Kraken bounce back from early two-goal deficit to beat Rangers 4-2

The Kraken overcome a poor start on the road and once more show their resilience to move back into third place in the Pacific Division.

The Seattle Kraken have struggled to get going of late, specifically in their previous two games versus the Minnesota Wild and Caroline Hurricanes and ultimately resulting in just one out of a possible four points. It was a case of Déjà vu on Monday evening at Madison Square Garden, as they fell behind 2-0 to the New York Rangers just 5:31 into the contest.

Philip Grubauer has been tremendous so far this season especially over his past five starts, but some of his old bad habits were on display during the Rangers’ opening salvo on his net. Fortunately for the Kraken he worked things out following the second goal and didn’t allow any more for the duration of the game.

It helped that the collective defensive effort in front of Grubauer also stepped up. As a result the Kraken went from allowing 11 shots on goal in the first period, to allowing the same amount over the remaining 40 minutes.

Kraken respond with own quick two-goal salvo

At the other end of the ice the Kraken had a similar offensive burst to open the second period, as they struck twice in the first 4:27 minutes to tie the game at 2-2. Eeli Tolvanen scored just one minute into the middle frame after being set up by Freddy Gaudreau, followed by a heat seeking missile from Jordan Eberle for his team-leading 16th goal of the season.

Matt Beniers had the secondary assist on Eberle’s goal to make it 11 points in 11 games, while Kaapo Kakko’s primary helper was noteworthy for coming against the team which drafted him second overall back in 2019. Then it would be the turn of another former Ranger to help given the Kraken their first lead of the game during the third period, at 3-2.

The moment came 12:02 into the final frame, as Ryan Lindgren was credited with an assist on a goal which was first awarded to Shane Wright but then given to Berkly Catton. The rookie has been on a roll since breaking his NHL duck with a brace in a 7-4 win versus the Boston Bruins and he now has four goals in four games.

Kraken rookie excelling after breaking goal drought

While the game remained tight, but the Rangers just couldn’t find a way to respond against a Kraken team now in the ascendancy. The visitors finally put the game to bed courtesy of Jared McCann’s empty-netter 10 seconds before the end, to make the final scoreline of 4-2.

Even though Catton was officially credited with the game-winner, he was just happy the Kraken took the two points on the night. Speaking to the media postgame, he said:

“Yeah, a great play by everyone on the line. I was the guy who got to put (the puck) home barely, but I was just happy it went in ultimately. We though Shane (Wright) had got it, but it doesn’t really matter, We’re just happy to have got that game-winning goal and got the win tonight.”

As Catton alluded to, one thing which makes this team special is how much everyone is pulling for each other, which in turn makes them work harder as a collective. It’s why they’ve been able to recover from winning just once in 11 games, to go 9-1-2 in their past 12 contests.

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Special night for two former Rangers

This spirit is also evident in how happy everyone was for Kakko and Lindgren to be involved on the scoresheet against their former team in New York. Also speaking to the media postgame, Kraken head coach Lane Lambert said:

“Certainly I thought Kaapo played well. I thought he made a lot of strong plays down low, which we talked about this morning (about) what he brings to that line. I thought Lindy was his usual self, great on the penalty kill, blocking shots, contributing offensively as well. … There is something to be said for coming back to a team that you played for a long time, having some success in that building. It feels good for them.”

As for the team in general, Lambert was asked what change he saw in the team after falling behind by two goals in a tough opening period. He said:

“I thought we started skating better. We just had a slow start to the game. We made a couple of mistakes, but at the same time it was an interesting first period … I thought we locked it down a lot better defensively in the last 40 minutes. I think we gave them (11) shots on goal.”

With the win the Kraken now move back up to third place in the Pacific Division, sitting four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights and with the fifth-best winning percentage in the Western Conference. They have Tuesday off before continuing their five-game road trip on Wednesday evening in New Jersey versus the Devils.

What stood out for you most during Monday evening at Madison Square Garden? Moving forward, what’s your prediction for the Kraken’s record in the final three games of this road trip? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.