Tied at 2-2 with 34 seconds left in regulation, the New York Rangers won a faceoff back to the point and onto the stick of defenseman K’Andre Miller. Seattle Kraken forward Riley Sheahan raced out to cover Miller but was hit square in the chest by New York’s Chris Kreider. There was no interference call, and Miller fired a shot that found the net to give the Rangers a 3-2 win at Madison Square Garden Sunday.
The goal spoiled what was a dramatic comeback by Seattle.
“’I’m gonna stay away,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said after the game about the goal. “I’m not going to waste time on that play or how I feel about it. I think that would take away from the spotlight of how well I think our team played and how hard our team played today.”
After heavily outshooting the Rangers to the tune of 42-24, Yanni Gourde’s one-timer at 18:52 of the third period on a 6-on-4 power play tied the game at 2-2 and appeared to give the Kraken a shot at winning in overtime for the second straight game.
“Honestly, the game was right there,” Gourde said. “At least getting out of here with a point. Very unfortunate. We battled, you gotta be proud of the guys there because they battled for 60 and unfortunately, we weren’t able to come up with any points tonight, but we had the right mentality.”
Like on Oct. 31 at Climate Pledge Arena, Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin was too much for the Kraken. In that first game between these teams, he made 31 saves to win 3-1. On Sunday, he kicked away 40 shots to win 3-2.
Jared McCann scored for the third straight game and Philipp Grubauer was sharp, making 21 saves. The Kraken were 1-for-5 on the power play.
“I thought we played a really good game throughout, and I thought we generated a lot,” Mark Giordano said. “I don’t know what the shots ended up, but we got a lot of pucks toward [Shesterkin]. You’re not gonna get more than two or three on that guy most nights, he’s a top goaltender in the league for a reason. Made a lot of big saves tonight but we executed pretty well there.”
How it played out for the Kraken
The Rangers opened the scoring at 11:46 of the first period. After quick passing on the power play they worked it to Mika Zibanejad who scored on a one-timer from the circle to the right of Grubauer.
A Zibanejad shot at 4:23 of the second period would extend the lead after the puck hit the post and was tapped in by Alexis Lafrenière to make it 2-0.
Seattle got one back from McCann at 7:17 when he finished a quick passing play with Marcus Johansson and Jordan Eberle to cut the lead to 2-1.
“It’s just a tough way to lose,” Giordano, who had an assist, said. “It was a fun game to play in. I always loved coming to this rink and playing in New York and I feel like we’ve been on the wrong end of those way too many times this year. So hopefully in the next 40 it’ll change the other way.”
The Kraken outshot New York 25-12 over the first two periods but found themselves trailing 2-1.
Injury bug bites Kraken before and during game
Calle Jarnkrok, who has been hot for Seattle, was a late scratch Sunday after taking warmups. He reportedly had an upper body injury that prevented him from playing. Morgan Geekie was inserted into the lineup without warming up and played 9:54 of the game with five shots on goal and won three of four faceoffs that he took.
In the first period, Karson Kuhlman slammed into the side boards hard, left the game, and did not return.
“This group is growing together, and I say it every day, we’ve still got a ways to go, but the signs and the results of what we’re doing are improving,” Hakstol said. “Today we played like a pretty tight hockey team, and we had some injury issues before the game, during the game, and guys just stepped forward and continue working. We’re still working towards exactly who we want to be, but again, we played a pretty good game tonight.”
Tentacle Tales
+ McCann’s goal was his 18th of the season, and he is one away from his career high, set during the 2018-2019 season playing with both Florida and Pittsburgh.
+ Seattle had 42 shots on goal Sunday which is a franchise record.
+ Miller’s go-ahead goal with 34 seconds left is the second go-ahead goal the Rangers have scored in the final minute of a game, which is the most in the NHL this season.
+ The Kraken will next be in action Tuesday when they play the Boston Bruins.
Philipp Grubauer stared down Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry in a classic duel that ended with the Seattle Kraken winning in overtime for the first time in franchise history, 2-1 at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena Thursday night.
Adam Larssson won it for the Kraken at 1:17 of overtime when he came off the bench, got a pass from Alex Wennberg, and beat Jarry from high in the slot.
