The Seattle Kraken’s rampage through Canada reached the capital Saturday and once again they left after kicking over the furniture and emptying the fridge. Eight different Seattle players scored in an 8-4 rout of the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.
“We got off to a good start,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “We wanted to push off with a good start.”
It was the fourth straight win for the Kraken and the third straight win to start the Kraken’s seven-game road trip. Last season the Kraken won 11 road games but Friday was the 12th win already this season.
“We’re just a better hockey team (than last year),” Hakstol said. “That encompasses everything, from what our group looks like on paper to how we play every night. We’ve worked hard to be successful on the road. That’s not an easy thing to do but we’ve found different ways to win games.”
Jordan Eberle and Andre Burakovsky each had a goal and two assists. Vince Dunn, Justin Schultz, Matty Beniers, and Daniel Sprong each chipped in a goal and an assist. Lost in all the offense was the 18th win on 19 saves by Martin Jones for the Kraken (22-12-4).
Tim Stutzle set the pace for Ottawa with a hat trick for the Senators (18-18-3), who had a three-game win streak snapped.
The score indicates that the game was devoid of drama, but Ottawa did erase a two-goal deficit to tie the game at 3-3 in the second period.
But as they’ve done over the last four games, the Kraken had a response. Stutzle scored twice in 8:34 to even the game and appeared to give the Senators all the momentum. But, 22 seconds later, Daniel Sprong would score off a rush for his 12th goal to make it 4-3.
“They score, they’re feeling it,” Eberle said. “Obviously they think they have a chance and he comes back with a goal that shuts that down… those are big momentum shifts. As you start getting into important games and playoff-type hockey as you go down the stretch, that’s all it is, it’s momentum swings. You have to be a team that can counter.”
Beniers would score at 14:13 to make it 5-3. The play started with Beniers taking a big hit in his own end but he had managed to get the puck up ice. He got up and followed the play and as the puck went into the corner where Eberle won a battle, Beniers headed for the slot.
Eberle hit him with a pass and Beniers roofed his rookie-leading 14th goal of the season. He has scored a goal in each of his last three games.
The two goals turned the tide and Seattle would add on with goals from Dunn at 1:19 of the third to make it 6-3, and Eberle at 4:55 as he put back a rebound to make it 7-3.
Stutzle interrupted the Kraken scoring at 5:20 to record the hat trick and cut the lead to 7.-4 but the Kraken quelled that uprising with an Andre Burakovsky goal on the doorstep at 9:59.
It was another team win and the Kraken ended the night with 13 players recording a point.
Seattle built an early 3-1 first period lead with goals from Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jared McCann, and Schultz.
Scoring from everyone
The Kraken aren’t relying on one guy or line to get scoring. During their four-game win streak, they’ve outscored the opponents 22-8.
Seattle hasn’t had a player score twice in any of the four wins which speaks to the depth. They’ve gotten contributions from all four lines and attacked teams in waves.
“I think the strength of this group is in the depth that we have,” Eberle said. “Not just on the forwards side but on the defense, goalies and you see teams that have four lines and six D that can contribute and are dangerous. In my opinion, a lot of teams that go deep in the playoffs are because of that.”
Tentacle Tales
Seattle scored eight goals in a game for the third time this season which leads the NHL. The last team with more was the Pittsburgh Penguins who did it four times in 2011-2012.
It was the first time that Seattle has scored five or more goals three times in a row.
Stutzle picked up his second career hat trick.
The Kraken lead the NHL in response goals – scoring within a minute of the opponents. Seattle has done it nine times this year.
It’s been a down-and-up week for the Kraken, who hit perhaps the low point of their season at home against the Oilers last week, but bounced back for wins agains the Islanders and revenge on those same Oilers.
Aside from the games, enormous news got announced, as T-Mobile Park will host the Kraken and Golden Knights for next year’s Winter Classic in Seattle. John, Andy, and Darren give their hot takes on how that event will look and what it will mean for the city.
