Third Period No Charm for Kraken

The Kraken finished a string of four straight Pacific Division games Friday, earning five of a possible eight standings points. Trouble is, Seattle lost out on two standings points in this post-Turkey Day matchup with Vancouver. Rather than end the night either four (win) or six (OT/shootout loss) points behind the rival Canucks, Seattle is now eight points back with the visitors securing a 5-1 victory with solid goaltending from a rejuvenated Thatcher Demko. A three-goal third period by Vancouver scratched out what was a close game.

In his post-game comments, Dave Hakstol said Friday’s outcome was a “readiness issue.” “They were the more ready team at the drop of the puck. You saw that in our execution in the first five minutes of the hockey game. Once you start that way, it's really hard to catch up in terms of your overall performance.

Hakstol was referring to his squad’s first power play of the night, which surrendered two shorthanded breakaways with starter-in-goal Joey Daccord stopping the first one but couldn’t stop Teddy Blueger near the end of the power play. He was equally underwhelmed by other parts of the game and a count of players whom Hakstol said turned in “under the bar” work on this night.

“You go into the second period and the game is still there,” said Hakstol, who will see his group at Saturday morning practice. "But this is not a league that you can play parts of 60 minutes ... this is not a part-time league.”

It’s just the quarter-mark and lots of hockey remains – starting with a four-game road trip that starts against Chicago and phenom Connor Bedard before an Eastern Canada swing through Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal – but the Kraken could have fortified their record and mindsets with a second “W” over Vancouver this past week.

Kartye Ruins Shutout

Rookie Tye Kartye is not as wide-eyed and untested as most NHL rookies. Playing 10 playoff games last season and scoring three goals (including his first NHL goal on his first shot in his first-ever NHL game) will shore up any young player’s hockey dossier.

The undrafted Kartye has turned heads among teammates for his two-way play, especially his forechecking as if a seasoned pro and being among Kraken hits leaders both last spring and this year. Kartye has been skating lately on the left wing with fellow fourth-liners, center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and right wing Kailer Yamamoto, but has also moved up to top-six forward duties when needed.

With the Kraken down 2-0 late second period in this important division game, Kartye took a shovel pass from Vince Dunn just inside the offensive zone and immediately released his above-average NHL shot (one that helped him become American Hockey League rookie of the year last season at Coachella Valley due his torrid second half). The long-range shot beat Thatcher Demko, who looked on his way to a potential shutout and, at the very least, a clean sheet through two periods.

It marked Kartye’s third goal of the year and first since scoring in Detroit on Oct. 24.  But he has been more than holding his own as a power forward, bringing both physical play and quality scoring chances, including three assists, since his last score. His shot percentage is just over five percent, indicating he’s been overdue. Don’t be surprised if he goes on a bit of a run to prove out the depth scoring both coach Dave Hakstol and GM Ron Francis expect from this year’s roster.

Tanev Doesn’t Return After First-Period Hit

After enduring a late-first-period hit from Vancouver forward Nils Hoglander at center ice, fan-favorite Brandon Tanev’s stick went flying as Hoglander came full-speed from the opposite direction. Tanev did not see the hit coming and was clearly shaken up at center ice, getting up with a noticeable limp and struggling to reach the bench. The veteran forward came out for the second period, skating shortly to test himself. By the third period, the Kraken announced that Tanev would not return due to a lower-body injury.

Power (Play) Outage

The Kraken entered Friday action with the seventh most successful power play in the NHL. But less than seven minutes into this early-season pivotal Pacific Division matchup against Vancouver, the Kraken power play surrendered a shorthanded goal on a first opportunity then seemingly evened matters with a Matty Beniers laser of a shot from near the left blue line on the next power play chance.

Until it was not 1-1 on the twin boards: Upon coach Rick Tocchet’s video challenge, the NHL’s situation room ruled Beniers was offside on the zone entry. Not by much, but enough to wipe out the momentum changer and what would have been Beniers’ fourth goal of the year and third in the last four games.

Seattle got a third chance on the power play, just 12-plus minutes into the opening period. This time the Kraken were afforded four minutes when Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers was whistled for high sticking, drawing blood from Jordan Eberle's face/mouth region. The first minute was active with scoring chances, but Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko was up to the task.

Demko’s The Brakes

Along with a significant bump in scoring, Demko is a big reason why Vancouver showed as a second-place team in the Pacific Friday night. The 27-year-old goaltender started Friday night with a 9-2 record and .923 save percentage, just five W’s short of his number of victories in 2022-23, a season in which he hovered at about .880 save percentage before losing three months to a groin injury. Demko turned away 10 shots on goal in the first period, including a couple of Grade-A chances, then stopped another Grade-A attempt among three scoring chances from the Yanni Gourde line early second period.

Appreciating Gourde

Kraken fans have been tuned into the high-fidelity Yanni Gourde channel since the first shift of the inaugural season. Arriving with two Stanley Cups in hand as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Gourde’s hard-nosed play impressed and exemplified the “hard to play against” style of play installed by Dave Hakstol.

This season, fans are appreciating Gourde and his linemates, Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand. They have combined for 16 goals (including special teams) and face the toughest opposing lines most nights and most shifts. Gourde continues his role as an elite penalty killer while Tolvanen and Bjorkstrand have been valuable on the power play unit all season. None of Vancouver’s big scorers broke through Friday.

Friday night, the Gourde line pressured early second period when the lead stood at 1-0 visitors. In the first 20 minutes, they punched the time clock with a solid handful of scoring chances. The trio was at it again in the first minutes of the final period.   

To finish off his positive effect on all Seattle followers, Gourde squared off with Vancouver forward Teddy Blueger late in the third period, generating a roar of approval from the home crowd on what was ultimately a disappointing night.