Kraken Jump to Lead, Keep It

The Kraken will be playing must-win games every night in the crowded and tight Western Conference wild-card race. Monday proved to be a two-standings point success and the franchise’s 100^th in the regular season win. It comes on the front end of a quick but vital back-to-back road trip, downing fellow contender and division rival Calgary. Seattle halted the Flames’ five-game winning streak, but easy-going it was not.

Seattle jumped out to a 3-1 lead just 21 seconds into the third period when Adam Larsson showed off his offensive chops by roofing a high-slot shot to the upper right corner past recently hot goalie Jacob Markstrom. But let’s agree the Kraken coaches if not the players were well aware the home squad has come back nine times this year to win games after trailing at the second intermission.

When Russian-born Andrei Kuzmenko scored his second goal of the game nearly eight minutes into the third period, the raucous local fans were no doubt thinking back to Saturday when the Flames roared back from a 3-1 deficit in the final 10 minutes to vanquish Pittsburgh. Kraken fans watching on ROOT Sports were likely feeling a bit queasy about the 3-2 margin.

But Jared McCann solved the need for antacids with a standout shift on the second of two penalty-kills required in the later going with top penalty killers Vince Dunn and Jamie Oleksiak taking two-minute turns for minor penalties. Seattle snuffed out both shorthanded scenarios and did one better when Jared McCann and Yanni Gourde generated a high-quality scoring chance that just missed.

Then as Calgary retrieved the puck and entered the Kraken zone for one more power play push, McCann read the play perfectly and intercepted the puck at the blue line. The Kraken leading scorer speeded up ice for a breakaway then showed patience before flicking the puck past Jacob Markstrom for the fourth goal (his 26^th of the year) and much-needed breathing room.

Long overdue Yanni Gourde and Adam Larsson notched big goals while “trade-related issues” prompted Jared McCann to be on the right line at the right time for the go-ahead goal. Gourde hadn’t scored in 18 games and it was 20 games for Larsson. Philipp Grubauer finished with 35 saves after facing just two shots on goal in the first period. The Kraken goalie now has won four of his last five starts.

“We started really well and had some rough patches in the second half of the game,” said Dave Hakstol after the game. “But we made plays when we needed to. It was a great road win.”

Dunn Status Uncertain

With the game seemingly more secure with a 4-2 lead and seven minutes left, Calgary’s Martin Pospisil leveled Vince Dunn with a dangerous hit from behind. Replays showed Dunn’s helmet slammed the top of the head into the endboards. Matty Beniers went after Pospisil immediately while Dunn skated rapidly to the Kraken bench gate and down the tunnel. Pospisil’s hit was reviewed in the Toronto Situation Room and upped to a five-minute penalty and game misconduct. Dave Hakstol had no updates on Dunn’s condition during his post-game interview.

When asked about the Pospisil hit on Dunn, Hakstol was straightforward and referenced Pospisil’s hit on Adam Larsson on the game’s first shift: “Garbage. But really not a whole lot different than then the first hit [on Larsson] six, seven second seconds into the game. When you run around like that you probably need to answer when somebody comes at you man-to-man, but that didn’t happen either. From there, I'll leave it to the league.”

Seattle Seizes the First Period

The Kraken came out playing fast and faster Monday night, picking up where they left off in a manic final minute with multiple scoring chances Saturday afternoon. But unlike the weekend game against division rival Edmonton in which Seattle couldn’t tie the game, the visitor's frenetic flurry of shots resulted in the game’s opening goal.

Not long after Yanni Gourde couldn’t quite convert an enticing 2-on-1 rush, the Kraken alternate captain didn’t miss on a second chance just four minutes into the game. Gourde scored his first goal in 19 games when Vince Dunn’s heavy shot from his usual left-point locale was redirected just right by Brandon Tanev, then bounding toward Gourde. The Kraken original put some muscle into his windup and wrist shot to beat Calgary goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Gourde last scored in early January, stringing together a three-game goal streak that started New Year’s Day with a crowd-pleaser during the third period of the Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park.

Seattle kept flying throughout the first period, finishing with 11 shots on goal and six Grade-A scoring chances. Flames goalie Markstrom is a big reason why Calgary is still battling for a wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoffs and showed why in the first period. He robbed Jordan Eberle early (third time in two games with Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner the thief Saturday) and wiped out a choice close-in shot from fellow alternate captain Jaden Schwartz late. Side note: Schwartz is due.

Calgary Resets and Revives in Second Period

There were late first-period signs that Calgary was going to improve upon an opening 20 minutes with just two shots on goal (but three Grade-A scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick). By mid-game the shots on goal were even at 16 apiece and so was the score when the Flames scored on a power play made possible by rookie forward Tye Kartye taking an extra two-minute instigator penalty when he and Calgary’s Martin Pospisil squared off, with Kartye getting the best of it with several landed punches. Kartye was no doubt standing up for teammate and alternate captain Adam Larsson, who was flattened from behind by Pospisil on the first shift with no penalty whistled.

McCann, Wennberg Centers of Attention

Following Monday’s morning skate for the Kraken at the Saddledome in Calgary, Dave Hakstol was questioned about the absence of Kraken centerman Alex Wennberg on the a.m. ice. The coach’s answer: “Trade-related issues and will not be available tonight.”

With that decision from the Kraken braintrust, Hakstol and his coaching staff decided to swap in Jared McCann to play between Jaden Schwartz and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The line was clicking in the game’s first half with Schwartz as the headliner with two shots on goal and the aforementioned juicy scoring attempt later first period. After Calgary tied it on the power play, McCann showed the 200-foot side of his game with an aggressive forecheck on Flames D-man Brayden Pachal in the left corner deep in the CGY zone, preventing any quick clear.

The Flames looked to recover by sending the puck along the sideboards, but Schwartz but hustled back to reverse the puck back McCann at the goal line. McCann, who started his Kraken career at center, used familiar to work the puck behind the net and found Bjorkstrand for the Danish winger’s signature quick-release. Flames goalie Markstrom had no chance and a strategic roster move enabled the go-ahead goal on the ice. It’s Bjorkstrand’s third goal in the last four games. The scoring sequence is yet another positive example of GM Ron Francis's approach to building a roster of depth and versatility.