Instead of getting buried like they did four nights ago, the Seattle Kraken fought back to beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-2.
The Kraken had a much better first five minutes of the game this time around against the Oilers. In fact, they had a much better first ten minutes. They were even-steven 5-on-5 playing a very solid game until Seattle forward Daniel Sprong went off for tripping Klim Kostin at 12:08.
Uh-oh.
Thirty-nine seconds later the Oilers were on the board. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (19) from Leon Draisaitl and Tyson Barrie.
Sadly automatic when you pit the NHL’s top power play unit, ridiculously effective at 32.1% coming in, against the league’s next-to-last penalty kill, operating at 68.5%.
Oilers 1, Kraken 0.
Last Friday when Seattle fell behind, Edmonton piled on the goals quickly. This time the Kraken stuck with their game and finished out the period down just one. They also had two or three very good scoring chances snuffed out by Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner, who won that game at Climate Pledge Arena on December 30th.
McDavid
It doesn’t need to be a power play situation to worry about number-97. The NHL’s leading scorer turned on the jets to take a touch pass in the neutral zone and blow past Seattle D-man Carson Soucy to the net. He sped past goalie Martin Jones and tucked it home to make it 2-0 just 48-seconds into the 2nd period.
However, the game definitely wasn’t over. The Kraken appeared determined while the Oilers started to look like a team thinking it might be over.
Turning Point
For the second straight game the Kraken would score a power play goal. That would be followed up 31-seconds later by another Seattle tally. We had ourselves a new hockey game at 2-2 at 5:15 of the 2nd period.
The Oilers struggled at home lately, coming into this game with a four-game losing streak at Rogers Place, among them a game on December 23rd in which they blew a 2-0 lead to the Vancouver Canucks.
Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft used his team’s time-out after the Kraken scored their second goal.
Seattle would keep it going, to say the least …
Kraken Goal Scorers
2nd Period
2-1 Oilers – Power Play – Matty Beniers (12) from Daniel Sprong and Justin Schultz, 4:44
In traffic in front, almost on top of Skinner, Beniers baseball batted a puck with enough juice to get it across the line.
2-2 – Even Strength – Jaden Schwartz (9) from Matty Beniers and Adam Larsson, 5:15
Standing next to the left post, Schwartz tucks home a perfect slap-pass from Beniers.
3-2 Kraken – Even Strength – Yanni Gourde (5) from Eeli Tolvanen and Justin Schultz, 12:42
Off a rebound in traffic, Gourde snaps at a loose puck in the slot and goes short-side on Skinner.
4-2 Kraken – Even Strength – Jared McCann (17) from Alexander Wennberg and Jaden Schwartz 15:48
Off a tough angle rebound, Wennberg found McCann wide open with a cross slot pass.
— With his assist on the 2nd Kraken goal, Larsson set a personal and club record for a defenseman with a 7-game point streak.
— Tolvanen has a point in each of his first two Kraken games.
— Goalie Stuart Skinner was yanked after the fourth Kraken goal and replaced by Jack Campbell.
3rd Period
5-2 Kraken – Even Strength (empty netter) – Alexander Wennberg (7) – from Brandon Tanev and Jaden Schwartz, 17:29
Off a clear with the Oilers pressing down two goals, it ends up with Wennberg who slides it in.
— The Oilers had a goal overturned by an offside review and the Kraken killed off the remainder of Jamie Oleksiak’s early holding penalty.
— The team that won this game would hop back into 3rd place in the Pacific Division. That team would be the Kraken.
Kraken 3 Stars:
1) Matty Beniers – Looking to snap a lull in his scoring, the rookie picked up a goal and an assist.
2) Justin Schultz – Two assists working with a D-unit that did a very nice job containing the explosive Oilers.
3) Martin Jones – Faced 33 shots and picked up a huge win.