But the hero for the Kraken was Grubauer. The goalie kept his team in the game making 23 saves and continuing his hot play of late.
“Great job by everybody” Grubauer said. “We were playing really tight, didn’t give them a lot of room to make plays like other games. As long as you keep that at 0-0 you have a chance. Once they got that goal we went right back at it. I think we had games where we didn’t come back after giving up a goal. Tonight everybody did a good job.”
The two teams battled through the first 40 minutes on Thursday with neither goaltender blinking. Jarry was just as tough as Grubauer and ended the night by stopping 27 of 29 Kraken shots.
Pittsburgh went ahead at 8:41 of the third period when Evgeni Malkin made it 1-0 with a power-play goal on a wrist shot from between the circles and past a screened Grubauer.
The Kraken pushed from there, outshooting the Penguins 18-4 in the third period, but could not solve Jarry. After two failed power play attempts Vince Dunn lifted a shot from the point at 16:04 that was tipped past Jarry by former Penguin Jared McCann to tie the game and force overtime.
“Dunner is a great defenseman, I know he’s going to make a play, just tried to get my stick on it,” McCann said. “[Marcus Johansson] made a play there, got it back to Dunner.”
It was the second straight game with a goal for McCann who is two away from his career high of 19.
“It’s a good win in this building, it’s a hard place to win,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “For us it’s an enjoyable win but one that we worked for. Our game didn’t change a whole lot from the drop of the puck to the game winner in overtime… We pushed a little bit in the third period without any risk to our game and that’s a good characteristic to our team.”
Grubauer won the game on one shift in second period
As solid as Grubauer was all night, it was one shift with about four minutes left in the second that may have swung the game.
The Penguins hemmed Seattle in its own zone for over two minutes. Johansson broke his stick early in the shift rendering him nearly useless to help get the puck out. Pittsburgh had Malkin and Sidney Crosby on the ice and turned the Seattle zone into a shooting gallery.
The Kraken could not corral the puck to clear, but Grubauer stayed steady.
“Guys were blocking shots like crazy,” Grubauer said. “Getting in shooting lanes and letting me see the puck by boxing out guys, knowing where their forwards are… I think it’s building over the last couple games at home. Last game wasn’t our best one, but I think since we’ve come out of Christmas break, we’ve been playing our game, and everybody is buying in.”
Johansson ended up on the ice for a three-minute shift and Mark Giordano for 2:26. It was an incredible stretch and logic says that the Penguins should have scored.
Grubauer wasn’t just good there. He made saves in tight all night, including a stop on Jeff Carter midway through the period.
Over his last five starts, Grubauer is 4-1-0 with a .914 save percentage.
Kraken figuring out overtime
The past two chances the Kraken have had in overtime they’ve played well. Against the Chicago Blackhawks on the recent homestand, they dominated overtime, hit a post just before it ended, and got the win in the shootout.
“Over the break we had a chance to talk about how we want to manage the overtime,” Hakstol said. “Just try to manage our shift lengths, not try to force things, and take what the game gives you until there’s a breakdown. We got that on the game-winning goal.”
The talk over the break has created results and raised the confidence level.
McCann started the overtime and nearly scored on the first shift.
“We’re going to get one,” McCann said about what he was thinking just before the face-off. “We’re due. It was a good team effort, we played well, played to our strengths and we’ve got to build on this.”
The Seattle Kraken find themselves in Pittsburgh Thursday for a tough road matchup against the Penguins. Pittsburgh has been playing well with a 27-10-5 record which is good for second place in the Metropolitan Division, one point back of the New York Rangers.
Pittsburgh is especially tough at home where it has a 13-5-2 record, meaning the Kraken have their tentacles full Thursday night.
“This team feeds off of momentum in this building,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said after morning skate. “Typically, Pittsburgh starts well in this building, and they feed off of momentum that they generate, especially offensively. We’ve got to be really ready to meet that head on. This core group has won together, they’re a deep team… they start well, they compete very hard in this building.”
