If the Seattle Kraken had played like they did during last week’s two-game losing streak in Dallas and St. Louis, the high-flying Carolina Hurricanes would have left them folded, spindled and mutilated. After all, the supremely balanced Canes have the 2nd-most points in the NHL, take the 2nd-most shots on goal, and allow the 2nd-fewest.
But on this Monday night at Climate Pledge Arena, Carolina finished second-best. Playing their trademark defense-first, opportunistic offense to a T, Seattle flustered Carolina en route to a surprising, scintillating, superbly executed 2-1 victory.
Joey Daccord was stellar in net, stopping 35 shots to win for the sixth time in his last seven starts. Somehow, Daccord had enough energy left for arm pumps and to yeet his fish into the stands as first star. “I was so tired!” he said in a postgame interview. “The fight from our group. We’re working so hard.”
Goals were provided by Kaapo Kakko and Ben Meyers in the 2nd period. Defenseman Adam Larsson assisted on both scores. Jamie Oleksiak was a physical force with a career-high 11 hits, plus three blocks. In all, the Kraken blocked 23 shots, led by Eeli Tolvanen and Cale Fleury with four apiece.
The Hurricanes outshot the Kraken 36-15; shots attempted were an equally lopsided 83-31. Between the Kraken blocks, Carolina misses, and Daccord saves, only one of the 83 entered the net. “I love you guys!” the goalie said to the fans as he headed for the dressing room.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
1st Period
The shot-happy Canes are up to their usual tricks with five SOG in the first five minutes. Daccord, making his second straight start, stayed with Andrei Svechnikov’s high-skill, no-look tip-in try. (The rare hyphen trifecta, by the way.)
Seattle almost had too many men while on a power play, but Chandler Stephenson and Jared McCann were able to simultaneously hop back over the boards and onto the bench before truant officers caught them. That was the most excitement on the PP until the moment it ended, when McCann and Jordan Eberle put back-to-back shots on Frederik Andersen.
A team is often described as having a “good road period” when they are able to stand toe-to-toe in a dangerous opponent’s building. Against the high-flying Hurricanes, 2nd in points in the NHL, the Kraken played a good home period: disciplined, sound, no odd-man rushes against, despite being outshot 13-7. Daccord’s later-period pad save on Alexander Nikishin and blocker save on Shayne Gostisbehere helped keep the game scoreless.
2nd Period
Down on the farm…
Carolina’s penchant for aggressive offense comes back to bite them. Four Canes are caught in the o-zone while Kaapo Kakko heads the other way on a 2-on-1. Using Berkly Catton to his left as a decoy, Kakko fires under the right arm of Andersen for his 8th goal and a 1-0 Kraken lead at 3:22.
The goal energized the Kraken, who for the first time are taking the play to the visitors. Jared McCann carries over all three lines, dropping the puck for Eberle’s quality chance. Then Carolina’s Eric Robinson drops McCann, putting Seattle on its second power play. Kakko finds Jaden Schwartz at the back door for an apparent 2-0 Kraken lead, but Carolina successfully challenges the play for being offside.
Ben Meyers, three shots for a quarter! He pokes the puck in the crease, then again off the post. But that rebound caroms off a Carolina defender and past Andersen for a 2-0 Kraken lead that sticks at 8:48.
Carolina has lost its composure. Less than a minute after Meyers’ goal, Jordan Martinook gets boxed. Vince Dunn rang the post – that close to a three-goal Seattle advantage.
Defenseman Brandon Montour gives up his body, making a painful block of a Seth Jarvis missile. When Seattle clears, Montour can skate gingerly back to the bench.
Martinook, tied up by Larsson, mostly whiffs on a centering pass from behind the goal line. But the puck hops over Dunn’s stick on its way up the slot. Nikolaj Ehlers doesn’t whiff, blowing the puck past Daccord to narrow the Carolina deficit at 18:30.
Only Daccord being wicked sharp in the final 90 seconds keeps Seattle in front. Big stops on Jaccob Slavin, Taylor Hall and Andrei Svechnikov take the Kraken goalie up to 26 saves after 40 minutes. Seattle has 13 SOG.
3rd Period
It takes Firestone and Goodyear combined to send as much rubber traveling as the Carolina Hurricanes do. Just ask Joey Daccord. Shots are 4-0 Carolina in the first nine minutes of the period. Eeli Tolvanen and Jaden Schwartz make the Seattle side of the shot clock move soon after. (They would be the only Kraken shots of the period.)
Defenseman Cale Fleury crushes Robinson into the side boards, one of Seattle’s 31 hits on the night – more than double the Carolina total. Fellow blueliner Montour sells out again, diving to block a centering pass from reaching Logan Stankoven, open just outside the crease.
The Carolina cannons keep blasting; Sebastian Aho, then Slavin. Daccord snags both, to cheers of “Jo-ey, Jo-ey.”
Tolvanen is called for holding with 1:29 left, the first Kraken penalty of the game. With Andersen pulled for a sixth attacker, Carolina will have a 6-on-4 advantage. Daccord gloves Gostisbehere’s drive with 51 seconds left. As the final hectic seconds finally tick down to zero, Daccord gives both arms a pump, then a second one.
Up Next
Having faced the #2 team in the NHL in Carolina, the Kraken will also take on the league’s top team, the Colorado Avalanche, to end the current homestand on Mar. 12. The three games at CPA in between aren’t quite as demanding: #31 St. Louis on Wednesday, #16 Ottawa on Saturday, and #25 Nashville on Mar. 10.