LAS VEGAS -- There was no doubting the significance of this three-game final pre-Olympic road swing in the minds of Kraken players before they took the ice and especially once they did.
They played what might have been their best period of hockey all season in the opening 20 minutes Saturday night against the Vegas Golden Knights in an eventual 3-2 win that leaves them within reach of first place in the Pacific Division. Eeli Tolvanen and Jared McCann scored in the opening frame to put the Kraken ahead by two at intermission and served notice they’d be in it right to the end.
Vegas eventually tied it in the second period on goals by Ivan Barbashev midway through and Mitch Marner on a power play marker from the high slot in the final minute. But then Kaapo Kakko banged home a rebound just three minutes into the final frame to give the Kraken and goalie Joey Daccord all the room needed.
Daccord stopped 27 of 29 shots and came up big just two minutes after the go-ahead Kakko goal with a glove snare of a Barbashev shot from in close on a breakaway. Daccord held strong in the final minute of the game as well with the goalie pulled and the Golden Knights buzzing all around his crease.
When the final horn sounded, with another near-Vegas miss, Daccord pounded his fist in triumph multiple times.
The Kraken now head to Anaheim for a two-day break and Tuesday night game against the Ducks followed right after by a Wednesday night affair in Los Angeles to close out the schedule ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina. They won’t play again until late February, at which point it will be a final sprint toward season’s end in a playoff hunt that now sees the Kraken within three points of Vegas and three as well behind second-place Edmonton – but holding two games in hand on the Oilers.
They also moved a point ahead of Utah and two up on the Ducks and Kings when it comes to nailing down a wild card spot. Obviously, the games in Anaheim and LA will be huge, something the Kraken players and coaches all stressed about this road trip before the puck was even dropped.
The Kraken looked awful in a home game against Anaheim just more than a week ago, coming out flat in the opening two periods and taking a critical loss that left head coach Lane Lambert dumbfounded. All parties involved stressed a repeat would not occur this time and they were right, as the Kraken came out forechecking and backchecking from the opening whistle and never let up.
Chandler Stephenson got the scoring started seven minutes in by carrying the puck in deep puck in deep and dishing to Ryan Winterton, who got an initial shot off. Akira Schmid made the initial stop but Tolvanen was there to slot home the rebound.
The Kraken power play then got a chance in the final seven minutes of the period. After a couple of initial passes to Jared McCann in the right circle were slightly off target, a third effort by Vince Dunn was right on the money for a one-timed slapper from the right circle that made it 2-0.
It was McCann’s sixth goal in the last six games and his franchise record 11th for the month. The goal also gave him 20 points in January, also a team record for monthly output.
