The streaks continued at Climate Pledge Arena last night which was good news for the visiting Anaheim Ducks; not so good for the home team Seattle Kraken, as the Ducks posted a 7-4 victory.
Anaheim (8-4-3), not considered a likely playoff team in most pre-season analysts, won its sixth consecutive game and Troy Terry, not exactly a household name even among hockey fans, extended his point streak to 13 games with two goals and one assist. The Kraken dropped their third consecutive game falling to 4-9-1, placing them in the basement of the Pacific Division.
After a frankly boring first period that saw the Ducks outscore the Kraken, 1-0, and outshoot their hosts, 12-4, the teams played a hectic second period that featured five goals, plenty of scoring bids and a heavyweight bout between Seattle defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and Anaheim tough guy Josh Manson.
However, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol didn’t have time to appreciate the aesthetics of the game.
“At the end of the day, the first 25 to 30 minutes of the hockey game, we didn’t win very many of the races or many of the puck battles,” said Hakstol. “And you know when you get behind like that it’s hard to dig out. We expect ourselves to be better than that and to start better here at home and ultimately, we didn’t do that. We really weren’t able to push back that’s probably one of the biggest things.”
“We have some really good moments and then it’s chaos,” said Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer. “We have to talk about what’s working and what isn’t.”
Jared McCann was Seattle’s offensive star with two goals and an assist. The Seattle forward had missed six games after being removed from the lineup due to COVID protocols. Before his departure, McCann was the Kraken’s leading point-getter and he picked up where he left off last night.
Anaheim defenseman Josh Mahura scored off a faceoff to give the visitors a 3-1 lead at 6:36 of the second period. But McCann got his first goal of the night a little over a minute later on some nice passes from linemates Ryan Donato and Riley Sheehan.
McCann’s second goal came at 10:26 of the third cutting the lead to 5-4. McCann scored on a centering pass from Donato – “I saw the defenseman shift his skates a little bit and he thought I was going to go wide,” said McCann.
“He’s missed ten days and had only one practice,” said Hakstol. “So we started him on the wing (instead of center) to give him a break.”
With the Kraken pressing for the tying goal, Grubauer went to the bench for an extra attacker with two and a half minutes remaining. It proved to be an inopportune line change as Anaheim gained possession of the puck as the goalie hit the bench and the Ducks’ Sam Carrick came down the ice to notch an empty netter. Terry also scored in the open net with 21 seconds remaining making the 7-4 score a bit misleading.
“We didn’t put a lot of pressure on (Anaheim) in the first period and then we got relaxed,” said McCann. “We’re still getting to know each other, but enough is enough. We can’t use that as an excuse.”
The Kraken continue their six-game home stand tomorrow night when they host the Minnesota Wild, a team Seattle’s already beaten this season 3-1 on October 28.
GAME NOTES
* Jordan Eberle recorded his eighth goal in eight games for the Kraken with his score at 3:57 of the third period. Eberle also has four goals in the last four games, a career-high for the veteran winger. His centering pass also set up Jaden Schwartz’s goal, the first Kraken score of the game. Eberle and Schwartz were quiet early in the season but have recently been two of the Kraken’s most consistent point getters.
* The Kraken have had a habit this season of giving up goals within two minutes after scoring themselves. Last night, Seattle turned the tables scoring three times within 1:15 of allowing a goal. Schwartz’s goal came only 36 seconds after an Anaheim goal.
* Hakstol absolved his goalkeeper of any blame for the loss. “It wasn’t a goaltender’s night. Grubauer had a lot of traffic in front of the net.” For his part, Grubauer said, “anytime you give up a goal you feel you could have done something different.”
* Mason McTavish, who scored Anaheim’s first goal last night, was the third pick in the 2021 entry draft selected behind Seattle pick Matty Beniers (still at Michigan). The 18-year-old Swedish native recorded his second goal. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf has been with the Ducks for 17 years and was drafted the year McTavish was born (2003).
* Getzlaf’s linemate Troy Terry had a modest seven goals and 13 assists in 40 games last season., But in the 2021-22 season, Terry has developed into one of the league’s top offensive players with 11 goals and eight assists in 14 games.
* BrandonTanev, who recorded his 100th career assist in Tuesday’s loss to Vegas, got into a minor dustup with Anaheim goalie John Gibson as time ran out in the second period. The two exchanged words as play headed up the ice and Gibson appeared to raise his stick at Tanev in a threatening manner. The crowd loudly booed no penalty being called on Gibson as the teams left the ice.
* This marked the Ducks first win since Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob Murray resigned from his duties with the Ducks on Wednesday. Yesterday, the Ducks released a statement saying that Murray was placed on administrative leave after an internal review followed by an independent investigation when the Ducks say they became aware of accusations of improper professional conduct against Murray.
“First and foremost, we apologize on behalf of the organization to anyone affected by misconduct from Bob,” Ducks owners’ Henry and Susan Samueli said in a statement. “We expect every member of our organization to be treated with respect and will not stand for abuse of any kind. Bob tendered his resignation this morning, while also informing us of his decision to enter an alcohol abuse program. “
The team did not provide details on what specific misconduct happened, but a source told ESPN that Murray’s continued behavior to staffers, coaches, and players created an “abuse culture.”
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
A – Mason McTavish (Max Contois) 4:40.
2nd Period
A – Troy Terry (Jamie Drysdale) 3:10
S – Jaden Schwartz (Jordan Eberle, Vince Dunn) 3:46
A – Josh Mahura (Derek Grant) 6:36
S – Jared McCann (Ryan Donato, Riley Sheehan) 7:50
A – Kevin Shattenkirk (Terry, Ryan Getzlaf) 15:40.
3rd Period
S – Eberle (Schwartz, Alex Wennberg) 3:57.
A – Hampus Lindholm (Adam Henrique) 9:26.
S – McCann (Donato, Grubauer) 10:26
A – Sam Carrick (Getzlaf, Mahura) empty net, 17:31.
A – Terry (unassisted) empty net, 19:39.
Goals/Saves – Anaheim – John Gibson 4-24. Seattle – Philipp Grubauer 5-24.
Penalties – Anaheim 3-9. Seattle 3-9
Referees – Marc Joannette, Brian Pochmara. Linesmen – Brad Kovichick, Trent Knorr.
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