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Groundhog Day Repeat For Kraken: Slow Start, Futile Comeback In 3-2 Loss To Flames At CPA

Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

The Seattle Kraken 2024-25 season reached its nadir at 16:43 of the 1st period Sunday against the Calgary Flames.

Scroll below for the ugly details. Hitting just the lowest of lowlights, that single, disastrous moment in time included a Calgary goal on a whiffed shot, a denied goalie interference challenge, and two Kraken penalties. The 5-on-3 soon increased the Flames lead to 3-0, in a game they hung on to win 3-2.

The game also included an overturned Jaden Schwartz power play goal, and Jared McCann hurt his hand in a fight. Seattle did rally with goals by Kaapo Kakko and Brandon Tanev. Joey Daccord played well in a losing effort with 32 saves.

Seattle drops to 1-6-1 at home all time against the Flames.

For unwavering optimists, Seattle falls 10 points behind Calgary for the final Western Conference wild card spot. There are other teams in-between as well. For realists, Seattle remains in the #5 position for the 2025 NHL Draft.

1st Period

While the Kraken last played Thursday, travel troubles kept Calgary from arriving in Seattle until the wee hours of this morning – after a 3-1 home loss to the Red Wings.

Kraken goalie Joey Daccord made three saves to snuff out an early Calgary power play, including a point-blank sparkler on Yegor Sharangovich as the penalty was ending. Daccord made nine saves total in the first six minutes.

Defenseman Brandon Montour, who committed the Kraken penalty, draws one of his own when he’s tripped by Matt Coronato. Jaden Schwartz backhands the puck home from the goal mouth, for what appears to be goals in three consecutive games. But moments earlier, Schwartz had made contact with Flames goalie Dan Vladar’s stick. Calgary’s coach’s challenge for interference is upheld, negating the goal.

Calgary’s new addition gets one that counts at 14:03. Morgan Frost, showing why the Flames acquired him from Philadelphia on Thursday, moves to the middle, then wires a laser over Daccord’s glove. (Joel Farabee also joined the Flames in the deal.)

Brayden Pachal sends Andre Burakovsky airborne with a crushing neutral-ice hit. Jared McCann races in to defend his teammate. He drops Pachal to the ice, but at what cost? McCann favors his left hand/wrist as he’s escorted to the penalty box. Adding penalty to injury, McCann draws an extra two minutes, sending Calgary back on the power play.

Chaos and confusion ensues at 16:43.

  • Sharangovich walks in on Daccord but loses the handle. As the goalie goes down, he’s fooled by the change of pace, and the puck slides leisurely through his pads and over the goal line for a 2-0 lead.
  • Expecting Daccord to have smothered the puck, one of the referees blows his whistle.
  • The referees conduct a lengthy huddle, then announce that the goal counts.
  • It gets worse: Jamie Oleksiak is somehow assessed a slashing penalty that isn’t wiped out by the goal because McCann was still in the box.
  • It could get better: Kraken video coaches have discovered that on his follow-through, Sharangovich whacked Daccord on the arm. Seattle makes its own goalie interference challenge.
  • It doesn’t get better: the NHL situation room denies the challenge. Having seen two borderline calls both go against them puts fans at CPA in a loud, booing mood.
  • It gets even worse: as a result of the disallowed challenge, Seattle is assessed another minor penalty (technically “delay of game”).

Calgary converts the lengthy 5-on-3 at 17:56. Jonathan Huberdeau scores his 20th, the second Flames PPG of the period, for a 3-0 lead.

Once the Kraken are back to 5-on-5, Huberdeau breaks in again. Daccord closes the five-hole on Huberdeau’s deke, then disgustedly tosses the puck away after the whistle.

2nd Period

Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans is missing his second consecutive game, joining Jordan Eberle and Yanni Gourde on the sidelines.

The seeds of a momentum shift are planted with seven minutes remaining in the period, as the Kraken apply their first sustained pressure.

Kaapo Kakko falls down hard on his back at center ice, but as they say, what counts is whether you get back up. Kakko does in time to collect a cross-ice pass from Jaden Schwartz on a 2-on-1 and bury his 5th goal with Seattle at 14:31. Seattle closes within 3-1 on Schwartz’s 300th career assist.

After a Daccord save on a late Calgary power play, Daccord shares a few frosty words with Frost. Worth noting that despite allowing three goals, Daccord has 26 saves through 40 minutes.

3rd Period

Years ago, an NHL forward said, “If you want bread, go to the bakery. If you want goals, go to the net.” Brandon Tanev applied that wisdom to bring Seattle within 3-2 at 5:41. After an icing call the Flames disputed, Seattle wins the draw, McCann shoots, and the riccochet off Tanev’s chest beats Vladar.

Daccord in recent games has gotten too much practice facing shorthanded breakaways. The latest is by Sharangovich, and Daccord stones him.

The Kraken pressed for the equalizer, but it wasn’t to be.

Up Next

Seattle had two contests remaining in its current homestand. The Detroit Red Wings come to town Tuesday, follwed by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. The Kraken’s final game prior to the 4 Nations Faceoff break comes in a Saturday rematch with the Flames in Calgary.

Talking Points