After that, the guys shift to segbits, which this week include:
The Kraken flipped the script on the Oilers Tuesday, just four days after Edmonton embarrassed Seattle 7-2 at Climate Pledge Arena.
In the first meeting between these two teams, Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer was pulled just four minutes into the game, as Edmonton sliced and diced Seattle’s disjointed defense and potted four goals in the first period.
Tuesday at Rogers Place, it was a different story. The Kraken came out looking a lot more structurally sound in the first period and got to the intermission down just 1-0 after a power-play goal by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Then, after Connor McDavid got a highlight-reel goal early in the second, Seattle turned it on and hung four goals of their own on Stuart Skinner, sending him to the bench for Jack Campbell.
“Obviously, it was a lot of emphasis on what happened last game [against Edmonton],” said Adam Larsson, who extended his point streak to a career-high seven games. “That kind of made us even more hungry today. I thought from top to bottom, every guy played a solid game.”
In the end, the Kraken exorcised their Oilers demons and earned an enormous 5-2 win, putting themselves back into third place in the Pacific Division and starting their longest road trip of the season on a positive note. Here are our Three Takeaways.
Takeaway #1: Crucial offside challenge took serious cojones
By the end of the first period Tuesday, Edmonton’s league-leading power play was three-for-three on the season against Seattle. Early in the third, it appeared that lethal unit had improved to four-for-four when McDavid found Leon Draisaitl through the seam, and Draisaitl rifled it past Martin Jones.
[INSERT RECORD SCRATCH SOUND HERE.]
But wait! Coach Dave Hakstol challenged the goal for an offside entry into the zone!
Replay showed that Zach Hyman’s trailing skate blade was just a fraction of an inch over the line before the puck, negating the goal and keeping the score 4-2.
That was a gutsy call by Hakstol and a huge catch by video coaches Tim Ohashi and Brady Morgan.
“That’s Tim and Brady doing a great job,” said Hakstol. “Working through their process, taking the short amount of time that they have, and they got it right. And that’s a really tight call, but it’s clear, and at the end of the day, that is the right call.”
Had the call gone the other way, the score would have been 4-3, and Seattle would have gone right back to the PK against a power play that was having its way with the Kraken.
Of course, the goal being negated meant Jamie Oleksiak’s penalty was not yet over. The PK absolutely had to finish off that crucial kill, or the successful challenge would have been effectively moot. Seattle’s PKers finished the job, though, sapping what would have surely been a big momentum swing for Edmonton.
Takeaway #2: That second period escalated quickly
Seattle certainly looked better in the first 20 minutes than it did in the previous matchup against Edmonton, but when the second period started, McDavid went back to his dastardly ways and scored a banger to make it 2-0. In that moment, we had visions of the best player in the world again taking over the game and piling up points for another easy Oilers win.
Instead, the Kraken minimized the damage done by the superstar to just that one point on the night, and they completely turned the game on its ear from then on.
“I think we actually played pretty well in the first,” said Yanni Gourde. “I thought we came out, played hard, did the right thing, put the puck deep. Second period, we got that one goal, and it really gave us some wings offensively.”
Matty Beniers got the scoring started with a baseball swing at a Daniel Sprong rebound, notching Seattle’s second power-play goal in as many games. Then just 31 seconds later, Beniers again got on the scoresheet, throwing a puck at Skinner that dropped right to Jaden Schwartz for an easy tap in that tied the game.
Beniers putting up two points was a sight for sore eyes. The star rookie had gone eight games without a goal and only had two assists during that same stretch.
But it didn’t stop there. At 12:42 of the frame, Justin Schultz rifled a puck on net that Skinner kicked out into the slot. Eeli Tolvanen batted the rebound back toward the Edmonton goal but hit Gourde, who quickly spun and slapped it by Skinner.
Coincidentally, Gourde’s goal was also his first since Dec. 11, the same night Beniers had last scored.
