In many ways, this felt like it was exactly a scheduled loss. The New Jersey Devils not only sit as one of the league’s best teams, but the Kraken were coming in off the second half of a back-to-back. These are the kinds of games that test the resiliency of a team, but sometimes even throwing your complete effort into a game isn’t enough to overcome both a difference in sheer talent levels and overall tiredness. The Kraken fought hard in this game, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to win the first game in this season’s battle for the Cryptid Cup.
Period 1
One of the themes from last night was talking about why being healthy scratched seemed to be working as a motivator for Shane Wright and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Tonight, Andre Burakovsky decided to join the party as he slotted in for the first time in games. Maybe Dan Bylsma just needs to start choosing a player at random to scratch, because it seems to be unlocking something in these guys.
The joy was short-lived, though. Luke Hughes scored his first goal of the season, with an assist courtesy of his brother Jack. It honestly didn’t feel surprising. I had been thinking just prior to Burakovsky’s goal that the Devils had been putting a lot of pressure on Philipp Grubauer early, and that it felt like it would only be a matter of time before they broke through.
Grubauer needed to stand on his head further as the Devils went on the power play after Dunn tripped the elder Hughes brother (Jack). The Kraken successfully killed it off, but it wasn’t without the Devils wracking up their shot totals. By the end of the first period, the shots were 14-5 in New Jersey’s favor, but the tied 1-1 scoresheet was all thanks to Grubauer in net.
Period 2
Folks. Shane Wright. He’s continuing to prove himself as what this Kraken power play needed all along. Brandon Montour was crucial in keeping the puck in the attacking zone, but once he sent the puck back up the ice, it found Wright and his scoring touch. The strategy for the Kraken’s power play for the time being should be to just give the puck to Wright until further notice. (Unfortunately, I’m not able to get this particular clip to embed tonight. WordPress seems to be acting up. Just click here to watch it.)
The Kraken were looking like they were starting to do a better job of preventing the Devils from getting any shots on goal, but almost halfway through the frame, the Devils got lucky thanks to an unfortunate bounce off of Adam Larsson’s skate. Jesper Bratt got the credit for the flukey goal.
The Kraken certainly weren’t going to give up putting pressure on the Devils. Jaden Schwartz crashed the net and tried to rebound his own shot back in, but Markstrom kept him out. Then, the next time that line was out for a shift, Matty Beniers launched a shot hard enough to knock Markstrom’s stick straight out of his glove. It wasn’t enough to break the tie, but the effort was there by the team. Grubauer also had to continue to make timely saves, especially when the Kraken had to go on their second penalty kill of the night. In the end, the period still ended in a 2-2 tie.
Period 3
It only took 53 seconds into the final frame for the Devils to finally make their goal total better reflect their shot totals. Timo Meier got one past Grubauer quickly. It felt like a balloon suddenly deflating to see the Devils take their first lead of the game so quickly.
Throughout the rest of the period, it felt like the Kraken were truly feeling the result of being on the second night of a back-to-back. Even when they were making key pushes to try to get the game tied back up, you could feel that it was a much harder hill to climb than it was when the Devils were down a goal. It was especially apparent when Brandon Montour had a prime scoring opportunity open up, but the puck just slid past the net entirely.
Despite a solid push against one of the league’s best teams, it wasn’t enough. The Kraken ended the game down 3-2.
Final Thoughts
There’s absolutely no shame in the Kraken losing this game. Going into this road trip, it was clear that the two most difficult opponents were going to be Carolina and New Jersey. To take the first game and not this one, especially while on the road, is a solid outcome. After the game, Coach Bylsma even admitted that “we’re in a tough stretch here and playing back-to-back” and that this was going to be a “fight back game all along.” The players themselves also knew it was no secret that this was going to be a tougher game. Byslma added that the team is “not going to take consolation in the whole result of the game, but the way we played, how we played with effort and determination the guys put in, we’ll be proud of that.” Ultimately, I think Kraken fans should be proud of that, too.
It’s also great to see Burakovsky find himself back on the score sheet. After the game, he mentioned that “it’s not necessarily a goal that’s gonna change it,” it being the way he’s been playing, but it’s a start. That goal was something not seen in Burakovsky’s game in a long time. He also admitted that prior to being healthy scratched, he had been “feeling confident” in himself and knew there were moments where he could’ve scored but just didn’t. A lot of that could be chalked up to the natural ebbs and flows in hockey. Yet, there also seems to be something about letting players reset for a bit, because it’s been bringing better play out of everyone who’s been healthy scratched.
Speaking of those healthy scratches, Bylsma provided a keen observation as to why Wright is finding a knack on the power play. He mentioned that being on the flank is “a new spot for him,” but putting him there allows him to use his one-timer better. It’s an adjustment that is designed to better utilize his strengths, and that seems to be what’s paying off dividends in allowing the Kraken to improve in that realm of their special teams. That, and Eeli Tolvanen’s comment that Wright just has more “swagger” now.
With that, the Kraken have a day off tomorrow, but they finish up this road trip early on Sunday against the now-captainless New York Rangers. (What a wild time for me to be covering New York area hockey.)