The secret to victories in 2025 for the Seattle Kraken may have been unlocked: play past NHL employers of Dan Bylsma.
On their just-completed road trip, Seattle beat the teams Bylsma previously coached, the Sabres and Penguins. Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena, the now-Kraken coach welcomed the L.A. Kings, for whom Bylsma skated 220 games as a winger in the late 1990s.
Despite the Kings coming in with the NHL’s 5th best points percentage, Jaden Schwartz scored twice in the game’s first eight minutes – both assisted by Kaapo Kokko – to lead the Kraken to a 4-2 upset. Schwartz has 14 points in his last 13 games. The duo also combined on Schwartz’s empty-net hat trick, the 5th of his career and team-leading 16th goal.
L.A. brought the #1 defense in the NHL, a miserly 2.38 goals per game. But it was Kraken goalie Joey Daccord playing brick wall, nursing a one goal lead to the finish line over the final 38 minutes. The Kings had the first 15 shots of the 3rd period, and Daccord stopped them all.
1st Period
This figures to be a goalie duel. L.A.’s Darcy Kuemper is having an unbelievable bounceback season, second in the NHL with a 2.05 goals-against average. Seattle’s Joey Daccord is tied for 9th at 2.45.
Full disclosure: I hadn’t finished typing the above paragraph when the Kraken’s Jaden Schwartz fired off the right post and in, Schwartz’s 14th, for a 1-0 lead 28 seconds into the contest.
The post was kinder to Daccord when Quinton Byfield broke behind Seattle’s defense to ring a shot off iron.
Matty Beniers goes to the box for high sticking, but doesn’t get to stay long. He should have been set free to correct a miscarriage of justice, because it was a Kings skater who clipped his teammate up high. Instead, Adrian Kempe pushes home his 22nd 11 seconds later from the goal mouth as defenders are caught up high. It ties the game 1-1 at 6:07.
Stunning sequence less than two minutes later. Defenseman Josh Mahura lays one of the hardest open-ice hits of the Kraken season on Warren Foegele as the King attempted to cross the blueline. L.A. seems distracted with exacting retribution on Mahura. Not Beniers, who carries up ice, then feeds Schwartz for his second score of the period. It restores the Seattle lead at 7:40.
Watch the sequence again. Notice that after the clean hit, L.A.’s Byfield (55) and Tanner Jeannot (10) get occupied sticking up for their teammate. Joel Edmundson (6) also gets momentarily caught up ice.
Brandon Montour attempts to clear Trevor Moore out of Daccord’s crease. Instead, Daccord gets bumped into and spun around. Unfortunately for the Kraken, Jordan Spence at that moment is sending the puck goalward from the blueline, and Daccord isn’t in any position to stop it. 2-2 at 18:43.
So much for the goalie duel. This is the first time in his last six starts that Kuemper has allowed more than one goal IN A GAME. Shots are 15-8 Seattle after 20.
2nd Period
The Kraken create their third lead 1:37 in. Oliver Bjorkstrand perfectly times his right point wrister as Chandler Stephenson is crossing through the slot. The puck changes direction just enough off Stephenson’s twig to elude Kuemper. For last summer’s free-agent signee, his 7th goal.
Worth noting, Stephenson was the skater who carried the puck into the zone. You’re not allowed to receive an assist on your own goal, but Chandler does now have eight points in his last nine games, and is second on the team with 30 helpers.
Why teammates and fans love Brandon Tanev. As seems to happen once per game (or more), Tanev gives up his body to block a shot. This one comes on an L.A. power play, leaving Brandon hobbling. When the Kraken clear, Tanev is able to make a labored one-legged skate back to the bench. What a way to make a living.
Each team had opportunities to add to the score. Kuemper stopped Andre Burakovsky from point-blank range. Daccord stopped a couple of grade-A chances, and Byfield fired high from in close with net to shoot at. Actual SOGs were a surprisingly modest 6-5 Seattle, 21-13 after 40.
3rd Period
An ill-advised Beniers pass on a Kraken power play sends L.A. down ice on a shorthanded 2-on-0. Foegele, who’s having a night to forget, tries a late deke but Daccord outwaits him and makes the lead-saving pad stop.
KHN Screengrab
The Kraken are relying quite a bit on Daccord in the 3rd period. Through the first 15 minutes, SOGs are L.A. 13, Seattle zero. That’s 13-0, friends. When the goalie gobbled up Mikey Anderson’s howitzer down the slot with 3:46 left, that made 15 straight L.A. shots, and the same number of saves.
The hats flew after the Kings pulled Kuemper for an extra attacker. Kakko – who else? – fed Schwartz for a bad-angle empty netter to finalize a 4-2 Kraken win.
THE HATS ARE FLYING!!! pic.twitter.com/d586ZxoBvY
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) January 19, 2025