Philipp Grubauer will start again for the Kraken, and he’ll be up against Tristan Jarry who is in the middle of a great rebound season. Jarry struggled in the playoffs last year, earning the ire of the fans and local media; it’s hard to believe fans would blame the goalie, but there it was.
This season, Jarry has gotten his skates under him and comes into Tuesday with a 2.12 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. Oh, and his record is 23-7-4 which is not too shabby. Seattle needs to get traffic and shots on him to stand a chance.
This is the second meeting of the Penguins and Kraken
Back on Dec. 6, the Penguins came to Climate Pledge Arena and scored three times in the first period to skate away with an easy 6-1 win.
Pittsburgh played that game without Evgeni Malkin who was rehabbing an injury. He’s been been back now for eight games and, of course, has nine points. With Sidney Crosby playing like Sidney Crosby, Malkin’s return makes the Penguins that much tougher.
“I think Geno’s getting better with every game that he’s played,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday. “He missed a lot of time, that’s not an easy challenge for any player coming back into the lineup. I give Geno credit for how hard he worked… his timing, his conditioning, just the intensity of an NHL game is difficult to simulate.
“I do think he’s getting better. You can see the impact he has on our team, particularly offensively with his instincts. We really like where we’re trending and we’re a much more difficult team to play against with him in the lineup.”
Just what the Kraken want to hear.
Other Penguins to watch
Your eyes are naturally drawn to Crosby and Malkin when Pittsburgh is playing, but their attack comes from more than just the two of them.
Up front, Evan Rodrigues has had a breakout season with 15 goals and 32 points. Jake Guentzel is having another strong season and leads the team in goals (21) and points (40).
On the back end, Kris Letang is killing it this year and has 37 points. Seattle needs to be aware of him joining the rush and make sure they keep a third man high in the offensive zone to prevent odd-man chances.
Some Penguins odds and ends
Pittsburgh can score. The Penguins are averaging 3.4 goals per game and the third period has been their most productive period from a goal scoring aspect.
With all the firepower they have, surprisingly they’re not dominant on special teams. Their power play is 23rd overall, and at home it’s been 28th in the league with a 14.9 percent success rate. Of course, that doesn’t mean you want to give Crosby, Malkin, et al a ton of chances with the man advantage.
They’ve won eight in a row at home, which it seems like every team the Kraken have played on the road of late has done, making Thursday’s night game just a bit more daunting.
Don’t look now, but the Kraken are on a winning streak! Yeah, we know it’s only been two games, but nonetheless, seeing them get rewarded for their hard work this week has been a sight for very sore eyes. The Kraken look to extend their streak to three games Friday, as the St. Louis Blues make their first visit to Seattle.
Seattle had one of its best games of the season Monday against the Blackhawks, and deserved the shootout win that they eventually received. It was a borderline dominant performance that only went down to the wire because of otherworldly play in net by Marc-Andre Fleury. The Kraken lacked the same impressive dominance on Thursday against the Sharks, and frankly looked sloppy in the first half of the opening period.
The boys turned it on in the second, and Carson Soucy scored twice to give Seattle a lead that it never relinquished, despite taking four penalties in the third period alone.
Philipp Grubauer had his second positive performance in a row, stopping 23 of the 25 shots he faced. With Seattle on the second of back-to-backs Thursday, though, and with Chris Driedger still unavailable due to COVID protocol, coach Dave Hakstol is doing the smart thing by resting Grubauer. We thought he might be tempted to throw Grubauer right back in there, but with the starting netminder’s confidence just starting to build, turning to Joey Daccord is the right move for the Kraken against the Blues.
So, about Daccord… The friend of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast has made good use of his time with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers and has put up some outstanding numbers down there, notching a 2.18 goals against average and .925 save percentage in 14 games. His NHL numbers don’t show it this season, but he really has played well (but been hung out to dry) in his few appearances with the Kraken.
Seattle is playing better now than they have during other Daccord stints, so let’s see if his AHL success can transfer to the big club.
With no morning skate Friday, Hakstol played lineup changes close to the vest. He wouldn’t say if Jamie Oleksiak might be ready to return from a non-COVID illness, so we will see.
