On Saturday, Jan. 10, the Seattle Kraken took on the Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center. The Hurricanes struck first early in the first period, but the Kraken tied it up towards the middle. The second was a quiet period regarding scoring, but Seattle managed to take the lead in the third. Carolina scored two goals within three minutes of each other in the middle of the final frame, and this was enough to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 win over the Kraken.
Beniers with a Gorgeous Goal
Although the Hurricanes scored early in the first, the Kraken managed to tie the game just 11 minutes later. Matty Beniers stole the puck from the Hurricanes and began driving it into his team’s zone. As he got into the neutral zone, Jaccob Slavin tried to defend him, but Beniers used some fancy footwork to deke him out. He skated up to the net with no one defending him and put his shot past Brandon Bussi for the Kraken’s first goal of the game on just their second shot of the night.
Related: Jaccob Slavin’s 300th Point Propels Hurricanes to 3-2 Win Over Kraken
Beniers is now on a four-game point streak with this goal. He has recorded five points in his last four games, thanks to three goals and two assists. This goal marks his ninth of the season. He has been a solid part of the Kraken’s first line this entire season.
A large part of his success has come from Jordan Eberle being his line partner, but he has been out the past two games due to an upper-body injury. Jared McCann and Kaapo Kakko were his line mates for these last two. Although his goal was unassisted, there is no denying the strength this trio has found playing together.
Catton Is on Fire
Just five minutes into the third period, Bussi had the puck and tried to clear it from the Kraken’s zone. Instead, he passed it straight to Ryan Winterton in the faceoff circle. He dished a pass to Berkly Catton as he hit the middle of the two faceoff circles. He sent the puck past Bussi for the Kraken’s first lead of the night.
Catton just scored his first two goals against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 6. Two games later, his total goals for the season now jump up to three. There is no denying that Catton was trying his hardest to score his first NHL goal. Now that he has achieved that, the goals are continuing to rain in.
The third line is made up of Catton, Shane Wright, and Winterton. While the three of them are younger players, they have also been finding success together. As they say, the kids are all right, and Catton’s third goal just proved that.
Kraken’s Point Streak Ends
After a poor performance slide, losing 10 of 11 games from the end of November into December, the Kraken managed to go on a point streak from Dec. 20 until Jan. 8. This streak comprised seven regulation wins, one shootout win, a shootout loss, and an overtime loss. They picked up 18 points in this time frame. With their first regulation loss since Dec. 18, this point streak comes to an end.
When head coach Lane Lambert was asked about the Kraken’s performance after the game, he stated, “It was a hard-fought game, they are very good in this building, they’re very good at squelching opportunities. I thought when we did have some chances, we failed on them, whether it be got them blocked or missed the net, because there were enough for us.
Our goalie played well, but when you carry a 2-1 lead into the last 10 minutes of the third period, you have to find a way to get points… We just have to pick ourselves up and get ready for the next one.”
The Kraken tried their hardest to keep the point streak rolling, but the Hurricanes’ defense was a lot stronger. They held the Kraken to just 12 shots in the whole game. While the Kraken did have chances, they weren’t always the best, and the Hurricanes thwarted them. As Lambert said, it’s time to just roll on into the next one. Let’s hope this loss doesn’t affect the Kraken’s mentality as they head into their next game.
Kraken’s Road Trip Continues
The Kraken will stay on the East Coast, where they will take on the New York Rangers on Monday, Jan. 12.
The season series between the Hurricanes and the Kraken will conclude in Seattle on March 2.