Finally, off an offensive-zone face-off, Schwartz fired a puck from the corner that hit Skinner in the mask and caromed out in front. Alex Wennberg picked it up, spun, and laid a perfect blind pass on the tape of Jared McCann, who buried it in an open net for his team-leading 17th goal.
The fourth goal ended the night for Skinner and put the game on the rails for Seattle.
Takeaway #3: Off on the right foot
After a mostly painful December, it has been good to see the Kraken turn the page and start the new calendar year off on the right foot with consecutive wins over the Islanders and Oilers. Seattle has played the right way in these games, showing good structure, improved special teams, and patience to wait for its chances and capitalize.
“It was really nice,” said Larsson. “I thought the way we played too, it’s good to get rewarded.”
Meanwhile, Martin Jones has returned to the form we saw from him earlier this season, stopping 48 out of 51 shots in these two games. He was calm, cool, and collected against the Oilers, turning away 30 shots on the night.
A big piece of that was the way Seattle defended, holding Edmonton’s stars mostly at bay and allowing Jones to see pucks. This win was a true team effort.
That is Kraken hockey, which the group had certainly lost sight of after the end of its early-season streak of success and throughout the December doldrums. Here’s hoping they can keep building as they head to eastern Canada.
Just one week after John Barr failed to show up for the episode named after him, Andy Eide pulls a similar stunt in Episode 220. Thankfully, this show has Darren Brown to hold everything together. Phew!
It is a fun one, though, as Darren and John get together to discuss all things Kraken, despite both having endured some difficult weather elements in recent days.
First, the guys break down Seattle’s losses to Vancouver and Calgary, then consider how things are looking on the whole for the team, which actually has a pretty bad record now over its last 10 games.
Next, they go Down on the Farm to discuss the World Junior Championship before shifting to segments, which this week include:
It’s a holiday tradition unlike any other, in certain countries anyway. The IIHF 2023 World Junior Championship gets underway on Dec. 26 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick.
In Canada, the tournament is must-watch television for hockey fans of all ages. It hasn’t reached that level here in the United States, and hockey fans are missing a good time.
The tournament, which features the best players under 20 years old in the world, is filled each year with compelling games that highlight top players on their way to the NHL, and this year, fans of Pacific Northwest hockey have plenty of reasons to watch and enjoy the tournament.
Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright is playing for Canada and has been named captain of the squad. Canada also has rostered four guys who play for the Seattle Thunderbirds and Olen Zellweger of the Everett Silvertips. As well as six local players, the Canadians are coached by Everett head coach Dennis Williams. Perhaps the team should change its name to Team Puget Sound.
As the captain of Team Canada and playing in Canada, the pressure and scrutiny that Wright will experience is as great, if not greater, than what he’s faced so far in the NHL. Luckily, the guy whose locker stall in the Kraken dressing room sits next to Wright is Jordan Eberle, who is well versed on what comes along with playing for Team Canada.
“Enjoy the pressure,” Eberle said last week. “It’s a quick tournament that goes by fast. You don’t play many games so just try and sit back and enjoy the atmosphere and the energy of the games. I think for me, it’s still one of the funnest tournaments to watch. You know, just based on how hard the kids are going, to big hits, celebrations, I suppose that kind of stuff makes the viewership high, so just enjoy the experience.”
Eberle played for Team Canada twice when he was coming up in the hockey ranks. In 2008 he was part of a gold-medal winner, and in 2009 he returned to the tournament as a 19-year-old and won a silver medal.
With a flair for the dramatic, he scored one of the most memorable goals in 2008 to save Canada during a semi-final against Russia which allowed Canada to win in a shootout and ultimately win the gold medal.
That goal lives on and is cited by many of the younger players who came after Eberle. It’s a play that gets pointed to as an inspirational moment for Canadians and has spawned World Junior dreams for many.
“I look back on that tournament, and for me, it was kind of a stepping stone to get confidence to get into the NHL,” Eberle said. “I’m sure Wrighter will use it the same way. As a kid you dream of playing in the tournament so when you get the chance to do it, you want to take advantage of it and just enjoy the moment.”
