Kraken finally score, don't win

 After two plus games without a goal, the Seattle Kraken finally entered the scoring column last night against the Colorado Avalanche. Unfortunately for the Kraken, the hometown team lit the lamp six times and went on to post a 6-3 victory at Ball Arena.

The Kraken fall to 5-8-1 on the season, losers of their last four games. Seattle also finishes its latest road trip at 1-4, dropping four consecutive games after thrashing the Montreal Canadiens, 8-2, last week.

Kraken coach Dan Byslma tweaked his lineup before the game, inserting John Hayden, a healthy scratch the previous two games, and Ryan Winterton, recalled from Coachella Valley. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Tye Kartye sat on the pines for the Kraken. Bylsma said he wanted to put more `bite’ and `compete’ in the lineup.

``In each one of the games we played, you could point to not being able to consistently play our game and compete at the level we need to compete at to win hockey games for 60 minutes,” said Bylsma. ``This game was no different.”

Despite the changes, the Avs jumped out to a 1-0 at 2:28 of the first period. Nathan McKinnon, last year’s Most Valuable Player, set up the 33-year-old Chris Wagner (who was basically a player-coach in the AHL two seasons ago) for the score.

MacKinnon, perhaps the best player in the league not named Connor McDavid, would finish the night with five (count `em five) assists. He’s also had at least one point in all 13 Avalanche games this season.

The Kraken, after 136 minutes and 30 seconds scoreless, finally ended the draught at 12:58. Matty Beniers’ shot went off the skate of Jared Schwartz to tie the game.

Colorado responded with a goal from Ivan Ivan (the first player in NHL history with the same first and last name). Philipp Grubauer came out of the net to make the initial stop, but Eeli Tolvanen fell on top of `Grubi’ and Ivan fired into the open net.

Jared McCann, the Kraken’s all-time leading scorer, would deadlock the game a mere 23 seconds into the second period on a power play. The Avs would take the lead for good on scores from Arturi Lehkonen and Mikko Rantanan.

There was plenty of controversy around Rantanan’s score marked by a seven minute delay before the officials finally ruled it good goal. At first, the Kraken appealed that the play was offsides (they’ve won nine of their last 11 reviews). After reviewing the video, the officials ruled in the Kraken favor.

Then Colorado coach Jared Bodnar appealed that the puck had entered the zone as the result of a missed Kraken shot that rimmed all the way around the boards and then traveled back down the ice into the visiting team’s end. The officials agreed with him too, and the goal stood.

The Kraken fought back to cut the lead, 4-3, when Beniers deflected Brandon Montour’s booming shot (all Montour’s shots seem to be booming).

However, the Avs would ice the game on Rantanen’s second goal and Nikolai Kovalenko would score with one second remaining in the contest.

"We just need to be a little better, man to man, all the way through," said Beniers, who’s showing up in the scoring column again after a slow start. "Yeah, we scored some goals, but we really need to put together a full 60 minutes and find a way."

``Realistically, it's still early and there's nothing you can do about this trip now," Montour said. "You've got to take it for what it is. We don't like where our game is at right now. But we've still got belief in the talent of this group and in our locker room. So, again, turn the page. We've got a homestand coming up here where we've got to figure it out and start feeling good again.”

The Kraken begin a four-game homestand on Friday night against the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights. Seattle hopes to establish a home advantage after losing its last two home games.

Scoring Summary

First Period

C- Chris Wagner (Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Girard) 2:28. S- Jaden Schwartz 3 (Matty Beniers 6, Ryker Evans) 12:58. C- Ivan Ivan (Nikolai Kocalenko, MacKinnon) 14:12.

Second Period

S- Jared McCann 6 (Chandler Stephenson 6) power play :23.C- Artturi Lehkonen (MacKinnon, Cale Makar) 6:44. C- Mikko Rantanen (Makar, MacKinnon) 9:11.

Third Period

S- Matty Beniers 3 (Brandon Montour 6, McCann 10) 17:31. C- Mikko Rantanen (Artturi Lehkonen, MacKinnon) empty net, 17:55. C- Nikolai Kovalenko (Casey Mittelstadt, Josh Manson) 19:58.

Shots on Goal- Seattle 20, Colorado 32.

Hits- Seattle 22 (John Hayden 4), Colorado 20 (Parker Kelly 4)..

Blocked Shots- Seattle 20 (Brandon Tanev, Jared McCann 3). Colorado (Parker Kelly 6).

Faceoffs- Seattle 54.2. Colorado 45.8

Three Stars- 1. Nathan MacKinnon 2. Mikko Rantanen 3. Cale Makar.

Referees- Francis Charron, Graedy Hamilton. Linesmen- Brandon Gawryletz, Jesse Marquis.