You probably didn’t have to be Nostradamus to predict the Anaheim Ducks would have emerged the winners in last night’s game with the Seattle Kraken.
The Pacific Division-leading Ducks (19-7-5 overall) have lost only one of their last 12 home games at the Honda Center. Goalie Anthony Stolarz has won six straight games in the Anaheim net (.938 Goals Against Average) and the Ducks were well-rested, having not played since Sunday afternoon in St. Louis. Anaheim also moved into first place ahead of Calgary, whose season has been totally knocked off the rails by COVID.
The Kraken (10-16-3) have dropped back into the division cellar thanks in part to the Vancouver Canucks hot start under new coach Bruce Boudreau. Seattle posted a 3-1 victory over San Jose on Tuesday night. Playing back-to-back nights, the Kraken didn’t come out with the energy they showed against the Sharks the previous night.
However, the Kraken faithful can still be disappointed with last night’s effort as most of Anaheim’s scoring came on Seattle mistakes.
The first goal came midway through the first period. Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak went too far into the Anaheim zone to deliver a body check and that led to a 2-1 in the other direction against defensemen Mark Giordano. Jared McCann was late getting back and collided with goalie Philipp Grubauer as the Ducks’ Trevor Zegras fired the shot home (the refs looked at the replay to see if Anaheim’s Richard Rackall had knocked McCann into Grubauer but the goal stood).
“We made a bad pinch and that gives up the two-on-one for the first goal, “said Seattle coach Dave Hakstol. “That’s a mental mistake that shouldn’t be made, especially in a back- to-back. You have to be sharp in those areas.”
The Kraken then allowed a short-handed goal at 15:25 of the first period. With Sam Carrick in the box for a cross-check on Ryan Donato, Anaheim’s Derek Grant intercepted Marcus Johansson’s pass, skated across two zones and fired the shot home.
“Early on, we gave them a two-on-one, and then we made a mistake on the power play, and it’s 2-0,” said Jordan Eberle, who set up the Kraken’s only goal with a beautiful pass to Donato. “It was tight to a point, but then we gave them freebies, and the game is somewhat out of hand. … We made too many mistakes against a good offensive team. You can’t be doing that and expect to come back.”
Troy Terry’s power-play goal at 1:52 of the second made it 3-0 although Donato’s power-play goal made it 3-1 after two periods. Grubauer was gone in the third period due to a lower-body injury and Chris Driedger (the winning goalie against San Jose) stopped five out of six shots in the third period.
Driedger would have liked to have back one shot. Carrick took the puck off the lively boards behind the net and Driedger was a bit tardy in covering the right side of the net.
Grubauer appeared to be in discomfort after being bumped into by Carrick in the second period. (Carrick had also received a goalie interference penalty in the first period). Grubauer sat out the third period and his future status was uncertain after the game.
“We didn’t manage the puck well enough to put ourselves into spots where we could forecheck well and generate more O-zone time,” said Hakstol. “That, ultimately, didn’t allow us to generate a whole lot offensively.”
The Ducks had previously handed the Kraken a one-sided loss, 7-4, on Nov. 11 at Climate Pledge Arena. On Saturday, Seattle returns home to face the Edmonton Oilers, the first time the Kraken will have played a team for the third time.
The Oilers have been in a downward spiral dropping six in a row starting with a 4-3 loss to the Kraken on Dec. 3 (the Oilers host Columbus tonight).
GAME NOTES
- COVID has run rampant in the NHL this week. On Monday, the league had 120 players who’ve tested positive for COVID this season. Since then, there have been over 30 players added. The Calgary Flames, with 16 players and team personnel on the COVID protocol list, have had three games postponed and one report opined that it’s difficult to see the Flames playing a game before Christmas – the Kraken are scheduled for a game in Calgary on Dec. 23. A Carolina-Minnesota game was postponed on Tuesday night when the Hurricanes placed several players on the COVID list. Yesterday, the Nashville Predators announced six players and the Vancouver Canucks added four players to COVID protocols.
Yesterday, the NHL held a joint phone call between doctors, league officials, team owners and the Players Association. Several new protocols have been announced to try and curb the growing outbreaks that have led to numerous postponed games.
These protocols include, among other things, severe restrictions on where players can go while traveling, confining them primarily to their team facility or hotel. It will also re-introduce daily testing, with any individual who refuses to comply with this mandate being prohibited from continuing to perform their job until they do so. The new protocols will be in place at least until Jan. 7 and will likely only continue until the league regains a handle on the number of positive tests that has recently gotten out of hand.
- Janni Gourde, Riley Sheahan and Colin Blackwell remain the Kraken players currently on COVID protocol. Forward Max McCormick and defensemen Jeremy Lauzon and Carson Soucy were healthy scratches last night.
- To the surprise of no one, Seattle first-round draft choice Matty Beniers has officially made the US Junior Olympic team which begins play Dec. 26 in Edmonton.
Beniers has 11 goals and 11 assists for Michigan, with a +16 plus-minus rating, which means he has been on the ice for 16 more goals scored by the Wolverines compared to goals against. He’s co-leader in goals and plus-minus on a team that has seven first-round NHL draft choices and six more drafted players on the roster.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
A – Trevor Zegras (Sonny Milano, Kevin Shattenkirk) 10:04.
A – Derek Grant (unassisted) shorthanded, 15:25.
2nd Period
A – Troy Terry (Sam Steel, Jarod Silverberg) power play, 1:52.
S – Ryan Donato (Jordan Eberle, Vince Dunn) power play, 14:26.
3rd Period
A – Carrick (Simon Benoit, Buddy Robinson) 8:19.
Saves/Shots – S: Philipp Grubauer 3-18, Chris Driedger 1-6. A: Anthony Stolarz 1-20.
Penalties – S: 3-6. A: 4-8.
Referees – Trevor Hansen, Reid Anderson. Linesmen – Bevan Mills, Travis Gawryletz.
