Wright, Montour lead Kraken





When a player is benched – the polite term the National Hockey League uses is `healthy scratch’- said player can react in two ways when he returns to the lineup. He can continue making the plays that earned him a seat on the pines, or can he `up’ his game.

Shane Wright, the number-four pick in the 2022 NHL amateur draft (many had him as the first overall pick), responded with the latter. Wright, a healthy scratch for three games, scored the first Seattle Kraken goal of the night in his return, and then earned an assist on Brandon Montour’s game winner as Seattle defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 3-1, last night at the Honda Center.

Seattle improves its record to 11-10-1 on the season. Anaheim drops to 8-9-3. Last night marked the first of four games between the Kraken and the two bottom feeders of the Pacific Division and the Western Conference- the Ducks and San Jose Sharks (both in home-and-home series). The Kraken are now four points ahead of the seventh-place Ducks, but a regulation victory would have moved Anaheim into a tie with the Kraken.

When Wright was removed from the lineup, Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said he wanted the 20-year-old to watch some games and get a `restart’ on his season. Of course, Wright was asked after the game what he took away from his brief sabbatical.

``I realized I have more time with the puck than I think I do,” said Wright. ``I need to hold on to the puck instead of throwing it away. Make the play to somebody else.’’

``We talked with Shane about how he played in training camp and the first few games of the season,’’ said Bylsma. ``(Then) he was playing with confidence. Playing with speed. (Last night) he was excellent in playing the way he can, right from the drop of the puck.”

Wright also won a big faceoff in his offensive zone, moments after Andre Burakovsky scored his first goal of the season to deadlock the contest, 2-2. Wright won the draw back to the right point and Brandon Montour fired home his seventh goal of the season, for what proved to be the game winner (Eeli Tolvanen also made a nifty play, jumping in the air to avoid Montour’s shot).

Wright opened the scoring when he tipped in Oliver Bjorkstrand’s shot at 7:12 of the first period. The Kraken coaching staff has been preaching forwards going to the net.

Trevor Zegras tied the game for the Anaheim at 15:59 with Brian Dumoulin, a Kraken last season, picking up an assist. The Ducks’ Frank Vatrano had the only goal of the second, when he was left alone in front of the Kraken net and tipped a shot past goalie Joey Daccord.

Bjorkstrand, who has eight assists on the season, got his long-awaited first goal at 46 seconds of the third period. Jared McCann and Burakovsky were both battling for the puck in front of the net, when McCann flipped the puck across to Burakovsky, who tipped the puck into the open corner. Montour’s game-winner came 14 seconds later.

Joey Daccord stopped only 21 shots but Bylsma noted the Ducks, ``had some good chances.’’ The Kraken have now allowed two goals or less in their last seven games.

The Ducks lost Leo Carlsson, the 20-year-old Swede who was the second pick in the 2023 draft, was injured late in the second period. Tye Kartye, hit Carlsson as he drove to the net with Carlsson crashing into the goalpost. He left the game with 4:37 remaining and didn’t return for the third period. The Ducks called it an `upper body injury.’

Anaheim’s captain Radko Gudas went after Kartye and after a brief scuffle, Kartye received four minutes in penalties and Gudas and Trevor Ziegras both received minors. If Carlsson is out long term, the Ducks could be in an ornery mood when the team’s faceoff tomorrow at Climate Pledge Arena.

Scoring Summary

First Period

S- Shane Wright 2 (Oliver Bjorkstrand 6, Ryker Evans 9) 7:12. A- Trevor Zegras (Troy Terry, Brian Dumoulin) 15:59.

Second Period

No scoring.

Third Period

S- Andre Burakovsky 1 (Jared McCann 13, Ryker Evans) :46. S- Brandon Montour 7 (Shane Wright 2) 1:10.

 

Shots on Goal- Seattle 28 (Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jared McCann, Brandon Montour 3), Anaheim 23 (Frank Vatrano 5).

Penalty Minutes- Seattle 6, Anaheim 10.

Faceoffs- Seattle 59.6% Anaheim 40.3%.

Blocked Shots- Seattle 13 (Adam Larsson 4). Anaheim 17 (Jackson LaCombe 4).

Referees- Garrett Rank, Jordan Samuels-Thomas. Linesmen- Kiel Murchison, Ben O’Quinn.

Three Stars- 1. Brandon Montour, S. 2. Troy Terry, A. 3. Adam Larsson, S.

 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Seattle's first major league team?

Kraken acquire Larry David's favorite player

Farewell to Pete Carroll