Roll the highlight reel!
Game Notes
It was green night at Climate Pledge Arena, a reminder to think about the environment and sustainability.
So is the Kraken’s stellar performance tonight sustainable?
Tonight’s game was a scoring doozy. When the dust settled, the Kraken scored five goals, one each by Will Borgen, Brandon Tanev, Justin Schultz, André Burakovsky, and Shane Wright.
The first period started out with a bang. Shane Wright proved to be less green than we thought as he scored the first goal in less than a minute and a half, his fourth of the season. A minute later, André Burakovsky scored his seventh of the season and we were off to an aggressive 2-0 start.
Arizona finally found a groove in the second period and shot the puck… with little success. The Coyotes logged 17 shots on goal to the Kraken’s 9 in the second period alone, and the night’s tally was 39 SOGs for Arizona, 25 for Seattle.
The Coyotes discovered the Grubauer Brick Wall ™ as Grubie got those pucks smothered and covered* all night long. The impressive performance by Grubauer was noteworthy as he held onto a shutout despite the Coyote’s 39 shot attempts. In his post-game press availability, Grubauer remarked that he didn’t remember if he’d had a shutout that required that much shot blocking. But he ended up delighting fans with his 32nd career shutout.
With the playoffs out of the picture, Kraken fans could see this as a time to be indifferent about how the team is playing in the last few weeks of their season. But these fans should take comfort in the work being done on the ice. The kids are alright, we’ve learned, as the three freshest faces on the team are gaining experience and Kraken nation is getting a good look at the future of the team in Shane Wright, Ryan Winterton, and Logan Morrison.
It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
*Apologies to those who do not have access to but now want some Waffle House. I feel your pain.
Three Stars of the Game
⭐ Philipp Grubauer (1.000 SV%)
⭐⭐ Shane Wright (1G)
⭐⭐⭐ Justin Shultz (1G, 1A)
Here’s tonight’s Natural Stat Trick heat map showing just how much pressure the Kraken resisted: