That game got spicy! On a day when rumors were swirling wildly around Alex Wennberg, who was held out of the lineup for “trade-related issues,” Monday’s tilt between the Seattle Kraken and the Calgary Flames almost felt like an afterthought.
But the Kraken players not named Wennberg came out and played a solid game, winning both on the scoreboard and in the court of public opinion (more on that in a bit).
Seattle dominated the first period and got a goal from Yanni Gourde, his first in 19 games. The group eased off in the second, but still held serve and went to the third period up 2-1. Then Adam Larsson scored just 21 seconds into the third, and Jared McCann threw the dagger with a short-handed goal 12 minutes later.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a solid 4-2 Kraken win over the Flames.
Takeaway #1: “Garbage” from Martin Pospisil
The contest started with Martin Pospisil immediately taking a questionable run at Larsson and dumping him head-first into the boards. It was from the side, so Pospisil got away with it, and Larsson thankfully did not get hurt on the play.
Nonetheless, the Kraken players didn’t like it, and rookie Tye Kartye stepped up to ask Pospisil—also a rookie—to answer for his actions.
What did Pospisil do when Kartye came calling? He turtled and got whaled on, landing Kartye with two extra minutes of penalty time, during which Andrei Kuzmenko scored his first of two goals on the night.
There was a moment of brief concern that this could be a turning point in the game, but Oliver Bjorkstrand quashed those fears by scoring his third goal in four games four minutes later.
Of course, Pospisil’s shining moment came at 13:41 of the third period. Vince Dunn had his back fully turned to Pospisil, who had all the time in the world to look at Dunn’s numbers and think, I shouldn’t hit this guy right now.
Instead, Pospisil went full-steam into Dunn’s back and sent him headlong into the dasher board. A brouhaha ensued, led by (of all people) Matty Beniers, who jumped right in to defend Dunn.
Here’s what coach Dave Hakstol had to say on the matter: “Garbage. Not a whole lot different than the first hit six, seven seconds into the game. If you’re going to run around like that, you probably need to answer when somebody comes at you man to man. And that didn’t happen either… From there, I’ll leave it to the league.”
To the Kraken’s credit, they did everything they were supposed to do on this night. They won the game, they stuck up for each other, and they came out looking like the good guys. Meanwhile Pospisil earned a five-minute major, a game misconduct, and surely a meeting with the Department of Player Safety.
Worth noting, Dunn left the game and did not return. Hakstol did not give an update on him after the game, but that’s par for the course. Seattle can’t survive long without Dunn, so keep your fingers crossed that he’ll be ok.
Takeaway #2: Ignoring the distractions for win No. 100
Sometimes you wonder how a team will respond to distracting situations happening off the ice, and the Wennberg trade rumors (and him being held out of the game) would certainly qualify as one of those situations. But the Kraken flew out of the gate on this night and dominated the first period from start to finish. And whenever there was any pushback from the Flames, the Kraken quelled it by scoring at the other end of the ice, earning their 100th win in franchise history.
We were especially impressed by the play McCann made while the Kraken were shorthanded, and Calgary was pressing for a tying goal midway through the third. Seconds after a missed offensive opportunity, McCann hustled back to get into a defensive posture. He saw another chance brewing, with Rasmus Andersson struggling to handle the puck at the blue line. So he pounced and created a breakaway for himself, then cruised in and sniped it past Jacob Markstrom.
“I was pretty gassed, so I just tried to kind of get the shot off quick,” McCann said. “I like to go over the blocker, but I decided to change that at the last second.”
It was an outstanding individual effort, one of many impressive individual performances in the game. It was also a fitting way for the Kraken to earn win No. 100 in franchise history, a nice milestone for everyone involved.
“It’s amazing, we’re all so thankful for the opportunity we’ve been given, and a lot of guys on other teams weren’t given the same chance,” McCann said. “To get that, it’s huge for the organization, and there’s hopefully many more to come.”
Takeaway #3: Wennberg chatter
When news broke that Wennberg would be held out of this game, we figured a trade could be coming on Monday. That didn’t happen, but teams don’t just hold players out of the lineup unless there is something very real in the works.
So, have we seen the last of Wennberg in deep sea blue?
We’ve loved watching and dealing with Alex Wennberg during his nearly three seasons in Seattle. He’s a true pro, and he has been a pivotal piece of this team during his tenure. But the writing has been on the wall for a while, and now that we’ve come to grips with the idea of him moving on, it’s becoming painfully clear that trading Wennberg is the right thing for the organization to do.
In theory, the Kraken can still compete for an outside chance at a playoff spot, even if they do move Wennberg along. And the way he is being talked about right now shows us the Kraken can likely get a solid return for him. If they don’t think they can bring him back next season, it makes all the sense in the world to move him and get back what they can, even if that stings their still-dwindling chances of reaching the postseason for the second year in a row.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
You know, I was really at peace with the fact that we were going to lose Wennberg at the deadline. But then you all & Allison & Piper had to sing his praises in the latest pod and AUUURUGHGHGHG. :’) wenny u will always b famous
Players need to protect themselves better. Don’t stand still with the puck facing the boards. Always assume you could be hot while having the puck. The numbers/boards hit rule wasn’t meant for players to face the boards thinking they can’t be hit.
Also why doesn’t kartye get more toi? I’m concerned at lack of develope ent of young guys like kartye/wright/ryker
Are you saying Dunn had that cheap shot coming? Or, are you saying that was a clean hit?
I can’t think of a third alternative to the take you’re making.
What happened in the court of public opinion? I didn’t see where you followed up on that, but maybe I missed it.
This bit… “To the Kraken’s credit, they did everything they were supposed to do on this night. They won the game, they stuck up for each other, and they came out looking like the good guys. Meanwhile Pospisil earned a five-minute major, a game misconduct, and surely a meeting with the Department of Player Safety.”
My point was mostly just that the Flames came out looking like a-holes in this one, and the Kraken stuck up for each other, while the internet roasted Pospisil. Probably could have been a bit clearer. Ha!
Definitely, it was very nice to see a response to a questionable hit. There are many reasons a player can be turned towards the boards, it’s always the responsibility of the checking player to avoid dangerous contact. I didn’t get the impression that in either of the hits in question they used their backs as a shield to avoid a hit. Just flat out dangerous hits.
Well there it is: https://twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafety/status/1765077205619708321
I was thinking they were also going to move Schultz and get Ryker in there, but if Dunner goes out I think Ron Francis would have to pivot.
I’m going to be disappointed if Schultz isn’t moved at or before the deadline even if Dunn is injured. If we’re looking at a long term injury and Schultz has little value on the market then yes keep him otherwise see ya. Fingers 🤞 Dunn is ready for today’s game.
I’m very curious why Gru played vs Calgary and Daccord gets the jets??? (Assuming he does). With how well Gru has been playing would you not expect him to be getting the tougher matchup? What is the strategy here? Is there a strategy or is 🔥H just pulling names out of a hat?
Trade Wenne (as much as I hate to see him go) get a second rounder and Rempe. We need to get a bruiser that other teams respect.
If they could get Rempe – big if – I don’t think they also get a pick. If I was Seattle I’d do that in a heartbeat… but I don’t think the Rangers even consider it.