The margins in the NHL are razor-thin. The Seattle Kraken headed home Sunday after a challenging four-game road trip with every reason to feel good about themselves. They took six of a possible eight points and—frankly—just missed an even better result had they found an equalizer Friday against the Devils.
But the Kraken capped off the East Coast journey with a… ahem… no-doubter (wink wink): a 7-5 victory over the New York Rangers. The win marked their first-ever triumph at Madison Square Garden and brought them back to .500 on the season.
“The significance of the three wins and how we got them, just a little change in mindset in how we play and how we compete and where we compete,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “This was a tough road trip; Carolina, the Islanders, Devils, and the Rangers here tonight, and we had success in all those games a certain way, and I think that should be pretty evident.”
Here are Three Takeaways from a 7-5 Kraken win over the Rangers.
Takeaway #1: Last-minute goalie chaos
In Bylsma’s pre-game press conference, he announced that Joey Daccord—projected to be the starting goalie Sunday after Philipp Grubauer played Friday—was battling an illness that left him struggling to “keep food down.”
With Daccord out and no time to call someone up from AHL Coachella Valley, Bylsma said, “We will see a name on our backup that I’m not quite sure of yet.”
When the Kraken took the ice for warm-ups, an unfamiliar netminder in yellow and green gear appeared, giving Grubauer breaks and taking shots from his new teammates.
That fill-in backup was Michael Matyas, 33, who played for the University of Alaska-Anchorage during his college days. According to Kraken radio color commentator Al Kinisky, Matyas—friends with Director of Team Services Brennan Baxandall—received a surprise call just hours before puck drop. Matyas’ LinkedIn page shows that he is a Sales Associate for a financial services company in Manhattan, where he will surely have a fun story to tell his coworkers on Monday morning.
Joey Daccord out sick today.
— Al Kinisky (@AlKinisky) December 8, 2024
Michael Mayas @31Matyas warming up to backup Phillip Grubauer on an ATO (Amateur Try Out) with the #SeaKraken. He’s a childhood teammate of @BBaxy18 from Calgary, AB.
He was at the grocery store buying baby formula 2hrs ago.
Living his dream! pic.twitter.com/XLGjQqdvc4
Grubauer, playing his second game in a row, had mixed results: big saves at key moments but also five goals allowed on 37 shots with a couple squeakers.
The first period featured some EBUG-related drama when Filip Chytil skated through the crease and collided with Grubauer, sending the goalie sprawling (perhaps selling it a bit) and earning Chytil a two-minute minor.
Kraken fans held their collective breath, while Matyas was shown nervously chomping gum on the bench on the MSG broadcast. Grubauer ultimately continued, stopping just enough shots to secure his second win of the season.
“I was actually wondering what Michael was thinking, the EBUG, what he was thinking when Grubauer went down there,” Bylsma said. “Because, obviously, live, I didn’t see exactly the guy go through the crease, just Grubauer going down, and I think the EBUG’s heart probably went to 180 immediately.”
Takeaway #2: Bjorkstrand/Wright/Tolvanen line was cooking
This matchup between the Kraken and Rangers showcased the Oliver Bjorkstrand, Shane Wright, and Eeli Tolvanen line. Bjorkstrand (2-2=4) and Tolvanen (1-2=3) posted season-best point production, with Wright adding a goal and an assist. (It’s worth noting that Bjorkstrand’s first goal came on the power play, thanks to a slick pass from Chandler Stephenson.)
This trio was instrumental throughout the road trip, combining for 15 points over the four games, including several highlight-reel moments against the Rangers.
“Really the whole line, I think they were… you know Carolina, the Island, and again tonight, they were our best line,” Bylsma said. “And Oliver has an outstanding game with two and two, and big goals at big times when we needed it.”
Wright and Bjorkstrand have been excellent since their return from Healthy Scratch Land, and their success has been well documented. But what about Tolvanen? He wasn’t having the most impressive season either before the other two landed in the doghouse, but he too has come on strong of late and has started racking up some points.
His goal against the Rangers came at a pivotal moment, 1:28 after Brandon Tanev brought Seattle within one. Tolvanen’s quick movement into the slot left Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider scrambling, allowing Bjorkstrand’s pinpoint pass to tee him up for a blast that ricocheted off Jonathan Quick’s mask and in at 15:34 of the second.
Tolvanen hiljentää MSG:n! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/I4v831dADf
— NHL Suomi (@NHL_fi) December 9, 2024
Bjorkstrand followed that up by tipping in a Brandon Montour shot at 19:24 for his second of the game, giving Seattle a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Takeaway #3: Resilient game, impressive road trip
This road trip was critical for the Kraken’s playoff hopes. After a dismal 1-3-0 record against the Ducks and Sharks, the Kraken faced a make-or-break stretch against tough opponents and in difficult buildings. A poor showing could have spelled disaster for the season, but instead, Seattle went 3-1-0, earning six points to get back within three of a playoff spot.
“This was a huge trip for us,” Tolvanen said. “Everybody knew that coming into this trip, [the games before were] disappointing, and we knew that we needed to make a statement on this trip. And I think we did a really good job with that.”
The outing against the Rangers demonstrated resilience from the Kraken. Despite dealing with goalie chaos, playing a desperate Rangers team fresh off a loud-and-clear message from management, and facing a tough building where they’d never won, the Kraken rallied from a 3-1 deficit with five unanswered goals.
“I definitely think we could have been doing more [at the beginning], and I think we did more in the latter half of the game,” Tanev said. “We didn’t like our start… but we got a timely goal, a big save by Grubi, and we understood what we needed to do to get back in the game.
“We played hard, we played physical, and when we got our opportunities, we capitalized.”
Even with the nervy finish, the Kraken deserved their victory over the Rangers and a very successful road trip.
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.