The Seattle Kraken had the second half of a back-to-back when they hosted the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 28. After their performance in Edmonton on Jan. 27, they were looking to get two points on home ice. The Ducks had other plans, defeating the Kraken 6-4.
Game Recap
A minute into the first period, the Ducks got on the board first. The Ducks had a break out on the ice as Frank Vatrano received the puck at the blue line. He sent a pass to Ryan Strome up near the faceoff circle. He saw Troy Terry in front of the net and ahead of the Kraken defense. Strome sent the puck to Terry who put the puck past Phillipp Grubauer to score the first goal of the game. Five minutes later, the Kraken answered back. Brandon Montour stole the puck from Robby Fabbri. He skated behind the goal and saw Eeli Tolvanen skating up through the center of the ice. Montour passed to him. He sent a slap shot into the back of the net to put the Kraken on the board.
Two minutes later, the Kraken scored once more. Tye Kartye passed the puck along the boards where it found Jamie Oleksiak. He sent it back around where it found Mitchell Stephens. He skated behind the goal, sending the puck into the net with a wraparound shot. His first goal as a Kraken, and he put Seattle up 2-1.
Nine minutes into the game, the first penalties were called. Jaden Schwartz received two minutes for hooking Jackson LaCombe while he received two minutes for holding Schwartz’s stick. Two minutes of 4-on-4 hockey, but neither team was able to score during this moment. Shortly after the game returned to 5-on-5, the Ducks tied the game once more. Fabbri sent a pass to Cutter Gauthier, who had a 2-on-1 with Vatrano. Gauthier was locked in, skating up and shooting the puck. His first shot was blocked by Grubauer. He was able to get his own rebound and take a second shot to bring the score to an even 2-2.
With six minutes to go in the period, the tie was broken once more. Matty Beniers had the puck toward the middle of the ice. He passed the puck to Kaapo Kakko who skated towards the net with the help of Schwartz. He passed across the ice to Schwartz who took a shot that got past Lukas Dostal. The Kraken earned two more penalties this period. The Ducks didn’t score on the first extra man advantage. The second opportunity was cut short by the buzzer, and the Ducks started the second period with the remainder of the power play.
Those 57 seconds did not matter, as the Ducks did not score on the power play. However, they did score right as the game returned to full strength. Mason McTavish received the puck at the faceoff dot from Strome across the ice. He took a shot and took advantage of Grubauer’s inability to cross the crease, scoring the third of the night for the Ducks. Four minutes later, Anaheim earned the lead. McTavish caught the puck from a missed pass from Brandon Tanev. He sent it up towards Fabbri, who was next to the net. He took a shot similar to the earlier goal and sent it into the back of the net to put the Ducks ahead of Seattle. They were not done here though. Isac Lundestrom sent the puck to LaCombe who skated from one end of the ice to the other. As he got towards the middle of the Ducks’ scoring zone, he put on the breaks. He took the shot and increased Anaheim’s lead by two.
The Kraken received another power play chance when Strome was sent to the box for hooking Chandler Stephenson. They were unable to make something happen, another power play opportunity gone. As LaCombe went to the box shortly after for hooking, they did not lay waste to this opportunity. Montour passed the puck to McCann at the blue line. He took a shot that was stopped by Dostal. Shane Wright was able to recover the rebound. He took a shot and was able to bring the Kraken within a goal. As time dwindled, the Kraken grew desperate. They pulled Grubauer from the net and put an extra attacker out on the ice. This proved to be more successful for the Ducks, as Vatrano sent the puck into the empty net to seal the win for Anaheim.
Next Games
The Kraken get a day of rest before they host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, Jan. 30. The Ducks will continue up north, where they will play the Calgary Flames also on Thursday.
