FINAL: NJ Devils 3, Seattle Kraken 1.
The Seattle Kraken had a dominate first twelve minutes to the first period as they found their forecheck and their timing. New Jersey Devils goalie MacKenzie Blackwood was the difference early on, the shots-on-goal ended up 12-7 in favor of Seattle after the scoreless 1st period.
It was Philipp Grubauer between the pipes at the other end.
The Devils were without their leading scorer Jack Hughes, out week-to-week with an upper body injury while the Kraken were without leading scorer Andre Burakovsky, out week-to-week with a lower body injury.
It was the first game back after missing six for Kraken D-man Justin Schultz and the 2nd game back for two Seattle forwards, Matty Beniers, who missed two, and Jaden Schwartz, who missed eight.
Missed Opportunities
That was the theme for the first half of the second period. Oliver Bjorkstrand hit the cross bar while alone in front with a wide open net — that set the stage for a 5-on-3 Seattle man advantage that failed. They got looks, they got shots, they couldn’t solve Blackwood or the crossbar.
Kraken Goal Scorers:
2nd Period
1-0 Kraken – Even Strength – Adam Larsson (5) from Vince Dunn and Alex Wennberg, 14:05
Larsson simply wristed a shot from the right point that found its way through a screen and inside the near post.
— The Devils blocked a whopping 27 shots on the night to help Blackwood’s outstanding effort.
Seattle pressed and had their chances but the “finish” simply wasn’t there. The Kraken did take the next step in terms of their forecheck and puck possession compared to Tuesday night on Long Island.
That said, special teams ultimately made the difference. Devils D-man Dougie Hamilton scored twice on the power play to give the Devils the win. New Jersey finished 2-for-4 on the power play. Seattle went 0-for-3. Shots were 34-27 Kraken.
Defenseman John Marino added an empty-netter for the final score.
