakstol on the OT, Beniers and Jones

There was lots to like Saturday night for the coaching staff, players, and fans alike. Hakstol weighed with a more serious answer about OT after praising Eberle and sideman/decoy Tanev. "It was a different overtime tonight," said Hakstol "We didn't have the puck a whole lot. But we defended really well.

We never really gave up. We didn't give up anything threatening. We were patient and on play for the game-winning goal, Schultzy does a good job defending. We took advantage of their defenseman diving in as we punch that puck past him."

Matty Beniers was hard to ignore Saturday night despite all four lines playing effective minutes. Beniers simply plays at a high level in all zones at a 20-year-old. He got the primary assist on Jared McCann's 100^th goal, set up several other high-danger scoring chances, keeps winning puck battles, draws

penalties, and just missed a power play goal when his one-timer hit the post.

"He's a young guy that is playing big minutes against everybody," said Hakstol. "Matty is continuing to grow. He takes the challenge. He's a guy ready to take on every single challenge. Whether it goes well or doesn't, I've said this before, he comes back ready to take the next one on ... I think we all

see it, and he's a guy that's got a real special future. "

Hakstol praised Jones and rightfully so: "The numbers are really good for Jonesy. If you look over the last eight, nine, 10 games, there's a reason that our team is growing in confidence. There is the volume of saves, right? But it's not just the volume of saves. It's the saves at the right time. Halfway

through the third period, we didn't give up a whole lot, but there's a broken play in the third period that ends up on the back door, and [Jones is] there. He gets across he makes a calm, left-pad save and we're out of trouble."

Final Period Flurry

The Kraken and Kings scored just one goal apiece in the first 40 minutes of this divisional showdown at Climate Pledge Arena. In the first 53 seconds of the third period, both teams scored a goal. During a Kraken power play, LA started the sudden scoring with a shorthanded goal, then 18 seconds later

the Kraken answered, still with the man-advantage.

Sprong Scores PPG

Daniel Sprong scores a power-play goal against the Los Angeles Kings to make it 2-2

Spronger bringing the HEAT with this goal

 

AND JUST LIKE THAT WE ARE TIED!!! S/O SPRONGER!

 

LA forward Trevor Moore, who notched a hat trick in Edmonton Wednesday, broke free from his own blue line when Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn hesitated ever so slightly about whether to pinch in. Moore outskated Andre Burakovsky and wristed a quick forehand shot past Martin Jones.

@SeattleKraken & @LAKings When it comes to the fight against cancer we’re all on the same team. #HockeyFightsCancer

 

Middle-Period Frustration

After falling behind 1-0, the Kings made an early push before LA defenseman Sean Walker was whistled for hooking. It provided the first power play of the night for either team - for only 23 seconds. Jaden Schwartz was called for a hooking penalty of his own when he prevented a Kings in-close break

on goal. Schwartz did not like the call, same for the knowledgeable Climate Pledge Arena fans when the replay ran on the giant twin video boards. Dave Hakstol showed similar frustration when the ROOT SPORTS production crew showed the coach talking to assistant coach Paul McFarland and shaking

his head - slightly but discernible.

Matty Beniers drew a tripping penalty with 6:40 remaining in the second period, then beat goalie Petersen on the ensuing power play only to have his one-timer shot ring off the far post (loud enough to hear on the press bridge and throughout the arena).

With 68 seconds left in the middle 20 minutes, Kings center Phillip Danault tipped in his own rebound to tie matters at one goal apiece heading to the second intermission. Danault is one of the league's best two-way centers and is renowned for his defensive play. In this case, he followed up a close-in

shot and Martin Jones save by reaching over Brandon Tanev's shoulder (who was down on one knee) to bat the puck into the net. Jones finished the period with 12 saves. 

It's a testament to Danault's elite skill and let's agree that Martin Jones has been making it mandatory for opponents to come up with such moves to score on him in his last 10 games.

 Fist Pumps

100-Goal Man McCann

Jared McCann scored the opening goal here Saturday to raucous noise and that was before the fans heard during the goal announcement that it marked McCann's 100^th NHL goal. After Los Angeles opened with a couple of quality scoring chances on Martin Jones, the Kraken forwards rolled out several

strong shifts and put pressure on the Kings and goalie Cal Petersen before McCann gave Seattle the lead. 

The scoring play started with Matty Beniers disrupting a Kings rush with his stick and sending a pass back to D-man Justin Schultz, who snapped a pass to Jordan Eberle who skated deep into the Kings zone and backhanded a shot on Petersen that Beniers redirected. Petersen made a quality save but

the rebound went straight to McCann, who owns an elite quick shot release that paid dividends yet again for the home crowd.

McCann Nets First Goal for Kraken

Jared McCann rips a shot from the circle off the pad of Cal Peterson to put the Kraken on the board against the Kings,1-0

Jared McCann’s  Goals Deserves a Group Hug

 

 Another Look, Jared McCann’s 100th 

 

 

CANNER GETS HIS 100TH @NHL GOAL!

Jared McCann’s First Period Goal is the 100th of his @NHL Career. Congrats, Jared!