DETROIT, MI - Oliver Bjorkstrand has been at the forefront of the fight for the Kraken – sometimes literally. After the third bout in his NHL career served as a catalyst for a comeback win in Buffalo, it was the Maestro who battled to finally get the Kraken on the board. And while Matty Beniers would also score – making him the first player to debut with the Kraken and score 50 goals – it wasn’t enough.
Bjorkstrand’s goal came on the power play, but Detroit’s special teams were equally lethal. A three-for-five conversion rate with the extra skater contributed to a six-goal start for the home team that became insurmountable for the Kraken, who fell 6-2 in Motor City.
“We weren’t ready,” Jaden Schwartz said. “It's unacceptable, and there's no one to blame but ourselves. No one's feeling sorry for us. We have to figure this out collectively and figure it out fast.”
Formidable Foe
Heading into Little Caesars Arena for the second game of a back-to-back, the Kraken knew they had a tough test in front of them. Since making a coaching change on Dec. 26, the Red Wings improved defensively and on both sides of special teams. As a result, they’ve put together a 6-1-0 record, with all six of those wins strung together in their most recent games. And when the puck dropped, Detroit showed up as advertised.
While Kraken have shown that they can come back in games, Detroit made it awfully hard on them. Less than three minutes into the game, the Red Wings scored a pair of quick-strike goals eleven seconds apart. And after Adam Larsson was put in the penalty box for a high stick, a power play that has produced in seven straight games made quick work of the opportunity when Alex Debrincat scored quickly to make it 3-0.
Joey Daccord came into the game in relief of Philipp Grubauer after that, but missed assignments created a 3-on-1 where Vince Dunn was the lone Kraken defender back. Patrick Kane was able to convert a cross-slot pass for the fourth goal of the period.
“We didn’t look ready, we weren’t ready,” Adam Larsson said. “We made some not smart decisions out there and then we got too far behind in the game. Starts like that…it’s going to be a tough time winning games.”
The Kraken did get their chances, generating 16 shot attempts (one less than Detroit) and 12 shots on goal (one more than their opponent) - including three from Jaden Schwartz - but they were unable to beat Cam Talbot in the opening 20.
Two More Power Play Strikes
The third-best power play in the league stayed effective. The score went to 5-0 when, less than five minutes into the middle period, Erik Gustafsson’s shot from the point bounced off the bodies that were in front of Daccord, changing the angle and going in the net. Dylan Larkin added to Detroit’s total, also on the power play with 4:39 to go.
“I don’t know if frustration kicks in, and we start taking penalties,” Adam Larsson said. “And they have a good power play too.”
Cue the Maestro
The Kraken didn’t convert on their first power play that came in the first period, but they found a way in period two. With less than ten seconds remaining with the skater advantage, Daccord tapped the puck to Vince Dunn, who started the breakout with a perfectly placed pass to Jaden Schwartz in the neutral zone, who next skated across the blue line and connected with Bjorkstrand to erase the zero by the Kraken’s name from the scoreboard.
