Looking behind the benches at Thursday’s Boston Bruins-Seattle Kraken game rekindles the memory of the June, 2023 NHL Awards.
Then-Kraken coach Dave Hakstol was a finalist for the Jack Adams coach of the year award, having led Seattle to a 100-point regular season and into the second round of the playoffs. Hakstol (and Lindy Ruff) lost out to the Bruins’ Jim Montgomery. In the 18 months since, all three went from feted to fired. Thirty games into his Kraken tenure, coach Dan Bylsma is still senior to Joe Sacco, who took over from Montgomery on an interim basis Nov. 19.
Philipp Grubauer got his first start in goal for Seattle wearing his Indigenous Peoples Night mask (above photo). If I’m coach Byslma, I don’t let him take it off – not in the shower, not when he puts his head on the pillow. In unquestionably his best performance of the season, and one of his best in four years in Seattle, Grubauer made 33 saves.
Meanwhile, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jaden Schwartz scored before the first TV timeout. Bjorkstrand added a second tally in the 3rd, along with Vince Dunn and Jared McCann, as the Kraken pulled away for a 5-1 win. Seattle has taken three of four points in the first half of their four game homestand.
1st Period
Joey Daccord, coming off a 32-saves-on-33-shots performance over 65 minutes Tuesday against Florida, didn’t feel up to starting against his hometown team. He had missed Sunday’s start in New York with a stomach bug. Yanni Gourde is also out, the effective 1st-line winger of recent games having been injured during the second half of the Panthers shootout loss.
Penalties helped doom the Bruins in their 8-1 walloping by Winnipeg Tuesday. It takes just 16 seconds for that trend to continue, as David Pastrnak draws blood on Jamie Oleksiak – and a high-sticking double minor. Eight seconds later, Oliver Bjorkstrand makes them pay. While getting knocked to the ice by Nikita Zadorov, Bjorkstrand redirects a Matty Beniers shot for a 1-0 Kraken lead.
The second half of the power play is also eventful. The Kraken don’t add to their lead, despite rapid-succession whacks at the puck in the crease by Jaden Schwartz, Shane Wright and Andre Burakovsky.
Less than a minute has expired since Pastrnak exited when the Bruins’ parade to the box continues. Tyler Johnson trips Will Borgen at 3:10. Bjorkstrand snaps his head back in disbelief when his close-in rebound shot with open net beckoning rings off the post. But not to worry – four seconds after the power play ends, but before Johnson can get back into the play, Schwartz somehow sneaks in a shot while his skates were behind the goal line. 2-0 Kraken at 5:14.
Both penalty box doors may need some WD-40 by the time this one’s over. Schwartz trips Zadorov at 8:45, giving Boston’s league-worst power play its first opportunity. A Brandon Tanev heavy hit on Charlie McAvoy, plus a block – what else is new – and FIVE shorthanded saves by Grubauer preserves the two-goal Kraken lead.
Bad idea: leaving Pastrnak alone between the hashes, a guy who’s scored 61 and 47 the last two seasons. But Grubauer, who’s feeling it tonight, makes the best of his 14 1st period saves.
The CPA shot clock showed the home team with eight SOG within the first eight minutes of the game, aided by those three power plays. They didn’t record a shot for the final 12 minutes, but lead 2-0 after 20.
2nd Period
Let’s check in on Bruins social media.
Remember, this is a Boston team that won seven of its first nine games under new coach Sacco before the “setback” to the Jets.
Bad idea, the sequel: letting Pastrnak get loose on a breakaway. Montour catches up enough to keep the Bruins goal machine from getting off a clean shot. Even though tracking Pastrnak takes Grubauer wide of the net, he still makes a remarkable pad save on Zadorov’s follow-up try.
A shot by John Beecher does squeak by Grubauer and lays on the goal line. Defenseman Brandon Montour makes a Superman dive to try and sweep the puck away, but in the process covers the puck in the crease with his chest. A video review determines only 97% of the puck visibly crossed the line, thus no goal.
A short-lived reprieve, as only goalies are allowed to cover the puck in the crease. Brad Marchand beats Grubauer 5-hole on the resulting penalty shot to cut the Kraken lead to 2-1 at 10:28.
Bjorkstrand feeds Eeli Tolvanen on the rush for a grade-A chance, but Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo has the answer. Seattle is outshot 11-7 in the 2nd, 24-15 through 40.
3rd Period
Brandon Carlo fires a clear-in as hard as he can – right off the skate of teammate Pavel Zacha. Ouch! Boston is already missing center Elias Lindholm, hurt earlier in the game.
If the Mariners are scouting for someone who can bunt, they could do worse than Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn. Exhibit A: When Jared McCann’s slot shot is partially blocked by McAvoy, the tantalizing rebound twirls in the air until Dunn bats it home. The goal survives an official review to see if Dunn’s stick was above the crossbar. It wasn’t, and Seattle leads 3-1 at 3:07.
Daniel Sprong, inserted for the injured Gourde, centers to a flying Mitchell Stephens, who fires high in a bid for his first Kraken goal. With the puck loose in the crease, Andre Burakovsky and Chandler Stephenson come close to another goal.
In the Big Hockey Book of Shot Descriptions, the term “Laser” describes what Bjorkstrand shows off for his second of the night for a 4-1 Kraken lead at 9:16. Wright picked up his second assist.
Moments later, Grubauer contributes another 10-bell save on Mark Kastelic from in close.
Bruins coach Sacco gave the CPA faithful one last chance to erupt, pulling his goalie for a sixth attacker down three goals. Despite being hooked, Jared McCann fought his way to an empty-netter.
Up Next
The four-game Seattle homestand against Atlantic Division opponents continues Saturday at CPA against another sputtering powerhouse, the Tampa Bay Lightning. After that, another home contest on Tuesday when the Ottawa Senators pay a vist. Tampa beat the Flames 8-3 in Calgary on Thursday, led by Nikita Kucherov’s six points.