The Blues are third in the Central with a 23-11-5 record and 51 standings points. These two times played each other last week in St. Louis on a night when Driedger deserved to win, but the Kraken were done in by a late power-play goal by Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich.
This is a good team, but Seattle has proven it can skate with pretty much anybody. The Kraken came very close to winning that road contest against the Blues last Thursday, but got into penalty trouble—much like they did against the Sharks on Thursday—and didn’t generate enough offensively.
Kraken lineup
Really interesting shake-up of the lines by Hakstol. Yanni Gourde, Jared McCann, and Jordan Eberle have all been quiet of late, so the Kraken are going with a new mix.
Karson Kuhlman appears to be a scratch one night after making his Kraken debut, as Colin Blackwell is back in. ALSO back in is Haydn Fleury, who will be playing his first game since Jan. 1. Sheesh!
With Oleksiak apparently not ready to return, we are not surprised to see Jeremy Lauzon come out of the lineup after he took two straight penalties on Thursday.
The Blues got on the board first with a short-handed goal. Brandon Saad and Tyler Bozak got a two-on-one. Saad dished to Bozak, and Bozak buried it in a yawning cage. The goal came at 5:54.
If you picked Tyler Bozak for the first goal vote, YOU WIN!
…And just like that, the Kraken were chasing again.
The Blues scored again at 10:23. With Adam Larsson in the penalty box for delay of game, David Perron shot from high in the zone. Ryan O’Reilly deflected it toward Daccord, who made the first save, but the puck squirted out to Brayden Schenn for an easy tap-in.
In all, it was a pretty sloppy period by the Kraken, which felt very similar to the first frame on Thursday. The boys did wake up a bit in the last five minutes and had some good looks but were ultimately a little too cute with their passing.
Second period highlights
Daccord made one of the best saves of the season early in the second. On a partial two-on-zero, David Perron passed to O’Reilly for a sure goal. But Daccord did a full spit and just got his toe on it. Man, what a save that was.
Robert Bortuzzo nearly took Ryan Donato’s head off, just as Donato was releasing a shot off the rush. Donato was ok, but it was a very dangerous hit. Somehow Bortuzzo only got two minutes.
The Kraken looked better in the second and also got bailed out a couple times by Daccord. They put 15 shots on Ville Husso, including a breakaway by Riley Sheahan. Still, it really didn’t feel like they tested him all that much, despite the relatively high number of shots. They did apparently take a lot of shots from the left point through two periods, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Third period highlights
It took the Blues just 24 seconds of third-period play before they stretched their lead to 3-0. Off a three-on-two rush, Vladimir Tarasenko passed to Torey Krug in the slot, who just deflected it to Buchnevich on the far side. Buchnevich ripped it off the bar and down.
The wheels officially came off the wagon after a Kraken power play. Colton Parayko (yes, the 6-foot-6, 220 defenseman) stole the puck from a tired Jordan Eberle at the Kraken blue line. Parayko went in on a breakaway, and Eberle hooked him, giving Parayko a penalty shot. Parayko scored.
BRAVO! 👏👏👏 Colton Parayko scores on his first-ever penalty shot.
Jordan Kyrou scored the fifth Blues goal of the night after he took a pass from Robert Thomas (the hockey player, not the singer of Matchbox 20), and deked around a sprawling Daccord.
The Kraken looked quite sluggish from start to finish Friday. Just not much going on offensively.
Post-game
Notes the top six has been “pretty dry” offensively. Says it’s hard to win games if the top six isn’t scoring goals. https://t.co/K7dUVQlIVB
Prior to an early season Kraken game at Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle Seahawks running back DeeJay Dallas stood on a balcony high above the arena to hype up 17,000 hockey fans.
You couldn’t tell by his excitement that night, but the 23 year old was stepping outside his comfort zone a bit. He’s normally on the football field with the crowd looking down on him. But this time the roles were reversed, and the fans were all looking up.
“I’m kind of shy, a little bit,” Dallas says. “When I have my helmet on all the time the fans don’t really bother me, but when I have no helmet on and you can see my face then I’m just like ‘Oh, man.’”
Dallas wasn’t at the game for a promotion opportunity nor was he there jumping on the bandwagon of Seattle’s newest professional team.
