Blue Jackets top Kraken in OT (again)

The scoring summary will show that the Seattle Kraken made the best comeback in the team’s brief history, scoring three third periods to send last night’s game with the Columbus Blue Jackets into overtime.

But to finish the classic good news-bad news scenario, the Kraken were unable to capitalize on their strongest first period of the year. Seattle peppered Columbus netminder Elvis Merzlikens with 14 shots but were unable to put any past the Blue Jacket goalkeeper (insert Elvis was in the building pun here) in the first 20 minutes.

Defenseman Vince Dunn’s goal at 15:54 of the third period deadlocked the game at 4-4, sending the contest into overtime. Dunn snapped home a wrister off a pass from Calle Jarnkrok. But Columbus took home the 5-4 victory (and the extra point in the standings) on Jake Bean’s goal only 42 seconds into the extra frame. Jakub Voracek, the Blue Jackets’ big free-agent pickup from Philadelphia, did the heavy lifting on the goal. Bringing the puck into the zone, held up to freeze the defensemen, and then sent the trailer (Bean) in for the score. l

Columbus received only one penalty in the game – – and Seattle used that power play to regain the momentum at the start of the third period. Joonas Donskoi fired a shot that hit Jaden Schwartz – ahem – in the rear end, and bounced in the net at 3:48. A little embarrassing but Schwartz and the Kraken will take it.

“The power play gave us the spark we needed,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “The group talked about it today in our power play meeting. The guys took it upon themselves to impact the game tonight. That comeback doesn’t happen without the power-play goal.”

The goal brought the fans to life – not that a Saturday crowd at Climate Pledge is ever really quiet – and Seattle scored again only 22 seconds later. Morgan Geekie, scored off a pass from Mason Appleton, his third goal of the campaign to make it 4-3.

Jared McCann, had the first Kraken goal of the contest, sandwiched between two two-goal flurries by the Blue Jackets. It was McCann’s first goal since Nov. 29, 11^th overall. Due to COVID absences, McCann returned to center last night after playing several games on the wing. He centered a line between Schwartz and Jordan Eberle where he began the season.

McCann’s marker at 13:46 cut the lead to 2-1, but Columbus’ Max Domi added two goals before the second intermission. When asked about how netminder Philipp Grubauer looked on those goals, Hakstol diplomatically replied, “I would have liked a save on at least one of those goals.”

The Kraken go to 9-14-3 on the season but still have a respectable 5-3-2 mark since their six-game losing streak, Seattle finishes its most recent homestand with a 1-2-1 record, for three points. The Blue Jackets improve to 14-4-1 and had only won one of their last six heading into last night’s contest. Both games between the Kraken and the Blue Jackets were overtime wins for the Ohio squad. Columbus heat Seattle, 2-1, on Oct. 16 thanks to Patrick Laine scoring the game-winner at 2:42 of overtime. Laine missed last night’s game with an injury.

The Kraken have back-to-back road games, Tuesday-Wednesday at San Jose and Anaheim and then return to Climate Pledge Arena for back-to-back weekend games with Edmonton and Toronto.

GAME NOTES

*The Kraken COVID Merry-Go-Round continues as Yanni Gourde, Riley Sheahan and Colin Blackwell along with assistant coach Jay Leach have all gone into protocol. The Kraken did get some good news yesterday with goaltender Chris Driedger returning from the injured list. Former Seattle Thunderbird star Alexander True made his regular-season debut with the Kraken and didn’t look out of place centering a line of Ryan Donato and Joonas Donskoi.

* The Kraken added True to the roster yesterday. He was recalled from the team’s American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte, where he topped the team in scoring with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 22 games.  True was selected by Seattle in last July’s expansion draft as the pick from the San Jose Sharks.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Denmark native played three seasons, 2014-2017. for the Thunderbirds scoring 45 goals and adding 39 assists including the game winner in the Western Hockey League championship game in 2017. That year he scored 25 regular season goals and added 12 goals in the postseason.

True might have scored early in the first period as he was on the doorstep when Elvis Merzlikins made the save on Ryan Donato’s shot. “The arena was really loud tonight,” said True of his return to the Emerald City. “It gives you goosebumps.”

* According to NHL.com, Jake Bean, who had the winning goal in last night’s game, told friends and relatives last year that he hoped he would be selected by Seattle in the expansion draft. Bean was drafted by Kraken GM Ron Francis when he served a similar role with the Carolina Hurricanes. Instead of being selected by Seattle, Bean was traded by Carolina to Columbus in the off-season.

GAME SUMMARY

First period

No scoring.

Second period

C – Oliver Bjorkstrand (Boone Jenner) 8:13.

C –  Jack Roslovic (Max Domi, Jakob Voracek) 11:40.

S –  Jared McCann (Jordan Eberle) 13:46.

C – Domi (Jake Bean) 15:45.

C – Domi (Bjorkstrand, Jenner) 19:54.

Third period

S – Jaden Schwartz (Joonas Donskoi) power play, 3:42.

S  – Morgan Geekie (Mason Appleton, Brandon Tanev) 4:04.

S –  Vince Dunn (Calle Jarnkrok, Adam Larsson) 15:54.

Overtime

C – Bean (Voracek, Sean Kuraly) :55.

Goals/Shots – C: Elvis Mezlikens 4-32. S: Philipp Grubauer 4-32.

Penalties – C: 1-2. S: 2-4.

Referees – Jake Brenk, Corey Svret. Linesmen – Bryan Pancinch, Vaughan Rody.