Dramatic Night and Win in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS – The buzzer-beater is an undeniable thrill of a play in sports. Dramatic. Head-shaking. Sometimes, even transforming a season from good to great (here’s hoping). Plus, there’s the whole agony and ecstasy thing.

And then there is Chandler Stephenson’s buzzer/horn-beater here in St. Louis to tie this road game with two seconds left on the clock. Kraken fans here (always are some) and across the PNW were celebrating, cheering, thinking about how to win in overtime. Then the on-ice officials announced the NHL had initiated a review. That’s a buzzer-beater with a big, ugly asterisk. Fans wait, players wait, the future Hall of Famer John Forslund telling Kraken Hockey Network viewers that “the question is what is the question about the goal.”

Then Blues fans didn’t like the answer. Good goal, on to overtime. Saturday’s buzzer-beater and the tales we can tell are better for Shane Wright scoring the OT game-winner with assists from Eeli Tolvanen and Ryker Evans, who both scored their first goals of the season earlier in the game. Tolvanen was grinning ear-to-ear in the locker room, happy to claim his first goal in his 14th game of the year. Evans was matter-of-fact but positive about scoring his first goal of the season in his first game of the year and on his first shot.

“We were talking on the bench,” said Tolvanen about him and Wright before their overtime shift. ” We’ve had overtimes where we will play more on the outside [of the net-front lane or slot]. We talked about trying to get inside. Shane made a nice play.”

“I was able to get all my touches I needed,” said Evans about getting the feel for a live game after six weeks of recovering from an upper-body injury.

On his goal to open the Kraken scoring, Evans said he took to heart the messaging from the coaching staff. “We need to get more pucks toward the net. Ben Meyers had a great screen, so I was able to find a hole with my shot.”

After the Kraken climbed back into the game from two goals down, the Kraken were down 3-2 in the waning seconds here in the Midwest Saturday night. But Matty Beniers zipped a cross-ice pass to Chandler Stephenson for a tying goal with two seconds remaining in regulation. Bedlam for the Kraken players on ice and on the bench. Or at least until the NHL Toronto Situation Room instigated a review of the play. But the goal held, and then Shane Wright banked an overtime winner.

The final and thrilling result was a big win for Seattle and especially goalie Philipp Grubauer. The Kraken are now 7-3-4 with Dallas on the docket for Sunday night and a possible road trip sweep.

Lambert on ‘Character’ of Comeback

Coach Lane Lambert was even-keeled post-game but clearly pleased.

“We showed a lot of character coming back, especially after the last game [against San Jose]. “I’m very happy and credit our guys for fighting back. We just played harder, won more battles, and played more of a structured game. We were connected ... our battle level was high. We deserved to win.”

Slow Start, Grubauer Then Revs Up

This weekend did not start anywhere near ideal for the Kraken. Saturday morning, the team announced that starting goaltender Joey Daccord did not make the Central Division road trip, staying back to get further evaluated for an upper-body injury. The news clearly offered an opportunity to Seattle’s other two goaltenders, with Philipp Grubauer getting the start in goal on this stop in St. Louis.

A bit more than five minutes into the opening period, Seattle forward Ryan Winterton snared a loose puck in the left corner of the defensive zone, quickly deciding to send a cross-ice pass to Ben Meyers inside the right point of the Blues' end. But Blues winger Dylan Holloway intercepted the puck and flung it past Grubauer for a 1-0 St. Louis lead.

A couple of shifts later, Grubauer made a point-blank, Grade-A save on Blues center Robert Thomas and collected a couple more before the Kraken took a penalty for too many men on ice. That mid-period slip-up led to an STL power play score just 28 seconds later. From there, Grubauer made some quality saves, the best on a high-danger, wide-open shot from veteran center Nick Bjugstad.

Grubauer, Murray Both Team First

With the news about Joey Daccord staying back in Seattle to get an upper-body injury further evaluated, the weekend’s pair of games will take full advantage of the decision to carry three goaltenders on the roster. Saturday’s starter, Philipp Grubauer, and free agent signee Matt Murray have both traveled with the team, getting in as much work with goalie coach Colin Zulianello as possible to stay sharp and ready. Each has been afforded one start over the first 13 games. Grubauer started Oct. 16 (three weeks ago), and Murray got the starting nod Oct. 21 (two-and-a-half weeks). Zulianello has worked extensively to keep both veterans sharp. Lambert has praised Zulianello’s diligence and creativity to keep Grubauer and Murray in rhythm and said the same Saturday about his players between the goal posts.

"I liked what he did, just like what the team did," said Lambert about his winning goaltender, who was awarded the team's victory F1 helmet post-game. "He was resilient. I thought he made some big saves for us when we needed him to. Full marks to him. He hasn't played for a while. Well done by Grubi."

“It's not easy for them,” said Lambert after morning skate in St. Louis. “They're not playing a lot. They're working and showing their work ethic. There's been no complaining whatsoever. They've done very, very well as a tandem [backing up Daccord]. It's an unusual situation. They've handled it both like professionals. Now they'll get a chance to play, and we're looking for them to play well.