Hoo boy, did the Seattle Kraken ever need that win against the Vegas Golden Knights. It was anything but easy, and it almost slipped away from them. But in the end, the Kraken came out with two points against one of the top teams in the NHL, snapping their four-game losing streak.
“I don’t want to say it was a complete game from minute 1 to minute 63,” Seattle coach Dan Bylsma said. “But it was our best game, really [in terms of] competing the way we want to and need to compete.”
Brandon Tanev scored twice, while Oliver Bjorkstrand and Tye Kartye both made an impact after being scratched last game, and Jared McCann clinched the overtime game-winner.
Here are Three Takeaways from a thrilling 4-3 Kraken OT win over the Golden Knights:
Takeaway #1: The fourth line was cooking
Just before the game, the Kraken announced a trade to bring back Daniel Sprong, the scoring fourth-line winger who netted 20 goals in a season the last time he played for Seattle. However, Sprong wasn’t in the lineup Friday and likely won’t be for a couple more games until his work visa is processed.
So, what did the current fourth line—Tye Kartye, Yanni Gourde, and Brandon Tanev—do with that news? They went out and led the way for the Kraken, generating offensive chances on nearly every shift and rewarding Tanev with two goals.
“For the better part of the 15 games that we’ve played, they’ve been physical, they’ve been fast,” Bylsma said. “They played in the offensive zone, they were determined, and they get opportunities because of it. And they put the other team on their heels with how they play as a line and as a group.”
Indeed, that trio has had some strong performances this season, but remember, we’re only one game removed from Bylsma scratching Kartye from the lineup. Could there have been a little extra motivation for him and the rest of the line knowing that more roster competition is on the way?
Perhaps, especially considering that Seattle will again be tight on cap space once Vince Dunn returns from injury (still a few weeks off, according to Ron Francis on Friday). When Dunn is back, if the team is otherwise healthy, there won’t be room to keep extras after adding Sprong. So, for a player like Kartye—who could theoretically be sent down to Coachella Valley (requiring waivers)—or even Gourde or Tanev, both on expiring deals, strong performances are now crucial.
In the first period of this game, things looked like they might go sideways quickly. The Kraken allowed a power-play goal on a 5-on-3 and then gave up a second goal at even strength three minutes later on some questionable defending. But Tanev intercepted a Brayden McNabb pass at the Kraken blue line, raced in on a breakaway, and fired it off the post and in.
TURBO TIME! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 9, 2024
Tanev gets the steal at the #SeaKraken blue line and scores on the breakaway.
2-1 VGK’s. pic.twitter.com/U3rngYdcFH
That goal really seemed to settle the Kraken, and Kartye made a great play seven minutes into the second. After Gourde lost an offensive-zone face-off, Kartye stole the puck back and set up Tanev for his second of the night.
TURBO TIMES ✌️! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 9, 2024
Great work by Kartye to keep the play alive and get it to Tanev for his second of the game.
2-2 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/uRyfL6TnLs
“It’s nice to see [Kartye] come back into the lineup tonight,” Tanev said. “I think he, Yanni, and I have been playing some good hockey as a line, and he made a great play on my second goal. I think without his effort to get that puck and make a possession-poised play, I don’t think I have an opportunity in front of the net. So he did some great things tonight, and I think as a line, we played really well.”
Takeaway #2: Welcome back, Oliver Bjorkstrand
Bylsma’s decision to scratch veteran winger Oliver Bjorkstrand from the lineup against Colorado on Tuesday was still a storyline in this game. At morning skate, Bjorkstrand acknowledged the message, saying he needed to be “more engaged, finding a way to hold onto the puck, winning battles, getting scoring chances.”
Bjorkstrand didn’t necessarily stand out in this game, and he only got 12:35 of ice time. But he did make an impact by crashing the net at a key moment. With the game tied 2-2 three minutes into the third, Jaden Schwartz took a slap shot from the top of the right circle. Adin Hill stopped it and then dove to try to poke the puck past Bjorkstrand, but it hit him and popped into the open net behind Hill.
“It was good. I would have been ready in Colorado, but I thought I was ready tonight,” Bjorkstrand said. “I kept it somewhat simple, I feel like I played well with the puck, and was able to create some chances. So I think the key now is just to build on that.”
Bylsma seemed pleased with Bjorkstrand’s response.
“I thought his game in particular was a great bounce-back game for him,” Bylsma said. “And he’s a talented, skilled player that has a great shot, scores a lot of goals. And I thought his compete was at a great level for him to have success in the game. And it’s not just the evidence of going to the net and scoring a dirty goal, but on the wall in the first period, the face-off also in the first period, the battle on the wall in the second period right in front of our bench, I thought it was great.”
Takeaway #3: A big win for the psyche
It hasn’t been a good stretch of hockey for the Kraken, who entered the game having lost seven of their previous eight. Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights have been on a roll this season and are known for their resilience. Plus, Seattle had never defeated the Golden Knights at Climate Pledge Arena.
So, when Alex Pietrangelo got a favorable bounce off Adam Larsson’s skate in a 6-on-5 situation with 1:22 left in the third, it definitely felt like Seattle was about to let this game slip away.
But the Kraken responded well in overtime. McCann made a fantastic play to strip Jack Eichel of the puck at the defensive blue line, then received an indirect pass from Brandon Montour in the neutral zone and flew in for the breakaway goal.
It’s a desperately needed win for the Kraken over a strong Golden Knights team, and one that hopefully sets the tone for this crucial homestand.
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.
Does anyone know what was Hanifin doing on that play in OT that left McCann so wide open?
What it looked like to me was that Hanefin was trying to create space for the Eichel on the zone entry by drawing Stephenson to the left side with him. It was an aggressive entry and not one that should have been necessary three-on-three. Or maybe he was trying to run a pick to get Stephenson off of Eichel so that Eichel would be able to… uh, one v. one with Montour? That doesn’t seem very high-percentage. Why do that on three-on-three? Either way, they seemed genuinely surprised that McCann back checked like they completely forgot that he was there. Hell of a guy to lose track of.
Something else surprised me about this game. Did you notice how Brandon Tanev scored his goals? They were both top-shelf. Brandon Tanev never scores top-shelf. Elevating the puck, either on shots or on passes, is not something that he is known for, yet here he is bouncing the water bottle twice. Tanev is an old dog. Has he learned a new trick? It’s just one game. We’ll see if it becomes a part of his skill set.
And how about him playing to the crowd during and after the game? Yeah, he knows what is going to keep him from being traded when GM logic says that he absolutely should be traded–the arena is full of #13 sweaters. He’s a player fans love to cheer for, and games like this one build mythologies.
The Hockey Guy, based in Vancouver, said there was a gentlemen’s agreement between Sprong and the Canucks that if he did not work out there, they would facilitate a trade for him to the Kraken.
Really good game. Tough decision coming to make room for Sprong.
I think he is a good addition, but hate to see that 4th line broken up they have been playing more consistently better together than the others so far.
I am kinda wondering if the intent is not to play Sprong on his familiar 4th line but to pair him with Shane Wright, to give Shane someone who is a natural scorer to pass to. Then the intent would be to scratch Burakovsky and see if that helps unlock Shane. Of course, things will change when Dunn returns.
By next weekend, I believe Sprong replaces Turbo to fix the salary cap issue. Hayden and Winterton are reserves . Turbo goes to a contender ( Toronto ? ) and helps them in the playoffs . It will be Turbo time somewhere but not in Seattle. Sad to see 4th line broken up but salary cap issue is a disaster .
Kraken are undefeated since trading for Daniel Sprong. Season is back on boys.
Benching players that needed to be benched and getting Sprong baack must have injected some motivation and fear of being waived helped a lot. First game in weeks I enjoyed watching
Great game! This is the team I get excited to watch. They kept it simple. They made it tough on a good hockey team (despite the penalties) and when you do that, sometimes you actually win, even without elite scoring talent. I love the idea of Spronger replacing Burakovsky in the lineup. Unfortunately I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’ve seen too many games where Burakovsky is terrible, and they just keep playing him. It’s weird.
Forgot to shoutout Mahura. He continues to impress. I love how he quietly goes about his business, which is to just play solid D. He can move the puck, has great anticipation, uses his body really well AND he really tries to get pucks to the net. What a great signing! Of course, Ryker also very solid, and looks like he will just keep getting better.