Kraken 4, Predators 1
The Predators played Wednesday night, on New Year’s Eve, in Vegas, winning 4-2. The Kraken last played on Monday night in a 3-2 shoot-out loss to the Canucks.
It showed Thursday night at Climate Pledge Arena. I joked early that the Predators looked like they were playing on roller blades. The Kraken beat them to pucks, made the crisper passes, and forechecked relentlessly.
Center Matty Beniers scored twice in the first period, the second time just ten-seconds after Seattle defenseman Jamie Oleksiak made it 2-0. Those goals came at 10:41 and 10:51.
Beniers had opened the scoring with a tip-in at the 3:48 mark.
The Kraken outshot the Predators 13-7 in the first 20 minutes, and I don’t recall Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer being tested.
The 2nd period felt like a placeholder. The score remained the same until Nashville earned a late power play. Seattle D-man Adam Larsson went to the box for high sticking at 16:48 and Pred’s captain Roman Josi ripped home a wrister from the slot 46-seconds later.
3-1 after two.
Along the way Seattle rookie Berkly Catton had two glorious chances to score his first NHL goal. Once, alone on the backhand in front, he didn’t get enough on it, and the second time, diving to swipe at a loose puck on the doorstep that Nashville goalie Juuse Saros sprawled to stop.
He’s 25 games into his career.
Both teams had near misses in the third period, but at the end of the day, Seattle held on for its fifth win in their last six games and extended a six-game point streak.
Seattle jumped into the 2nd wild card spot in the Western Conference.
