Sharks 6, Kraken 1 — Blackhawks 5, Canucks 2
Both games got out of hand in the 3rd period. The Kraken were eaten alive by the Sharks, while the Blackhawks exploded against the Canucks in the final 20 minutes.
What the games had in common: Both had recent 1st-overall picks in the NHL Draft, both from North Vancouver, playing a significant role in the outcomes.
Macklin Celebrini, San Jose’s pick in 2024, opened the goal scoring and added two assists in the 6-1 romp in Seattle. He’s tied with Connor McDavid of the Oilers for the scoring lead in the NHL with 21 points.
Conor Bedard, Chicago’s 1st-overall the summer before, piled up 13 shot attempts, tallied a power play assist and an empty-net goal. He has a six-game point streak, the second longest of his career.
As he pointed out on a Sportsnet interview postgame, Bedard still hasn’t scored a goal against his hometown team with a goalie in the net. In all three visits that netminder has been Kevin Lankinen.
Celebrini gets one visit to Rogers Arena in late December, and another a month later. Last season as a rookie returning home, he ended up with a goal and two assists over the course of two games. He might be more excited by the fact he gets to return to Seattle to take on the Kraken a week from Saturday.
After Ryan Winterton scored his first NHL goal for Seattle, tying the game 1-1 at the 16:30 mark of the 1st period, it was all Sharks. They reeled off five unanswered tallies, including a shorthanded goal and an even strength marker 30-seconds apart in the 3rd period.
The Canucks games was even weirder. Despite a total of 54 shots after two periods, 34 of them from Vancouver, the game was scoreless after forty minutes. The teams combined for seven goals in the 3rd period, including a hat track for Chicago’s Tyler Bertuzzi. Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight made 43 saves for the win.
Vancouver hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday and then the red hot Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Seattle will try something similar, but on the road. They visit the St. Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars in a back-to-back weekend set.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Get Bodies Back As Good Streak Continues