He was there for the game. He was there because he’s a hockey fan.
“I like hockey,” Dallas said. “Hockey is fast and physical and reminds me a lot of our game.”
The Seahawks brought Dallas to Seattle in 2020 when they made him their fourth-round pick in the NFL Draft out of the University of Miami.
He’s in his second season with the Seahawks and has run for 172 yards on 51 carries with three touchdowns. Dallas can play on passing downs and has added 210 yards and another touchdown with 31 catches so far. He’s also a regular returning kickoffs for the Seahawks.
Thrashers, Penguins, and Kraken
Growing up in Brunswick, Ga., Dallas discovered hockey at a young age by going to Atlanta Thrashers games. He says those games helped him to learn to enjoy the sport and become a fan.
“The Thashers left when I was six or seven, maybe a little bit later than that,” he says. “But once they left I became a Penguins fan. Sidney Crosby is the beast and they had [Marc-Andre] Fleury and everybody.”
He missed a chance to get to the game last Monday when the Penguins, and Crosby, were in town due to meetings with the Seahawks. But he was there the next game, sitting on the glass with his wife and son, cheering hard as the Kraken played the former Thrashers, the Winnipeg Jets.
Dallas was a Penguins fan, but he’s adopted the Kraken and gets to as many games as he can.
“I finally have a team that I didn’t inherit,” he says. “Like I feel like I can be a part of this team. I’m living in Seattle now being a part of the Seahawks. You always want to support the hometown team. So, I’ve become a Kraken fan and I think I’ll probably be a Kraken fan forever… it’s just so exciting to watch the guys. Me and some of the players have become friends and I just tell them all the time like ‘Man, y’all fly’ and it’s just amazing to watch.”
You might know him as the @seahawks running back, but to us he’s the resident leader for the Brandon Tanev Fan Club.
Dallas has not been on skates before, although there has been some talk of him doing something with the team where he does get out on the ice. That will undoubtedly be entertaining content. For now he’ll stick with being a fan, attending games, and supporting the club on Twitter.
When asked what type of player he would be, he quickly says he’d be a defenseman like Jamie Oleksiak who Dallas refers to as a ‘beast.’
He may want to be a defenseman, but it’s a certain forward that he’s adopted as his favorite Kraken player.
“[Brandon] Tanev is my guy, that’s my favorite player,” Dallas says. “He plays with what I like to bring to football. He plays with passion. Every night he steps on the ice he brings it, and I like to say he has that about him. He flies, he hits people, he takes no shit and that’s what I like to bring to football.”
No word yet if his Seahawks teammates will start calling Dallas ‘Turbo,’ but watching him run the ball, there is a similarity.
Dallas says he’ll continue to attend Kraken games, sitting on the glass, when his football schedule allows for it. He appears on the team’s intro video each night and is part of the deafening din of Climate Pledge Arena.
“Kraken fans remind me a lot of the 12’s and the fan bases probably overlap,” Dallas says. “The fans from Lumen Field and Climate Pledge are a lot of the same people. It’s exciting.”
The Seattle Kraken will be tested this week with two sets of back-to-back games including two against division rivals that have a “make or break” feel about them. The next two games come Tuesday and Wednesday in Seattle’s first road trip to California. The Kraken then return to the Puget Sound area to take on two of the better Canadian teams on Saturday and Sunday. Here is the rundown and who to keep an eye on in each matchup.
Tuesday, Dec. 14, Seattle Kraken at San Jose Sharks
TV: ROOT Sports
This will be the first-ever game between the Kraken and Sharks with an important two points on the line. San Jose has been a surprise team in the Pacific Division this season but still finds itself in the middle of the standings. If the Sharks expect to make the playoffs, every point matters when chasing the Ducks, Flames, Oilers, and Golden Knights.
Meanwhile, the Kraken still find themselves in the bottom of the Pacific. It is already a long shot, but if this team expects any chance at the postseason, it will need to put a string of wins together soon, particularly against teams ahead of it in the Pacific Division standings.
Who to watch on San Jose
Tomas Hertl is a big-bodied centerman that has knack for big goals. He has goals in four straight games and is on pace for a career season high.
