The Seattle Kraken began a five-game road trip when they played the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 29. They were on a three-game losing streak. After they played the Canadiens, that streak is thankfully over.
Kraken Score Big in the Beginning
Not even a minute into the first period, the Kraken were able to open the scoring thanks to Jamie Oleksiak. With a great pass from Andre Burakovsky, he was able to send the puck into the net for the first goal of the game. The goals in the first did not stop there.
At 3:49, Ryker Evans scored his third goal of the season, extending the team’s lead by two. At 7:27, Jaden Schwartz scored his second, allowing the Kraken to be three goals ahead of the Canadiens. Three minutes later, at 10:33, Oliver Bjorkstrand earned his third goal of the season, and the fourth overall goal of the game.
With four goals in 10 and a half minutes, the Kraken were off to a strong start.
Montour Earns First Career Hat Trick
Brandon Montour was on fire last night, earning the first hat trick of his NHL career.
Montour got the first goal of the second period, one minute and 32 seconds in. His next goal came 8:44 into the second period. The only goals of the second were scored by Montour. Finally, 14:12 into the third period, he scored his third and final goal of the night.
Related: Bylsma, Montour & Stephenson Find Their Footing with the Kraken
Despite being in the league since 2017, Montour only earned his first hat trick last night.
Defense Is On Fire
Montour was not the only member of the defense to stand out during this game, nor were his goals the only points he earned. While he scored three of the eight goals, he also managed to get an assist off of Schwartz’s goal.
Montour’s defense partner, Oleksiak, scored the first goal of the game. He then had an assist off of Montour’s second goal of the game. This defensive pairing has been excellent so far, none more so evident than in last night’s game.
The second player to score a goal, Evans, is also a defenseman. He was able to get a nice setup from Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann. From the blue line, he was able to send the puck to the back of the net to pick up the second goal of the night.
While not earning himself a goal, Josh Mahura was able to get his first point in Kraken colors with an assist on Eeli Tolvanen’s goal in the third period. Matty Beiners had a solid breakaway, passing the puck to Mahura. He saw the opening for a chance at a shot and passed it to Tolvanen, who allowed the puck to find its way home in the back of the net.
Not only were the defensemen on top of scoring during the game, but they also helped block a fair number of shots from the Canadiens. With the Canadiens having 30 shots on goal and only two that found their way into the back of the net, a fair number of blocks were recorded. Seven of those blocks belonged to defensemen, with half of those being awarded to Mahura.
While it was a struggle to find the defense the past few games, they truly stepped into their own last night.
Next Steps
The Kraken look to earn another two points when they continue their road trip on Oct. 31, when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs.
