How Sweep It Is for Kraken

The Kraken completed a two-game sweep of division rival Anaheim Thursday night, but it didn’t come anywhere near as easy as a 4-0 shutout win earlier in the week. Rookie Tye Kartye scored the game-winner with a high-slot searing shot off a high hockey-IQ feed from Yanni Gourde behind the goal line. It capped an active night for Kartye, who was drawing penalties, playing another solid game with fellow rookie linemate Ryan Winterton and Logan Morrison and picking up a roughing penalty.

Kartye’s scored at the 13-minute mark of the third period. It’s his ninth of the season and first since Jan. 13. Matty Beniers sealed the deal two-and-a-half minutes later with the Kraken’s third power play goal of the night, tipping in a Jared McCann shot. McCann had three assists in the win.

In his post-game remarks, coach Dave Hakstol called out three Kraken players– Brandon Tanev, Yanni Gourde, and Tye Kartye–as vital to the Kraken shaking off two Anaheim shorthanded goals in 44 seconds early in the third period.

“I thought Tanev, Gordo and Karts dragged us back into this game,” said Hakstol. “Point blank, and that's what you need that from guys in your room guys, on your bench. Guys who are going to recognize that moment of the hockey game go out and raise their level. Those three guys were the three key guys.”

Hakstol was talking about more than Gourde’s masterful assist on Kartye’s game-winning goal. Tanev didn’t even make the scoresheet but jumped into a third-period scrap to charge up his teammates. Gourde and Tanev are charter members of the Kraken credo to “be hard to play against” (something that Gourde talked about in his first media call after being selected in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Kartye, the undrafted rookie, is clearly learned those ropes.

“I’m just trying to play my hardest and be hard to play against,” said Kartye, who has had numerous good looks lately that have missed wide or become quality saves. “I feel like for the other team, that's not fun for anybody.”

Ducks Finally Score...Then Tempers Flare

The Kraken were caught shorthanded by the visiting Anaheim Ducks here Thursday, giving up a pair of early-third period goals on a Seattle powerplay to mark the visitors first two goals of this week’s two-game miniseries. The Anaheim goals were 44 seconds apart.

Hakstol didn’t choose to detail the mistakes that led to the two “shorties”: “I guess it's how you answer and our powerplay answered. To give up the sloppy goals back-to-back, that can be catastrophic and in a game. Fortunately for us, we had another opportunity coming.”

After the shorthanded scores, tensions hit a boiling point between the two teams playing a sixth straight period. Anaheim center Ryan Strome cross-checked Tye Kartye, which the rookie didn’t like too much, picking up a roughing penalty when he went after Strome.

Just one shift later, Brandon Tanev was first held then cross-checked by Ducks young forward (who got into it with Kartye in the first period). Tanev, cross-checked after the whistle, kept his cool. Zegras lack of discipline lead to a four-minute stay in the penalty box, the first two-minor ending early when Andre Burakovsky scored a power-play goal from the high slot to tie the score.

Back at even strength, Tanev took up a challenge this time around, trading punches and pulls with Anaheim defenseman William Lagesson. Both players were whistled off for fighting, five minutes apiece.

Schwartz “Nets” Opening Goal

Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz opened the scoring with a power play goal nine minutes into the middle period. Schwartz was rewarded for his ongoing penchant and willingness to work net-front, this time getting knocked into the net by an Anaheim after sending the puck in first on a tip-in. OK, that’s not as rewarding as still being on you but Schwartz was no doubt happy to collect his 13^th goal of a season interrupted by injuries.

Schwartz power play mates waited patiently as Schwartz extricated himself from the netting, give him the proper head taps and hockey hugs. Fitting enough for Schwartz to score, given he was robbed a couple of times by 23-year-old Czech-born goalie Lukas Dostal, once in each period.

One of the teammates scrumming with the goal-scoring Schwartz was fellow alternate captain Jordan Eberle, who notched the 400^th regular-season assist of his NHL career and now is one point short of 700 points in just over 1,000 games. If his next point is a goal, it will be his 300^th.

Anaheim’s Fast Start

The visiting Ducks showed up early and frequently here Thursday after a quiet night in Tuesday’s loss to Seattle. Anaheim managed just 12 shots on goal in game one of this two-game miniseries of sorts, which set a Kraken franchise record for the lowest number of shots on goal in a game. But the Ducks nearly matched that total in the first period, giving Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer plenty to do, including stopping a pair of Grade-A scoring chances.

The referees gave the Seattle penalty killers plenty to do in the opening 20 minutes as well, whistling Andre Burakovsky for tripping just 10 seconds into the game and then sending D-man Will Borgen to the box for a two-minute interference call 12-plus minutes into the frame.

Kartye Showing Veteran Moves

Anaheim committed just one penalty in the period when Kraken rookie forward Tye Kartye forechecking Ducks young center Trevor Zegras not once but twice, frustrating Zegras, who is an offensive talent known for his lacrosse-goal moves and a work-in-progress on the defensive end of the ice. Zegras was disturbed enough to give Kartye an extra shove at the end of the play. Kartye, not one to back down to any opponent’s challenge or jump in to stick up for a teammate, this time exhibited a veteran move by not shrugging off Zegras’ attempt to bait Kartye into a penalty.