“We’ve been giving up too many goals lately. Our details have to be better.” Pregame wishes of Seattle Kraken coach Lane Lambert, hoping to put the brakes on a 1-4-2 slide.
Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer obliged with 24 saves. Vince Dunn led the offense with a goal and an assist, as Seattle beat the New York Islanders 4-1 Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena.
The 1st period was a penalty-palooza; five minors called in the first 9:36 and six total in the period, four committed by the Kraken. A 5-on-3 Matty Beniers tip-in (one of his team-high five shots) helped Seattle escape with a 1-1 tie.
Dunn’s 50th goal as a Kraken gave Seattle its first lead in the 2nd period. Kaapo Kakko scored later in the 2nd. In all, Seattle overcame seven minors to break a four game losing skid (0-3-1).
With 53 points, Seattle vaults into a three-way tie with San Jose and Los Angeles for the Western Conference’s second wild card playoff spot.
1st Period
The Kraken penalty kill has fallen back to last in the NHL (71.9%). It takes just 19 seconds after an early Freddy Gaudreau hook to see the struggles. NYI’s Anthony Duclair is left open in the left circle for a drive off iron and in at 2:38. Duclair was the wrong Islander not to cover; eight of his 12 goals have come in the last eight games.
Stats guru and DJLR colleague Zaiem Beg shares that this is the fifth time Seattle has allowed a goal on the first opponent shot. Surprisingly, Zaiem tells us this isn’t an especially high total in a wacky NHL season. (It sounds high.)
Just 1:34 after the goal, the Isles go back on the power play. Since it’s ranked 27th (16%), the Kraken could be expected to survive. However, the Kraken parade to the penalty box isn’t done. Brandon Montour is whistled for high sticking, overlapping Ryan Lindgren’s trip by five seconds. The Kraken dispose of the brief New York 5-on-3, and the rest of Montour’s call without further damage.
Now it’s the visitors’ turn to beat a path to the box. An Islanders’ bench minor for too many men is followed by Simon Holmstrom’s trip. The Kraken are afforded 1:13 of 5-on-3 to tie the game.
Jared McCann’s first shot hits the goalpost; his second gets blocked. Defenseman Vince Dunn says, “Let me try.” Matty Beniers tips home Dunn’s shot for his 11th goal of the season at 10:40.
The Kraken 4th line, Ryan Winterton in particular, is once again creating good havoc. Winterton (team-high five hits) carves through the NYI defense, then carries the puck on a string long enough for Seattle to exercise a line change.
Berkly Catton does not learn from Kraken penalty history, so he is forced to repeat it; hooking at 16:31. The combination of Grubauer’s big pad save on Max Shabanov, and Jonathan Drouin hitting the left post, keeps Seattle from surrendering the lead. Unbelievably, the Kraken have increased their PK percentage by killing three of four Islanders power plays.
Shots in a weird 1st period favor Seattle, 10-9.
2nd Period
The most notable events of a low-event start to the period happened after whistles. Isles goalie Ilya Sorokin spends a TV timeout stretching out by his left faceoff circle. Like most players, Grubauer spent the break by his bench.
A puck shot off the rink misses the netting and strikes a fan (to all appearances, she was okay). Jared McCann, good guy that he is, stays by the glass, even banging the blade of his stick against the glass to make sure the fan is attended to.
Business finally picks up, with Seattle’s Ben Meyers ringing the post, and Dunn shooting wide from in close. That pair was about to have a more fruitful connection. Meyers passes to Winterton, who sees Dunn cutting down the slot. At the end of a one minute, 40 second shift, Dunn wired a shot inside the left post-crossbar elbow for a 2-1 lead at 13:37.
Minor penalties on each team eight seconds apart don’t affect the score, but a disastrous mistake by the Islanders does. New York visibly eases up, believing Seattle guilty of icing. Which they would have been, except officials rule Isles d-man Scott Mayfield could have played the puck. Jaden Schwartz works the puck free from Mayfield behind the net, feeding Kaapo Kakko for a laser that beats Sorokin at 16:28.
The TNT intermission panel unanimously believed icing should have been called. A couple of big Grubauer saves after Winterton was called for slashing at 17:09 preserved Seattle’s two-goal lead. Shots after 40 favor Seattle, 22-20.
3rd Period
As a Kraken power play is ending, Casey Cizikas breaks behind the defense. Only an outstanding Grubauer stop keeps Seattle from surrendering a shorthanded goal for the fourth consecutive game. A close inspection of the photo below shows that the goalie actually hypnotized the puck into suspending in midair an inch from his mask. This is how you know Grubauer was dialed in.
However, Chandler Stephenson slashed Cizikas. The Kraken kill their sixth consecutive shorthanded situation. More impressive – if you have to kill seven power plays – Seattle has allowed a total of seven Islander shots with the extra man.
Shane Wright carries the puck past the Islanders D, but can’t beat Sorokin.
Against a team desperate for goals, Seattle held New York to just five 3rd period shots. With more than four minutes left, NYI pull their goalie for a sixth attacker. McCann takes advantage, outracing the Islanders to a Kraken clear for an empty-netter and 4-1 lead at 16:32. Grubauer drew one of the assists.
Up Next
Four games remain on this six-pack Kraken homestand. Friday, a visit from the Anaheim Ducks, one of the Pacific Division rivals being chased by Seattle.