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Three Takeaways – Andre Burakovsky and Shane Wright break through in 3-2 Kraken win over Ducks

Darren Brown

The Kraken didn’t make it easy on themselves, facing a 2-1 deficit entering the third period Monday. But they mustered just enough offensive output to skate away with a 3-2 win over the Ducks in Anaheim.

Seattle got goals from a couple of forwards who have been struggling to find the back of the net, and defenseman Brandon Montour came through with a missile for the game-winner at 1:10 of the third, scoring in his third straight game for the first time in his career. Two quick goals to start that final frame were all the Kraken needed.

“We had some opportunities to score some goals,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “We out-chanced them, outshot them, but it wasn’t going in. You find yourself down in the game, 2-1, going into the third, you’ve got to respond.”

Here are Three Takeaways from a 3-2 Kraken win over the Ducks.

Takeaway #1: Monkey(s) off the back(s)

Andre Burakovsky has taken his fair share of heat from Kraken fans this season, largely because he hasn’t done what he’s known for—scoring goals. He’s a historically streaky scorer but entered Monday’s game in the longest goal-scoring drought of his career. Despite being tried in every role Bylsma could think of and getting plenty of power-play time, he hadn’t yet gotten one over the line this season.

Of course, when he did finally break through against the Ducks, the goal was ugly as sin—bouncing off his leg and into the net. But that’s how hockey works sometimes. The phenomenon of “squeezing the stick” is real. When you’re a player who’s supposed to score and you’re not, the pressure mounts, and everyone notices.

“The smile on Andre’s face said it all, as he was coming off the ice after that goal,” Bylsma said.

Burakovsky has been playing better over the past few weeks and has been an effective replacement for Jordan Eberle on the top line. But without scoring goals, criticism was inevitable. Now that he’s broken the ice, perhaps this goal will open the floodgates for him.

Another player under scrutiny recently has been Shane Wright. The 20-year-old center looked sharp during training camp and early in the season but seemed to lose confidence as the games progressed. This is part of the growing pains of becoming a full-time NHLer, but it was clear Wright was struggling.

In response, Bylsma made a bold decision to scratch Wright for three games. Wright handled the situation maturely, maintaining a positive attitude and saying all the right things. On Monday, he returned to the lineup and played like he never wants to see the press box—or Coachella Valley—again.

Wright scored the first goal of the game at 7:12 of the first period, about 30 seconds after an outstanding hustle play to hold the puck in the offensive zone. He then planted himself in front of goalie Lukas Dostal and tipped an Oliver Bjorkstrand shot for his second goal of the season.

Like Burakovsky, Wright showed visible emotion as he returned to the bench.

Wright also earned an assist on Montour’s game-winner, cleanly pulling the offensive-zone face-off back to the defenseman. Eeli Tolvanen created a perfect flying screen to allow Montour to blast it over Dostal’s shoulder.

Takeaway #2: So many posts

As Sound Of Hockey’s John Barr noted in his latest Monday Musings, goals haven’t come easy for the Kraken. On Saturday against the Kings, Montour rang a shot off the post in the third period, narrowly missing what could’ve been a game-changing goal.

The goalposts were outstanding again on Monday, stopping at least four Kraken shots. The most demoralizing moment came when Jared McCann missed a prime opportunity in the first period. Tye Kartye’s point shot trickled through Dostal after McCann set a perfect screen and was then first to the puck in the blue paint. But the angle was awkward, and McCann could only shovel it into the base of the post.

There were more close calls, too, like this one…

…and this one…

This time, the Kraken overcame the staunch defense of the iron, and got those two clutch goals early in the third, 24 seconds apart, to secure the victory.

Takeaway #3: Kartye in the middle of it

Kartye found himself in the Ducks’ crosshairs during this game. At 15:23 of the second period, stud 19-year-old center Leo Carlsson was regrouping deep in the Anaheim zone. A fraction of a second after he passed it, Kartye lowered the boom and sent Carlsson flying.

Carlsson crashed into the goalpost and hit his head on the ice, leaving the game injured. Thankfully, he skated off under his own power, but it was a scary moment. You never want to see a player get hurt, especially a youngster with such a bright future ahead. We’re hoping for his sake that the injury is minor.

As for the controversy surrounding the hit, the officials got this one wrong. After Carlsson stayed down hit the goalpost and stayed down, the nearest referee finally raised his arm and assessed Kartye a five-minute major, which was reduced to two minutes for interference upon review. Even the minor penalty was bogus, though. Kartye is allowed to finish his check, and Carlsson had just released the puck when contact was made.

The Ducks, however, saw it differently. Captain and noted tough guy, Radko Gudas, went after Kartye, sparking shenanigans. Kartye—who handles himself well in these scenarios—recognized the mismatch with the man known as “the Butcher,” and was smart to avoid any direct blows from Gudas.

Whether the hit from Kartye was clean or not, tensions remained high throughout the game. The Ducks took several runs at Kartye, and Seattle as a whole did well to not get goaded into stupid penalties.

Emotions are sure to carry over to Wednesday’s rematch in Seattle, where the Kraken and Ducks will meet again.

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.

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