Kraken win one for the `Mets’

On a night where a banner for the Seattle Metropolitan, the first American team to win a Stanley Cup in 1917 was unfurled, the 2021 Seattle Kraken (2-4-1) unveiled timely shooting, crisp passing, good positioning, and solid hitting and goaltending to post their best win of the season, 5-1 over the Montreal Canadiens (1-6-0) at Climate Pledge Arena.

Brandon `Turbo’ Tanev, the Kraken’s high-energy forward, led the Kraken with two goals in the first-ever home victory for Seattle. Tanev now has a team-high five goals in seven games after scoring seven in 32 contests for the Pittsburgh Penguins a year ago. Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde and Ryan Donato also scored for the Kraken and Philipp Grubauer had 23 saves.

If a good start was one of the Kraken’s goals, they checked that box early. Jordan Eberle, who admitted he was feeling `snake bit’ after being robbed of a sure goal in two consecutive games put the Kraken on the board at 1:02 in the contest. Linemate Alex Wennberg dropped a pass to Eberle, who cut from right to left, and then fired a wrist shot past Montreal goalie Jake Allen.

“Throughout the first six games, I had two or three really good logs in each game. Sometimes they don’t go in,” Eberle said. “Got one first shift and I had another three or four good looks.”

The Canadiens, who’ve scored an anemic 11 goals in seven games, tied the score at 11:23. The Kraken defense couldn’t clear from in front of the net and Brendan Gallager dropped a pass to Mike Hoffman, who scored his second goal of the season.

Seattle took the lead for good at 15:08. Defensemen Jamie Oleksiak came chugging down the right-wing and found Tanev on the doorstep in front of the net. Tanev pounced on Oleksiak’s feed to give Seattle a 2-1 lead.

“We wanted to come out tonight and play a full 60 minutes. I thought we did that, and give the crowd something to celebrate,” Tanev said.

Tanev also continued what’s becoming a tradition with him, giving his teammates a lot of the credit for his success.

“It’s just confidence and coaches surrounding me with great players. I think we’ve got a great team and it’s not all on me making plays. I think it’s the guys on the ice that are making the plays. … I think it’s the guys all around that are making it easy for ourselves as a team. I think that’s a great group we have here.”

The Kraken increased their lead to 5-1 on three partial breakaways. Yanni Gourde made it 3-1 at 6:56 of the second period when he took a stretch pass from Jaden Schwartz. Gourde (hard to believe he was let go by the Tampa Bay Lightning for nothing) forced Allen to commit himself, switched from the forehand to the backhand, and lifted the puck into the open net.

Tanev scored his second of the game 1:57 later after Gourde sent him in alone to make it 4-1. The goal-scoring barrage kept the Kraken’s goal horn busy- a Washington State Ferry model that blasts a deep, rich, bass-like sound to pump up the crowd. Ryan Donato finished the scoring in the third period when he pounced on a loose puck at his own blueline and went in for the score.

“Those were big goals for us,” Hakstol said. “To be able to put a little bit of distance there makes a pretty steep hill for a comeback.”

When asked if there was less pressure on the team last night as opposed to the hoopla of Saturday night’s opener (a 4-2 come-from-behind loss to Vancouver) Eberle noted. “I’m not gonna say pressure, but there’s a lot of anxiety in (opening night). You feel the big game; the first ever game in this building. So you know with that out of the way, I think the boys felt a little bit at ease.”

GAME NOTES

• The Metropolitan (who we assume were sometimes called the Mets) were never members of the National Hockey League. They competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and challenged the Canadiens for the Stanley Cup. After the 1917 Seattle win, the team’s met for a rematch in 1919. Billed as the `1919 world’s series’ in local newspapers, the series was never completed due to the Spanish flu outbreak. According to hockey historians, the Canadiens returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1961 for an exhibition game against the Seattle Totems of the formerly professional Western Hockey League.
• The Metropolitan jerseys of Hall-of-Famers Frank Foyston and goaltender Hap Holmes were on display at last night’s game. Foyston scored 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in four games against the Canadiens in 1917 and 10 points (nine goals, one assist) in five games against them two years later. Holmes manned the nets for Seattle from 1915 to 1924. Foyston’s 91-year-old daughter Barbara was at the game. Over the PA she exhorted. “let’s go Kraken.”
• The Canadiens have won a record 24 Stanley Cups in their existence (although at least one web site gives them 25, counting the aforementioned 1919). Montreal won many of those titles when the NHL was only a six-team league. Perhaps more importantly, the Canadiens for many years were given first choice of any French-speaking amateurs in the country, back when the overwhelming majority of NHL players came from Canada. It might be hard for some longtime fans to believe that the Canadiens haven’t won a title since 1993. Toronto is second with 13 Cups but the Maple Leafs haven’t won a championship since 1967.
• Seems long ago that there was some speculation about the Kraken signing Montreal’s all-world goaltender Carey Price. The veteran netminder wasn’t expected to return at the start of the season after having surgery for a torn meniscus. Price recently announced he was entering the NHL Player Assistance program. His return is unknown and the NHL and the NHL Players Association made the announcement and said there would be no further comments.

GAME SUMMARY

1^st Period

S – Justin Eberle (Alex Wennberg, Jamie Oleksiak17,151) 1:02.

M – Mike Hoffman (Nick Suzucki, Brendan Gallagher) 11:37.

S – Brandon Tanev (Oleksiak, Jared McCann) 15:08.

2^nd Period

S – Yanni Gourde (Justin Schwartz, Jeremy Lauzon) 6:56.

S – Tanev (Mark Giordano, Gourde) 8:33.

3^rd Period

S – Ryan Donato (unassisted)  5:14.

Goals/Saves- Montreal: Jake Allen 5-21. Seattle: Philipp Grubauer 1-23.

Penalties – Montreal 4-8. Seattle 2-4.

Referees – Graham Skilliter, Mitch Dunning. Linesmen – Mitch Hunt, Bevan Mills.

Attendance – 17, 151.