Sitting in the stall on the other side of Eberle is rookie Matty Beniers who has his own World Junior Championship story.
Raised outside of Boston, Mass., Beniers played for the U.S. on the World Junior team in 2021. That tournament was in the COVID bubble at Edmonton, and Beniers was part of a team that upset the Canadians in the gold-medal game, something that seemed unlikely for the Candians who were packed with NHL first-round picks.
While Eberle grew up in Canada dreaming of playing in the tournament, it was a bit different for Beniers.
“I watched ‘er growing up,” he said. “I wasn’t a huge sports watcher outside of like Boston teams. So growing up I didn’t watch a ton of hockey and stuff like that. I just kind of watched, obviously the Bruins, but I grew up in other sports, so I didn’t watch it much, but I remember getting older, then I started watching a little bit more.”
It wasn’t a near religious experience for Beniers like it was close to being for Canadian youngsters like Eberle, but he had similar advice for Wright as he prepares to win gold for the Canadians, something they’ve done 19 times before.
“Have fun, it’s a great time,” Beniers said. “Playing for your country is always super fun. He’s playing for Canada so I don’t know if I can totally root for the team, but for him and hoping he does well, I think it’d be fun and you know the role that he’ll be in, it’s awesome.”
A quick look at Team Canada
Wright will be an obvious player to watch, especially here in Seattle but he’s far from alone. He leads the Northwest contingent and will be joined by Thunderbirds Kevin Korchinksi, Nolan Allen, Reid Schaefer, and goalie Thomas Milic.
Kevin Korchinski is one of four Seattle Thunderbirds playing for Canada at the WJC. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Zellweger will be in the top Canadian defensive pair and on their power play so he’ll see plenty of ice time.
The Canadian team will be fun to watch for other reasons though. Wunderkind Connor Bedard, who is the presumptive first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and just 17, is a human highlight reel. So far, in their camp, Bedard has been playing on Wright’s wing, which will be fun and near impossible to stop.
Wright isn’t the only player on the roster with some NHL experience. The Los Angeles Kings have loaned defenseman Brandt Clarke, and the Arizona Coyotes sent forward Dylan Guenther, which only adds to the quality of talent they’ve assembled.
Once again, Canada will be the favorite to end up with a gold medal.
A quick look at the U.S.
The United States team this year is not devoid of star players either. They are not as loaded as the Canadians, but they can play and won’t be an easy out at the tournament for anyone, including the Canadians.
The U.S. has their share of players with NHL draft pick credentials. USA is led by defenseman Luke Hughes, who plays for the University of Michigan and was the fourth overall pick in 2021 by the New Jersey Devils. He’s not alone, as Logan Cooley, selected with the pick just prior to Wright in this past summer’s draft by Arizona, will add his speed to the U.S. top six.
Tyler Boucher, who was a first-round pick (10th overall) by the Ottawa Senators will also be a forward to watch and is the lone CHLer on the roster. He currently plays for the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL. Currently playing professionally for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, Chaz Lucius will be another formidable player.
The U.S. doesn’t have a Beniers-type player on its roster this year, but that doesn’t take them out of medal contention. World Juniors may not be as big a deal for American players growing up as it is for their northern counterparts, but this team will be good and a must-watch for U.S. hockey fans everywhere.
It’s the holiday season, and the Sound Of Hockey Podcast is in the spirit of giving, so they bring you a nice little stocking stuffer of an episode for your listening enjoyment.
This week, John decided not to show up for an episode named after him, so Andy and Darren carry on without him and pick on him a bit to get things rolling. Then, they break down the latest Seattle Kraken games and talk about things going well lately for both goalies, what it will take to get Eeli Tolvanen in the lineup, and more.
Next, they go Down on the Farm to discuss Coachella Valley’s home opener, Shane Wright’s Team Canada news, and the World Junior Championship getting underway soon.
After that, they shift to segments, which include:
