In Kraken forward Jordan Eberle’s 1,000th NHL game, Seattle failed to add to the celebration by losing 5-4 in overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights, the team in the 2nd wild card spot with a nine-point lead on Seattle.
Any very faint playoff hopes for the Kraken are gone. Eberle played 19:24, had two shots-on-goal and was held pointless.
1st Period
The Golden Knights had the first four shots-on-goal in the game on Philipp Grubauer. The Kraken’s first shot of the game came at 3:04 from Brandon Tanev on Adin Hill.
Seattle picked up the first power play when Brett Howden went off for slashing Oliver Bjorkstrand at 4:42. The Kraken didn’t generate a threat.
Howden then went from being perpetrator to victim. He was held by Tomas Tatar at 6:55 and the Golden Knights went to the man advantage for the first time.
Vegas didn’t muster much either.
As the period moved along, Seattle’s best chances simply hopped off their sticks. They’d pick up another PP chance with seven minutes remaining but again failed to click.
2nd Period
The Golden Knights were playing a simple road game; clogging the neutral zone, dulling it down, taking the crowd out of it. In a way it was starting to look a bit like Seattle’s 3-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets last Friday.
Then suddenly the game opened up.
Seattle’s Jared McCann and Andre Burakovsky took over with their talents and the previous fed the latter for the opening goal at 4:14. Tye Kartye added an assist as McCann and Burakovsky finished with a little give-and-go through traffic in the offensive zone.
Moments later Seattle went shorthanded when D-man Brian Dumoulin went off for holding and the Golden Knights tied the game at 6:38. Jonathan Marchessault ripped a one-timer home from the left wing circle, up under the crossbar.
With exactly five minutes remaining, Pavel Dorofeyev gave Vegas the 2-1 lead off a face-off in the left wing circle. As Vegas center William Karlsson broke he stick on the draw, McCann pushed the puck forward and Dorofeyev immediately fired a snap shot that beat Grubauer gloveside. Weird play, but a huge one for the Golden Knights.
The Kraken were playing with fire. With 1:01 remaining, Seattle rookie D-man Ryker Evans went off for tripping. The Vegas power play would carry over into the 3rd period.
3rd Period
The Kraken killed the balance of the penalty and quickly tied the game. Matty Beniers bounced a puck through the legs of Hill with the deflection of a Will Borgen shot to make it 2-2 at 1:55. It was the 2nd year forward’s first goal in ten games.
Seattle rode the momentum.
So much so that Pierre Edouard Bellemare scored from the right side of the high slot as the trailer on a 3-on-3 rush at 5:21, just the 5th on the season for the 4th-line forward.
The Kraken kept the pressure on for the next six or seven minutes, resulting in yet another goal. Kraken center Yanni Gourde found Oliver Bjorkstrand with a stretch pass up the middle for a breakaway and Bjorkstrand made no mistake with a wrister.
4-2 Seattle at the 11:30 mark.
A two-goal cushion that would last a grand total of 53-seconds. William Karlsson scored for Vegas on a slapper to make it a 4-3 game with plenty of time on the clock.
The Kraken almost held on, but with 17-seconds remaining and the extra attacker on the ice, reigning Conn Smythe Trophy Winner (Stanley Cup playoff MVP) Marchessault scored the equalizer. 4-4 game.
Overtime
Jack Eichel had a great chance in the opening minute for Vegas, but Grubauer robbed him.
Burakovsky had a great chance and shot wide. Vegas hit a post. Seattle had a 2-on-1, but failed.
Back the other way, Eichel scored on an odd-man rush to win it with 1:59 remaining.
Shots-on-goal finished 35-30 in favor of the Golden Knights. Power plays: Vegas 1-for-3, Seattle 0-for-2
Kraken 3 Stars:
1) Matty Beniers – Huge goal, solid 200-foot game and he won a majority of his face-offs. 2 shots-on-goal, 2 hits.
2) Will Borgen – An assist and plus-3 on the evening. 3 hits.
3) Adam Larsson – 3 hits, 3 shots on goal and led the team in ice time with 25:56.
