Final Buzzer: Sprong Seals It

The distance between the Kraken and a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot in just the second season of the franchise shortened considerably Thursday night in a 4-1 win over division rival Anaheim. The Kraken's earned two standings points and a Nashville loss in Pittsburgh calculates to single-digit numbers for eliminating Nashville (nine points from Seattle wins and/or Predators losses) and Calgary (now at eight points). The Kraken and Nashville both have eight games left while Calgary is down to seven.
"The two points are big,' said alternate captain Jaden Schwartz, who scored the game's first goal on a heads-up stretch pass from Will Borgen. "If you look at the standings, teams are trying to move up and you don't want to leave it to the last two games of the year to have to win to get in [those last two games, btw, are against Vegas].

After two and three-quarter periods, this was a tight game that felt a little more constricted as the Kraken work on clinching a wild-card spot. It just seemed like the visiting Anaheim Ducks were hanging around a little too long in a 2-1 game.
Then Daniel Sprong, signed just before the season after he came to training camp on a professional tryout, carried his elite shot and his team to an ultimate 4-1 victory. Sprong fired his quick-release laser past valiant Ducks backup goalie Lukas Dostal upper-right corner through traffic during a late-third-period power play. It was Sprong's 20th goal of the year, third on the Kraken scoring list. Alexander Wennberg added a late empty-net goal to round out the scoring.
Sprong was acquired by GM Ron Francis during the 2022 NHL trade deadline and scored six goals in 16 games, flashing his way-above-average NHL shot. He didn't succeed in attracting much in the free agency market, deciding to stick with Seattle with no guarantees but a comfort level with his once and soon-enough future teammates. More than a few times last season and again this hockey year, Sprong and head coach Dave Hakstol conducted to straightforward conversations that recently has reached an accord.

In the last five games, Sprong has scored four goals and he and fourth-line teammates Ryan Donato and Brandon Tanev have hemmed in opponents in the Kraken offensive zone, allowing few escape routes and generating Grade-A scoring chances in the process.
"I keep busting his hump about the defensive play," said Hakstol when queried about Sprong's knack for scoring, playing a lower amount of minutes (eight to 11 total most nights), "about being sharp in a two-way sense and taking care of all the little details."
Hakstol quickly added notching 20 goals is "not an easy mark ... that's big contribution offensively. I'm gonna keep hanging on to both the defensive things and being good with his detail. And he's gonna continue contributing in the way that he has."

Scoring First - and Second

SEA defenseman Will Borgen has impressed teammates and coaches alike this season with his smooth skating, consistent break-ups of opponents entering the Kraken zone and being physical when needed. He's also provided a career-high 16 assists to support his squad's scoring depth. He was at it again in the first period Thursday, finding alternate captain Jaden Schwartz with a perfect stretch pass. Schwartz knew what to do, flying up ice on his natural left wing and firing a slap shot past Anaheim backup goalie Lukas Dostal. It's Schwartz' 19th goal of the season to tie him, for about an hour's time, with Daniel Sprong for third highest among the Kraken.

Later in the period, Jared McCann made a sweet close-in pass across the goal crease to an awaiting Matty Beniers. The rookie showed veteran patience by holding onto the puck and not shooting right away. He coaxed Dostal out of his net, deked around the goalie, then as the puck caromed of the side of the net, Beniers gathered the stray puck and slid it into the net.

For good measure and a pair of two-point nights, both Beniers (primary) and Schwartz (secondary) earned assists on Sprong's insurance goal on the late-game power play. Beniers's goal was the game-winner and his 21st of the season, tying him with Dallas rookie Wyatt Johnston and putting the Seattle rookie sensation at 52 points on the year, comfortably ahead of all other first-year players.

All-Systems-Go Wrong Way

Home is where the strong start was Thursday. Your returning Kraken heroes jumped out to 2-0 lead in the first game back in Climate Pledge Arena since March 18. The goals from veteran Jaden Schwartz and NHL rookie scoring leader Matty Beniers provided a seemingly comfortable margin as Seattle controlled most of the play through two periods.
Starting goalie Martin Jones was making stops as needed, especially his glove save of a close-range shot from veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk mid-period. He provided the "best penalty killer" stuff during penalties to Jamie Oleksiak and Carson Soucy.
"We settled down in the third," said Hakstol. "We needed a couple of real good saves from Martin Jones to do that with the score still 2-1]."
[Watch: Youtube Video
Many fans likely checked the NHL scoreboard to realize postseason contender Nashville fell to Pittsburgh, 2-0, earlier Thursday night, reducing by two the number of standings points the Kraken need to eliminate the Predators from the Western Conference wild-card race. With that loss and a Kraken win here, Seattle would be down to needing eight total standings points (any combination of Kraken victories and Nashville losses) over the next eight games for both teams to qualify the Kraken and ending the Predators' postseason hopes.
It appeared to be all-systems-go when veteran Brock McGinn disrupted the victory arc with a late second-period goal (1:16 left) that threaded through Jones net-front to halve the lead and undeniably catch everyone's attention, most particularly the Kraken players and coaches who just a couple real-time minutes later, trudged to the home dressing.