On Saturday, Jan. 17, the Seattle Kraken faced off against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center. The Kraken scored within the first two minutes of the game, setting the tone. Utah answered back with a shorthanded goal just two minutes later.
The Mammoth scored two goals in the first five minutes of the second period, giving them a commanding lead at the beginning of the middle frame. In the last five minutes, the Kraken tied it with two consecutive late goals. However, it was the Mammoth who scored three unanswered in the third period, giving them a 6-3 win over the Kraken.
Eberle Kicked the Kraken Off
Just a minute into the first period, Jordan Eberle took the second shot on net for the Kraken, but Karel Vejmelka made the save. Kaapo Kakko picked up the rebound and dished it to Matty Beniers in the faceoff circle. His shot was also fought off by Vejmelka, and Kakko picked up the secondary rebound from behind the net. He skated it to the other side, where he passed it to Eberle. He elevated the puck into the top corner of the net for the first goal of the night.
This goal marked Eberle’s 17th, and he is currently tied with Beniers for the most points this season at 31. As the captain of the team, Eberle did a great job of driving the puck early and trying to find a scoring chance. He was rewarded with this, but the team just couldn’t keep it up for the rest of the game.
Shorthanded Goal Knocked the Kraken Down
For the second game in a row, the Kraken allowed a short-handed goal. At 2:36, former Kraken Brandon Tanev took a seat for hooking Ben Meyers. The Mammoth won the initial draw and immediately skated the puck into their zone on a three-on-two chance. Lawson Crouse faked a shot, and Philipp Grubauer hugged the right side of the goal post, thinking there was a shot to be blocked. Instead, Crouse passed the puck to Kevin Stenlund, who shot it into the empty space Grubauer left.
Ahead of this game, the Kraken had the seventh-best power play in the entire NHL. Now, they have dropped to ninth after this game. Of course, out of 32 teams, this is a fairly impressive stat. This shorthanded goal was what kicked off the Mammoth’s scoring, though, and gave them the jolt they needed to keep their momentum up all game. The Kraken can’t allow these chances to happen anymore, after they just dropped two very winnable games in a row, after allowing a shorthanded goal.
Beniers Tried to Give the Team Some Life
Early in the second period, the Kraken were down by two, yet Seattle didn’t give up. With five minutes left in the middle frame, Berkly Catton tried a shot from in front of the net, but it went wide. He picked up his own rebound as it went around the boards. He sent a pass across the ice for Vince Dunn, who sent a slap shot hurling towards Vejmelka. He stopped it, but both Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle crashed the net. Beniers got his stick on the puck first and sent it home for the Kraken’s second goal of the evening.
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This goal brought some new life into this team after they were down by two goals. Just two minutes after Beniers scored, Chandler Stephenson evened the score for the Kraken, and they went into the third with a 3-3 tied game. Unfortunately, the Mammoth held the Kraken back to only two shots in the third period, while Utah took 11. Beniers’ goal was an exceptional play, but it just wasn’t enough for the Kraken by the time the third period came around.
Kraken Head Back Home
The Kraken will return home from the five-game road trip and kick off a six-game homestand by hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, Jan. 19.
The season series between the Mammoth and the Kraken will conclude in Seattle on April 2.
