Final Buzzer: Kraken Come up Short to Jets

The Kraken's start was promising, but three consecutive goals by the Jets helped to derail Seattle in a 5-3 loss at Canada Life Centre to open a three-game road trip in Western Canada.

Jordan Eberle scored a timely goal in the third period to tie the game 3-3, but Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey polished off a passing play by Kyle Connor and Kristian Reichel to score the game-winner with 6:10 remaining in the game. Connor added an empty-net goal in the waning seconds.
The Kraken made history on Thursday as the ROOT Sports Northwest duo of Everett Fitzhugh and JT Brown became the first Black broadcast crew in NHL history.
"Everett and JT are tremendous people. They work really hard to be where they are. They're great at what they do, pretty intuitive in terms of the game, and I can't think of two better individuals to have in that scenario," coach Dave Hakstol said after the game.
Fitzhugh's first goal call came 3:21 into the first period, a Kraken power-play marker by defenseman Vince Dunn that sparked a strong start for a Seattle squad seeking its third straight road win.

Jared McCann picked up his team-leading 32nd point of the season when he sent a pass to the point for Dunn, who cranked a one-timer for a 1-0 lead. Ryan Donato and former Jet Mason Appleton provided a screen of goalie Eric Comrie. The goal was Dunn's seventh of the season, the most of any Kraken defensemen.
The Kraken extended the lead about nine minutes later when Marcus Johansson circled the Jets net before streaking into the slot and releasing a shot past Comrie for his sixth goal of the season.

A penalty called on Winnipeg's Pierre-Luc Dubois for high sticking with less than 35 seconds remaining in the first period appeared poised to help the Kraken break the game open early. Instead, momentum flipped when Adam Lowry and Dominic Toninato slipped past the Kraken defense and scored on a 2-on-1 rush to cut the deficit. Toninato's shorthanded goal came with 13 seconds left in the period.
"We created enough. I think the biggest thing is we just gave up too much," Eberle said post-game.
"We started really well, we were on top of them. We had a couple of big goals. And then the shorthanded one in the first, that really deflated us."
Two giveaways in the Kraken's defensive zone temporarily gave up the lead in the second period.
Shortly after the carryover power play to Dubois ended, the Jets forward buried a feed from Blake Wheeler, who plucked a backward pass from Eberle before setting up his teammate. Dubois buried a wicked wrist shot glove side on Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer to tie the game 2-2 at the 1:45 mark of the second period.

"We didn't connect on a breakout play. So, that play has to be clean coming out of the zone," Hakstol said.
Ten minutes later, Jamie Oleksiak lost the puck behind the Kraken net and Paul Stastny set up Wheeler in the slot for a 3-2 lead.
"I thought too many of their opportunities came off of our stick," Hakstol said.
"We gave up nothing in the first period until the shorthanded goal. The second period, once they got the two goals, it gave them a little bit of life."
Eberle and the Kraken responded in the third period. Captain Mark Giordano fired a shot that kicked off the boards to Johansson, who swept the puck to a net-front Eberle for a tap-in goal. It was Eberle's 14th goal of the season.

Johansson had a huge game with the goal, assist and a big shot block that left him limping to the bench and kept the game tied in the third period.
"That was a huge blocked shot in a situation in the game when we needed to find some momentum," Eberle said.
Grubauer was solid despite the team's second-period defensive woes that resulted in a pair of goals against. He made 24 saves in the game and kept his team in it with a strong third period.
"We fought back and had opportunities to create. But at the end of the day, we hung Grubi a little bit out to dry and they had some good chances and that's all stuff we created and gave them," Eberle said.
The Kraken were outshot 29-23 and were 1 for 2 on power plays. The Kraken killed three power plays but gave up the shorthanded goal.
Seattle will travel to Calgary to face the Flames Saturday before heading to Vancouver for a game Monday.