It looked like the the tryptophan kicked in a day early for the Seattle Kraken. Despite goals from Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand, the Anaheim Ducks flew out of Climate Pledge Arena Wednesday with a 5-2 pre-Thanksgiving victory. It’s the Kraken’s first loss to Anaheim in their last nine meetings, dating back exactly two calendar years.
The Pacific Division rematch between the Kraken and Ducks would answer two intriguing questions.
One: could the Kraken hold an opponent to two goals or fewer for the eighth straight game. Seattle stretched that streak to seven Monday via a 3-2 win in Anaheim. The Kraken had allowed more than three goals against just once the entire month of November. Two: would the Ducks take retribution for Tye Kartye’s Monday hit which knocked prized Anaheim rookie Leo Carlsson (2023 2nd overall pick) out of tonight’s game.
Kartye was leveled by a hard but legal 2nd period check by Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger. Otherwise, the game was less chippy than Monday’s until well into the final period. When the score was out of hand, Anaheim 4th liners took a bunch of cheap shots on the Kraken winger. Jansen Harkens cross-checked him to the back and Ross Johnston sucker-puched Kartye after he’d dropped to the ice.
The answer to the other question was definitely no, as Anaheim scored three times by two seconds after the midpoint of the game. John Gibson was stellar in the Ducks net with 42 saves.
1st Period
It only takes 75 seconds for the Kraken to get a grade-A gift. Jaden Schwartz, left alone in front, can’t out-wait Anaheim goalie John Gibson, who makes the save. Soon after, Gibson gets a pad on Shane Wright’s drive as the forward sped behind the Ducks’ defense.
Six minutes into the game, each team has recorded six shots on goal. Joey Daccord, who’s won all three of his lifetime Kraken starts against Anaheim, is making his 4th consecutive start. Why not? Joey is NHL top-10 in both save percentage and goals-against average.
The visitors strike first on their 10th SOG in the first 10 minutes. Frank Vatrano whips a shot between Daccord’s pad and the left post.
Words we’ve rarely used in Daccord’s tenure in Seattle: a soft goal against, at 12:43. The goalie attempts to squeeze Brett Leason’s wrister to his torso, but the puck dribbles past him for a 2-0 Anaheim lead. Maybe we’ll find out later there was something funky about the shot we – and he – didn’t see.
Eeli Tolvanen provides the Kraken with a much-needed response at 16:34. Tolvanen’s sixth of the season, picking the top far corner, comes after hard work by brothers of havoc linemates Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev.
Shots are 15-13 Seattle in the period, goals 2-1 Anaheim.
2nd Period
Anaheim’s 8-9-3 record coming in is better than stats say it should be. The still-rebuilding Ducks are 30th on the power play, 29th on the penalty kill, 32nd on faceoffs, and 27th in goals-for per game.
Ducks d-man Radko Gudas shoulders a full-speed Schwartz into goalie Gibson. The forward and netminder both tumble to the ice. Both are okay.
Soon after, Schwartz deflects Brandon Montour’s power play blast off the right post to keep the Kraken from a tie. Seattle is 0-2 tonight on the PP, and haven’t scored in their last 17 extra-man opportunities.
Quick-firing Oliver Bjorkstrand gives Seattle that 2-2 tie at 8:58. Shane Wright, who would like to petition the NHL for the Kraken to play all their games against the Ducks, centers from the far corner. In one motion, Bjorkstrand collects the puck and beats Gibson for his fifth of the season. Tolvanen doesn’t draw an assist, but should – his hard check behind the net created the turnover.
The tie lasts 64 seconds. I don’t know what spices DJLR leader Zaiem Beg is using on his Thanksgiving bird, but he’s certainly salty about the tie-breaking marker. “The Ducks make the Kraken look like a bunch of turkeys when Alex Killorn is left alone in front and they retake the lead.”
When Matty Beniers takes a careless high-sticking penalty, Anaheim restores its two goal lead. Cutter Gauthier beats Daccord at 19:23. This one hurts.
3rd Period
Early in the period, Gourde outduels Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov to earn a breakaway. The CPA faithful raise the decibel level, dreams of an eighth Kraken comeback victory this season dancing in their heads. Gibson has other ideas, directing Gourde’s shot into the netting.
Two minutes later, Matty Beniers on the rush has a look almost as open, but his shot sails harmlessly wide. Amazingly, Beniers has another golden chance from between the hashes, but killjoy Gibson flashes the pads for his 27th, and maybe finest, save.
Either on accident, or on purpose – he’ll never tell – Anaheim 4th line center Jansen Harkins loses an edge – or “loses an edge” – while turning up ice, and instead falls, taking out the legs of Kraken goalie Daccord. Fans at CPA are incensed no penalty was called.
Trevor Zegras adds a garbage-time goal with six minutes remaining to finalize the Anaheim victory at 5-2. The Anaheim shenanigans against Kartye resulted in a four-minute Kraken power play, and they pulled Daccord for a sixth attacker to increase their advantage. Didn’t help.
Final shots were 44-33 Seattle, including 19 in the final stanza.
Up Next
The Kraken will have an abbreviated U.S. Thanksgiving Thursday, as it’s also a travel day. Seattle plays in San Jose on Black Friday (12:30 Pacific Time puck drop), after which the home-and-home with the Sharks resumes Saturday night at CPA. The Sharks, who dropped 11 straight to start the season (0-8-3), have won seven of their last 14 (7-5-2).