Kraken head coach Lane Lambert had spoken heading into this game about how his team had to make the most of any quality scoring chances.
The Carolina Hurricanes have become one of the NHL’s best teams by running up a blizzard of shots from all areas on opponents, so trying to outnumber them that way almost certainly wasn’t going to work. Instead, the Kraken in this 2-1 victory Monday night allowed themselves to be outshot from a distance but also managed to tuck away just enough goals in dangerous situations to emerge with a critical two points.
Kaapo Kakko and Ben Meyers scored second period goals to pace the Kraken and snap a five-game win streak and a 12-game points stretch for the visitors. Nikolaj Ehlers got one back for the Hurricanes in the closing minutes of the period but Kraken netminder Joey Daccord slammed the door shut from there, stopping 35 of 36 shots for the win.
The Kiraken, as expected, were outshot by a whopping 36-15 margin. But they also blocked 23 attempts and let Daccord have clear vision on the pucks that did make it through.
Kakko opened the scoring just over three minutes into the middle frame, using Berkly Catton as a decoy on a 2-on-1 break and beating Frederik Andersen with a right circle wrist shot just under his armpit.
Barely two minutes after that goal, Chandler Stephenson had a point-blank chance in front and pulled a deke move on Anderson in the crease only to have the veteran netminder make the stop. Those are the kinds of missed chances that have done in many a Hurricanes opponent this season with Carolina entering the game with the NHL’s No. 2 overall record and having won five in a row.
Adding insult to injury, Kakko appeared to have fed Jaden Schwartz for a power play tap-in goal at the net front just two minutes after Stephenson’s miss. The Kraken celebrated what appeared to be a two-goal cushion, but the Hurricanes challenged for offside on the zone entry and video replay indeed showed Shane Wright crossing the blue line ahead of the puck.
The Kraken had to be feeling a bit snakebit at that point, but Meyers helped with that problem midway through the frame by redirecting a puck that Andersen just managed to keep out. But Andersen couldn’t stop the second and third whack at the rebound by Meyers with two defenders draped all over him.
The puck crossed the line and the Kraken finally had their multi-goal advantage. That lead was enormous as the Kraken have yet to lose this season when leading by more than a goal at any point. They are now 23-0-0 in that regard.
They nearly made it a three-goal advantage moments later on a power play when a deflection rang off the crossbar behind a completely beaten Andersen.
Carolina poured it on towards the period’s end and the Kraken appeared to be desperately trying to hold on until intermission. They had a chance to clear the zone but a puck hopped over defenseman Vince Dunn’s stick and went straight to Ehlers, who fired home a wrist shot from the high slot to get the visitors on the board.
