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.
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