On Monday, Jan. 19, the Seattle Kraken hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins for a matinee matchup. The two teams had already faced off against each other on Nov. 22, with the Kraken winning 3-2 in overtime. In this game, the Kraken were not so lucky.
Seven minutes into the first period, the Kraken were already down by two. They managed to get their first goal late in the first period, and then evened the score in the second half of the middle frame. Just a minute later, the Penguins took the lead again.
In the third period, Pittsburgh had another two-goal lead just two minutes in. Eeli Tolvanen brought the Kraken within one again with a power-play goal, but the Penguins scored two more unanswered goals to close out the game. The Penguins secured a 6-3 victory, ensuring both teams have one win in the season series.
Two’s a Coincidence, Three’s a Pattern
For the third game in a row now, the Kraken have allowed a shorthanded goal. Seven minutes into the game, Brett Kulak took a seat for hooking Brandon Montour. As Jordan Eberle skated the puck into the Kraken’s zone, he tried to pass it to Chandler Stephenson, but Connor Dewar knocked it off his stick. Although Vince Dunn tried to defend him, Dewar was quicker and sent the puck into the space that Joey Daccord allowed.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Kraken’s 6-3 Loss to the Mammoth
For a team that is ranked ninth in the NHL on the power play, they should not be allowing this many shorthanded goals in such a short amount of time. The Kraken still have a 23.4% success rate on the extra-man advantage, but as they continue to let these shorthanded goals in, that is beginning to dwindle. Although the Kraken managed to even out their success with a power-play goal in the third period, they can’t keep allowing goals when they have the man advantage.
Seattle Came Back From a Two-Goal Deficit
The first period wasn’t even halfway over before the Kraken were down by two goals. With four minutes left in the first, the Kraken made their first successful drive. Ryan Lindgren passed the puck to Ben Meyers in the neutral zone. The puck bounced off his skate, and he dumped it into the Kraken’s offensive zone. Although Stuart Skinner tried to clear the puck, Ryan Winterton and Jaden Schwartz battled near the boards to keep it in. Schwartz passed it to Meyers in the faceoff dot, and his shot hit the crossbar and in.
Towards the middle of the second period, Ryker Evans passed the puck over to Meyers in front of the net. He tried to tip it in, but Skinner made the save. Winterton was in front of the net and picked up the rebound. He dropped it to Ryan Lindgren, who evened the score.
On the first two goals of the night for Seattle, both Meyers and Winterton got their name on the scoresheet. This fourth line found success last night, especially with Schwartz in the mix. He was bumped down to the left wing on this line, but with the success they had, it doesn’t feel like a downgrade by any means. It is clear that the young guns in Meyers and Winterton are the ones having success, and it is not just in this game. It might be time to elevate them to the top six to see if this changes the Kraken’s dynamic at all.
Kraken Were Outplayed Again
When asked about the team’s performance at the end of the game, head coach Lane Lambert stated, “What’s happening now is we’re making mistakes that are going in the back of our net, and we gotta correct those mistakes.” At the end of the day, the Penguins were the better team. They scored more goals, they had more shots, and they outplayed Seattle by a landslide. For the second game in a row, the Kraken have lost 6-3 after their opponent outperformed them.
The Kraken are now on a six-game homestand, and starting it off with a loss is always a tough break. They’ll need to correct these mistakes as the homestand progresses.
Kraken Are Back Again on Wednesday
The Kraken are back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 21, when they host the New York Islanders at Climate Pledge Arena.
