If the M’s win tomorrow do we get to take CN tower with us?
Where would we even put it?
But first, the Highlights!
Game Notes
- Your TOI Leader was Adam Larsson, who played 27:43 tonight!
- This game felt like a statement. Sure, it had a lot of the same stuff that fans have come to expect from this squad; a blown lead, a lot of cherry-picking shots, an injury scare, and some fights based on some poor decision-making, but critically, they made it a win. They managed to even out what should’ve been a pretty lopsided game on paper and forced the Leafs to trade chances with them, make them really fight for it, and wouldn’t you know it. They don’t have enough to hang with Seattle. Maybe at one point they did, but that’s not who they are anymore. Seattle battled hard all night, and even if they keep giving points away for free in OT, it’s clear that they’re finding ways to force the other team to find wins if they can pry them out of their tentacles.
- I’ll save this for the plaudits section but man, Shane Wright had an absolutely phenominal night. Took over nearly every shift he was a part of.
- Josh Mahura has played 69 NHL games for the Seattle Kraken, and never had a goal until he got to the funny sex number’s worth in overtime. That my friends, is the very definition of the term “Nice”.
- Oh yeah and it’s been awhile since he’s scored in the NHL, 134 games in-between to be exact, and the last team he did it against…was the Toronto Maple Leafs. Funny how that works.
- That 4th line absolutely loves finding possession all over the ice and making the other team frustrated. Even as Nyman got to move up in the lineup they spiritually stayed together. That’s just awesome.
- Joey Daccord didn’t have super great statistics today, but man he came up absolutely GIGANTIC in the third period and was tested sorely, ESPECIALLY towards the end of the game, where he came up with a couple of saves that just beggar belief. I will absolutely take an .896 SV% on 29 shots if we can get some of those absolutely crazy saves out of it that break some hearts.
- Naturally, while there’s plenty of good, we must also discuss some of the shenanigans; Brandon Carlo decided for whatever reason that Jaden Schwartz should become intimately acquainted with Anthony Stolarz which resulted in a goal-for. Not a whole lot that Schwartz could do with that, but definitely an interesting play that ended up in a Vinnie goal. Mason Marchment on the other hand… in going hard to the net ended up barrelling into Stolarz, caused not only a penalty, but a significant fracas. That gave the Leafs the momentum that inevitably allowed them to score on the power play on the next power play, which was QUITE soon after the late 2nd trip to pissing Anthony Stolarz all the way off to the point he called out his own teammates oh my god did he really do that wait that rules. Still a dumb idea. I appreciate the effort but the sloppiness will cost this team, and if we’re going to be playing “We may win but I may die” style hockey, then this is the kind of thing that’ll come back to haunt you. Clean it up.
- Special teams was once again a highlight for Seattle; Shane Wright got the opening tally on the man-advantage, and it took the Leafs, a very talented team I am told, four tries to get on the board in the same way. They frustrated Toronto big-time on the PK, and that worked like a charm…for the most part. A good penalty kill is a rested penalty kill, guys. Don’t take nearly back-to-back calls.
- So Seattle and Vegas are probably the best teams in the Pacific Division right now. Maybe Edmonton will remember they have Connor and Leon on their roster and retake their usual spot of #1 or #2, but man that’s a weird feeling. It’s a good weird feeling!
- Oh yeah and I guess Leafs fans are melting down because it’s suddenly becoming clear that trying to cram their round peg team into a square hole isn’t going nearly as well as they thought it would. Whoops!
Let’s Give A Hand To…
- Shane Wright! Got the ball rolling with the opening goal on the power play, and then had a hand on Jani Nyman’s goal. He was an absolute show-stealer on some shifts tonight, and this is again, more of what we need from the young man. Even better? He’s getting it.
- Jani Nyman! Put a shot past Stolarz so hard he looked frozen in place. Absolute broadside of a goal.
- Mason Marchment and Chandler Stephenson! Both had 2 points tonight on assists, and they were pretty impactful ones, too!
- Vince Dunn! For correctly recognizing that Brandon Carlo had decided to be the perfect sleeper agent and took ample advantage of whatever the hell that was!
- The Kraken themselves after 6 games, who have 8 players with 4 points or more on the roster. That’s awesome.
- Lane Lambert’s System, which seems to have unlocked the magic touch for the Kraken, and finally convinced them to be the net-front badgers they always could be. I really can’t overstate after Hakstol and Bylsma hockey that seems allergic to going to the net, it feels like I’ve just come up for air after being at the bottom of a pool for ten minutes. It’s just so refreshing.
- And Last but not least: Josh Mahura. What a time to have your first goal in a Kraken uniform. Full credit to him; that was awesome.
The Chartz, via NaturalStatTrick.com!
The Kraken once again hit the road, this time finally heading back to the USA to face the Philadelphia Flyers. That game is at 4pm PST on Monday.
We’ll see you there, and as always!
Keep Calm, and Post Zoidberg When We Win.