What the Seattle Kraken have lacked in their history is a player to carry the rest of the squad on his back. Wednesday against the Calgary Flames at Climate Pledge Arena, Berkly Catton was that guy.
Matty Beniers made Catton’s efforts pay off, scoring on a breakaway at 0:55 of overtime as the Kraken (9-5-1) outlasted the Flames, 2-1.
Catton extended his points streak to seven games with a 2nd period rocket on the rush that tied the game, 1-1. His goal on a spectacular 1-on-1 effort in the 1st period was erased because he preceded the puck in the zone. Yegor Sharangovich had opened the scoring for Calgary.
On a night when the Kraken debuted a new forward, Matthew Wood, and sharp-looking new “Hometown Remix” jerseys (see Beniers at left), most of Catton’s teammates looked oddly out of sync.
Through two periods, Seattle had 14 giveaways to Calgary’s three. The Kraken hadn’t played since Friday, a 6-2 loss to these same Flames that Lane Lambert called the worst effort since he became Kraken coach.
Though Seattle’s Joey Daccord (28 saves) and Calgary’s Dustin Wolf (24 saves) are quality netminders, they’ve both put up ugly early-season numbers. So of course the American-born duo treated fans at CPA to a goaltender’s duel.
Daccord, badly in need of a confidence-boosting effort, stopped Joel Farabee’s 3rd period breakaway to keep the game tied. His later pad save on Simon Nemec, who’d gotten behind the Seattle defense, was almost as good.
1st Period Goals
1-0 Calgary: Zach Whitecloud shoots from the right point, and Sharangovich redirected it between Daccord’s pads.
Non-goal: A successful Calgary coach’s challenge for offside negates a terrific Catton individual effort. Catton corralled a bouncing puck on the rush, used his body to shield said puck from Calgary defender Yan Kuznetsov, and with one hand on his stick lifted the puck past Wolf.
Why spend so much time on a play that didn’t count? Because even though Catton preceded the puck in the zone, the skill once again shown by Catton holds the promise of better Kraken days ahead.
2nd Period Goals
1-1 Tie: From the right circle dot, Catton snapped his 5th goal past Wolf. Kaapo Kakko collected his 10th assist.
Overtime Goal
2-1 Seattle wins: Beniers scored the goal, but Brandon Montour made it happen. He stole a crossing pass in the defensive zone, pushed the puck ahead to Beniers, and then ran (skated?) interference so no Flame could catch up to the breakaway.
“He makes a hell of a play breaking up that pass,” Beniers said in a postgame interview. “He’s a hell of a player.”
Kraken Notables
In the 3rd period, Calgary agitator* Martin Pospisil, who earlier had been whistled for goalie interference, plowed into Daccord while the goalie was playing the puck behind the net. Daccord was slow rising but was okay. Montour shoved Pospisil back to the ice in support of his netminder.
*In Seattle, that’s code for “dirty scoundrel.” The Kraken couldn’t make Pospisil pay by taking the lead on the ensuing power play.
Seattle Sonics NBA legend Spencer Haywood led the pregame cheer. Also in the house, Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez and new manager Jason Kanzler.
The Shane Wright trade occasioned changes to three Kraken forward lines. Wood was paired with veterans Chandler Stephenson and Freddy Gaudreau. Ben Meyers shifted to center, with Jani Nyman inserted on his wing. Kakko took Wright’s spot on a line with Catton and Mackie Samoskevich.
Got all that?
By The Numbers
Goals by period: Calgary 1-0-0-0 (1); Seattle 0-1-0-1 (2)
Shots by period: Calgary 9-9-8-0 (26); Seattle 8-10-10-1 (29)
Power Plays: Calgary 0-1; Seattle 0-3
Next up: Saturday afternoon at CPA, the Kraken host the New York Rangers and their trio of ex-Kraken (Tye Kartye, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Eeli Tolvanen). Then it’s preparations for Seattle’s two-game set against the Carolina Hurricanes in Helsinki, Finland.
Earlier Kraken:
— Ex-Kraken Wright: “I wanted more opportunity.”
