Sometimes, things you wish wouldn’t have happened still turn out for the best. Such was the case Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena, where the Seattle Kraken skated to an easier-than-it sounds 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders.
The victory puts a halt to the Kraken’s four-game losing streak (0-3-1) and a 1-4-2 skid in their prior seven games. Vince Dunn led the way with a goal and assist, while Matty Beniers on a 5-on-3 power play, Kaapo Kakko, and Jared McCann into an empty net, had the other Seattle goals.
Minor Problems
The first “wish-it-hadn’t” was four 1st period Kraken minors, and seven overall. Not normally a recipe for success when your penalty kill came in ranked last in the NHL, barely above 71%.
But other than Anthony Duclair’s goal 2:38 into the contest, the Kraken survived their other six times shorthanded. More remarkable, the Islanders managed just seven total shots on their seven man advantages. One key was Seattle winning seven of eight draws while down a man.
“We clearly have to stay out of the box,” coach Lane Lambert said after the game. “We can’t take that many penalties.” Of the 6-for-7 PK success, Lambert pointed to his team getting in passing lanes. “I thought our structure was good. We had commitment; we did block some shots.” Seattle had a 19-5 edge in blocked shots.
Dunn Wasn’t Done
The second wish-it-hadn’t was Dunn out for a one minute, 40 second shift in the 2nd period. What brought the shift to an end was the defenseman’s 50th career goal as a Kraken, the eventual game-winner.
“Earlier in the shift, Freddy (Gaudreau) gave me a really good look,” Dunn recalled. “Then we’re in our zone for quite a while. I’m thinking of changing.”
Dunn said deciding to stay on ice isn’t a risk he would choose most of the time.
“It was a great play by Benny (Meyers) and ‘Wints’ (Ryan Winterton) to get the puck to me.”
As Dunn mentioned, he finished the chance that was set up on another strong night for Seattle’s 4th line. “If you want to call them the 4th line. It’s been noticeable how hard these guys have been working to contribute to our wins. They’re making a big difference every single night. They’ve been amazing.”
One way Meyers was amazing was winning 8 of 9 faceoffs. (Matty Beniers and Shane Wright were a combined 3-15. What’s up with that?)
Grubauer In The Groove
The last wish-it-hadn’t was New York’s Casey Cizikas, breaking in shorthanded in the 3rd period. Seattle had given up a shorthanded goal in each of their prior three games – not coincidentally, all losses. Philipp Grubauer’s 10-bell save, the best of his 24 on the night, prevented that embarrassing statistic from growing. It also kept the Isles from creeping within a goal.
Grubauer upped his save percentage to .919, 2nd-best among goalies who’ve played 15 or more games; his 2.37 GAA is 6th-best. Superior play has earned him increased playing time, which in turn has kept him sharp. “It helps getting into a rhythm, kind of like a playoff rhythm – game, day off, game, day off. Your timing, gapping up on shots, reading off your guys.
“That’s what I was missing last year. If you sit around for three or four weeks and then come in on a back-to-back, it’s really tough. It felt like you’re coming out of summer break every time you touch the ice.”
Other than the Cizikas scare, the Kraken allowed New York just four other shots on goal in the final period. “I did like that,” Lambert said with an uncharacteristically wide grin. “We’ve talked about it. I thought our attention to detail was really good tonight. We took care of things in front of our net, which had been leaking the last couple of games.”
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Lose Key Battle To Penguins, 6-3
