How many Minnesota Wild breakaway goals were too much for the Seattle Kraken to overcome Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena?
Answer: two. Kirill Kaprizov scored his league-leading 12th of the season 26 seconds after puck drop, and Blake Coleman scored his own breakaway goal early in the 2nd period. Minnesota went on to defeat Seattle, 5-1.
The difference was the middle 20, in which the visitors scored three times and outshot Seattle, 16-1. (Official scorers originally credited the Kraken with three shots, reduced the number to two, and finally to just one. At least they stopped there.)
Kraken goalie Joey Daccord, playing for the first time since giving up eight goals to Florida last Saturday, rose to the occasion when Ryker Evans took a 2nd period double-minor for high-sticking Quinn Hughes. Since coincidental minors had been called 20 seconds earlier, the start of the power play was 4-on-3. Daccord made five saves, several spectacular, to kill all four minutes.
Shortly after Olli Maatta made it 3-1 Wild, however, Daccord fumbled a routine Matt Boldy shot. Joel Eriksson Ek converted the rebound for a 4-1 Minnesota lead and remove any remaining suspense.
1st Period Goals
1-0 Minnesota: If the Kraken were drawing up how NOT to start this game, it would be giving the number one NHL goal scorer a breakaway in the first minute. Kaprizov buries a backhand as Daccord must be getting Panthers vibes from one week ago.
1-1 Tie: As a Kraken power play was ending, Kaapo Kakko’s decision to forego a high-danger scoring chance seemed like a mistake – until it wasn’t. Kakko chose to pass from the bottom of the left circle to the bottom of the right circle, where Berkly Catton rifled a shot off Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt’s glove and in.
2nd Period Goals
2-1 Minnesota: As a Kraken power play was ending, (didn’t I write this already?), Seattle makes a sloppy change at the bench (Shane Wright going off, Vince Dunn coming on). Coleman, who had taken a goalie interference penalty as the 1st period expired, springs out of the box, skates in on a breakaway and scores.
3-1 Minnesota: Olli Maatta, among the league leaders in double letters in his name, puts the Wild up by two from distance.
4-1 Minnesota: Mackie Samoskevich sets up Evans in front, but a fallen Wallstedt gets a glove up in time. At the other end, Eriksson Ek makes a gift puck count. Wild goals come 1:27 apart.
3rd Period Goals
5-1 Minnesota: Kraken coach Lane Lambert pulled Daccord with more than six minutes remaining. To which the Wild’s Coleman said, ‘Thanks!’ for his second tally of the night.
Kraken Notables
Veteran Kraken forward Jared McCann (3 goals, 5 assists) wasn’t in the lineup, having been placed on injured reserve. Jani Nyman was recalled from AHL Coachella Valley, but didn’t play.
The Kraken like to talk about being “connected,” but not this way: Wright and Ryan Winterton trip on each other’s skates, and both tumble at center ice.
Seattle had been fourth in NHL, scoring, 3.82 goals per game. But Saturday, after a promising 1st period, they managed just nine SOG. Catton led the way with five shots. Defenseman Dunn had four shots and a block, but finished minus-3.
By The Numbers
Goals by period: Minnesota 1-3-1 (5); Seattle 1-0-0 (1)
Shots by period: Minnesota 7-16-13 (36); Seattle 14-1-8 (23)
Power Plays: Minnesota 0-2; Seattle 0-3
Next up: The Kraken get much-needed down time; Seattle doesn’t play again until concluding its homestand on Wednesday against Toronto.
