On Sunday, Nov. 9, the Seattle Kraken took on the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. The Kraken started strong, scoring first within three minutes of the first period. The Stars tied up the game a minute later with a power-play goal. In the final seconds of the first period, the Stars scored again to increase their lead. These were the only goals scored in the entire game, resulting in the Stars winning 2-1.
Schwartz With Seattle’s Only Goal of the Game
Although the Kraken lost the game, they did open the scoring, which is something to celebrate.
The Kraken and the Stars met at the faceoff dot in Seattle’s offensive zone just three minutes into the game. Seattle won the faceoff, and the puck found Vince Dunn at the blue line. He passed it to his defensive partner, Adam Larsson, who was off to his right. Larsson took the shot, but Jaden Schwartz got the final say. He tipped the puck in to score the game’s first goal.
Related: Kraken Gameday Preview: Closing Out the Back-to-Back in Dallas vs. the Stars
This goal marked Schwartz’s fifth of the season. His point total now sits at 11 overall. He had a short point drought, with four games between recording a point. In the overall team leaderboard, Schwartz is now tied with Jordan Eberle for first place. Both players have had a strong start to the season. There is plenty of time to see who will sit in first place at the end of the season. At this point, Schwartz is in a great position to earn that honor.
Murray Had a Strong Performance
Since Joey Daccord is injured and Philipp Grubauer played in the game on the day prior, it was Matt Murray’s turn to defend the crease against Dallas. Despite the loss, he had a strong performance. He allowed two goals on 24 shots, earning him a save percentage (SV%) of .917. Although the Stars won, Murray looked like a strong goaltender, and the defense had his back all game; the Kraken should not be too disappointed with this loss.
This game was only Murray’s second start of the season, but he proved his worth to the team. He looked like a seasoned goaltender despite only recording 74:10 on the ice before this game. After both this game and the game prior in St. Louis, the Kraken have no excuse to keep playing Daccord like they are.
Daccord was placed on injured reserve (IR), and the earliest he could potentially return is on Nov. 15, when the Kraken host the San Jose Sharks. The Kraken have two games in between then where they will be forced to play either Murray or Grubauer. Daccord is a strong goaltender; there is no denying that. However, there is no reason now to overplay him and continue to let their other two goaltenders on the roster sit on the bench every game, especially after seeing their performance in the past two games.
Catton Remains on the Kraken Roster
Although the Kraken have played 15 games this season, this was Berkly Catton’s 10th game he played in. With this, he is officially a part of the Kraken roster for the remainder of the season. Since he played in his 10th game, it activated his entry-level contract, so he cannot be sent back down to the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League (WHL).
For the season so far, Catton has recorded three assists. While he hasn’t scored his first goal yet, with ample time, it is sure to come.
Kraken Head Back Home
After two games on the road, the Kraken are heading back to Climate Pledge Arena for a three-game homestand. It all begins on Tuesday, Nov. 11, when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
