McMann, Kraken win shootout

 

To be honest, this was the type of game that the Seattle Kraken would lose in their first five years in the National Hockey League.

The Kraken led the Detroit Red Wings, 3-0, last night at Climate Pledge Arena with 15 minutes remaining in the contest. But the visiting Wings rattled off three consecutive goals, including Alex DeBrincat’s marker with only 17 seconds showing on the clock.

But after a typical five-minute overtime- both teams circling the offensive zone looking for the one perfect shot--the teams headed to a shootout. The shootout hasn’t been the Kraken’s friend through the years, but Bobby McMann tallied the go-ahead score and Philip Grubauer stopped Dylan Larkin at the other end to give the Kraken a 4-3 decision (Seattle’s Freddy Gaudreau and Detroit’s Victor Arvidsson also scored in the shootout.)

``Overall we played pretty well,’’ said Kraken coach Lane Lambert. ``Our first game back after a long road trip. We were focused.’’

The Kraken, who played seven of their first nine games on the road accumulated seven of a possible ten points on their recent Eastern trip. With last night’s victory, Seattle improves to 6-3-1 on the season.

Mackie Samoskevich picked up the only goal of the first period and the beginning of the second stanza saw the Kraken with a two-man advantage. The Red Wings were called for two many men on the ice and then a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck into the stands.

Detroit had one man back as defenseman Ryker Evans pounced on a loose puck in front of the net. Evans fired home, his second goal of the season, becoming the 12^th Kraken player to record at least two goals, the most in the league.

Another defenseman, Brandon Montour, who missed the Ktaken’s previous game with an injury, made it 3-0 at the 16:01 mark of the second period.

Then disaster struck for Seattle in the third period. Victor Arvidsson and Lucas Raymond scored a minute apart six minutes into the frame. In the game’s final two minutes, Detroit pulled goalie Danil Tarasov for an extra attacker. When Chandler Stephenson received a questionable penalty, that gave Detroit a two-man advantage.

``We ran into penalty trouble which I didn’t agree with,’’ said Lambert. ``Oue guy (Stephenson) was held up on the forecheck and we get the penalty. That’s astonishing.’’

It appeared that the Kraken might hold on when Grubauer made a kick save but Adam Larsson, Seattle’s best defensemen had trouble clearing the puck and DeBrincat scored on a scramble in front. Yup, the type of game the Kraken have lost in the past.

In the regulation shootout, with each team getting three shots, Gaudreau- an unlikely early-season goal scoring leader- and Arvidssen, each scored. In sudden death, Bobby McMann circled the net and slid a shot past Tarasov. Grubauer then made the stop at the other end.

The win marked the Kraken’s second shootout victory of the season. “I think guys are just really looking at the statistics and percentages of how to score on goalies, where to move, guys taking wider turns,” said Montour. 

The Kraken continue a four-game home stand tomorrow night when they host the Central Division leading Utah Mammoth at Climate Pledge Arena.

 

First Period

S- Mackie Samoskevich 4 (Chandler Stephenson 8) 6:45.

Second Period

S- Ryker Evans 2 (unassisted) PPG, 3:22.

S- Brandon Montour 1 (Berkly Catton 5) 16:01.

Third Period

D- Victor Arvidsson (Emmett Finnie, Albert Johansson) 6:26.

D- Lucas Raymond (Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin) 7:25.

D- DeBrincat (Larkin, Raymond) PPG, 19:43.

Overtime

No scoring.

Shootout

S- Matty Beniers, save.

D- Lucas Raymond, save.

S- Berkly Catton, save.

D- Alex DeBrinkat, save.

S- Freddy Gaudreau, goal.

D- Viktor Arvidssen, score.

S- Bobby McMann, score.

D- Dylan Larkin, save.

Shots on Goal- Detroit 25, Seattle 27.