Jasper Weatherby is a Pacific Northwest native and has played extremely well in his first year as a professional hockey player. He has been bouncing between the 3rd and 4th lines, but it is clear he has the coach’s trust to play him in critical situations. Weatherby’s journey both on and off the ice is fascinating and makes him a player worth rooting for, even if he is wearing opposing colors.
The skinny
It is not fair to put the success of the Seattle Kraken’s season on one game in December, but this might be as close to a must-win game as we can get at this stage. The boys from the Puget Sound must start digging themselves out of the rather large hole they find themselves in right now.
Wednesday, Dec. 15, Seattle Kraken at Anaheim Ducks
TV: TNT
Anaheim is another surprise team in the Pacific, currently sitting second in the division. The Ducks are riding a wave of excitement created by a younger generation of players and are currently challenging Calgary for the top spot. Troy Terry, 24, and Trevor Zegras, 20, are leading the team in points. The Ducks are also getting significant contributions from Isac Lundestrom, 22, and Jamie Drysdale, 19.
The Kraken’s first matchup against the Ducks did not go well. Anaheim handed the Kraken a 7-4 loss at Climate Pledge Arena on a night that felt like Seattle never had a chance.
Who to watch on Anaheim
The expectations for Trevor Zegras have been high since he was drafted ninth overall in 2019. He has lived up to those expectations with an impressive freshman season at Boston University in the 2019-20 season and an MVP performance that helped USA clinch a gold medal at last year’s World Junior Championship. He has also caught fire at the NHL level, showing creativity with his mind-boggling assist on the leading candidate for goal of the year.
Jamie Drysdale is another top-10 draft pick by the Anaheim Ducks. He is projected to be an elite defenseman in the NHL and is already starting to showcase his skill in his second NHL season. Drysdale might not be a household name now, but he will be in a few years.
The skinny
Yes, winning in Anaheim would be ideal, but even getting an overtime point should be considered a victory for Seattle. We know they are capable of skating with anyone, but the Kraken have lacked consistency, and a positive performance against one of the top teams in the division would be a confidence booster.
Saturday, Dec. 18, Edmonton Oilers at Seattle Kraken
ROOT Sports, CBC
The Kraken played their best game of the season the last time the Oilers visited Climate Pledge Arena in a 4-3 nail-biting victory. Edmonton has lost four in a row since visiting Seattle and will have revenge in mind on its final game in Seattle for the 2021-22 regular season.
Who to watch on Edmonton
Edmonton has two of the best players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Those two are rather obvious players to watch, but we want to call out Zach Hyman as another player to watch. Hyman is a hard-working forward that has been thriving on the Oilers since signing with them in the offseason.
Derek Ryan and Kailer Yamamoto are not household names, but in Washington State, they should be. Both were born and raised in Spokane and played for the Spokane Chiefs. Ryan might not get many minutes, but he does the little things that coaches appreciate from a fourth-line center. His journey to the NHL is an incredible one, and he shared it with us on the Sound Of Hockey podcast last year.
Sunday, Dec. 19, Toronto Maple Leafs at Seattle Kraken
This will be the Maple Leafs’ first and only trip to the Pacific Northwest this season. The Leafs have been inconsistent but should still be considered as one of the top teams in the league. They started this season with a 2-4-1 run that had a fan base screaming to tear it all down and rebuild, only to follow that up by winning 10 out of the next 11 games.
Player to watch on Toronto
Michael Bunting is a 26-year-old rookie who is putting together a great season since signing with the Maple Leafs in the offseason. He is taking advantage of playing on the top line with Auston Matthews and has 19 points over 29 games.
The skinny
Luckily for the Kraken, Mitch Marner will be on injured reserve for this game, and the Kraken should be seeing the Leafs’ back-up goalie with Toronto on the second night of a back-to-back. Beating the Maple Leafs would be another huge feather in the cap for the Kraken, who have taken down several elite teams.
It has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Kraken fans this season, and this week could be part of the ride. At this point, fans should be looking for consistency in the team’s compete level. Given the skill of the opponents they are about to face, grabbing four out of eight points this week should be considered success and something to build on heading into the end of the calendar year.
