The Seattle Kraken faced off against the Vancouver Canucks for the second time in a week. Although they beat the Canucks 5-4 in overtime on Dec. 28, they were unable to repeat this on home ice. The Kraken had a strong performance though, taking the Canucks to overtime and a shootout, where they lost 4-3.
Stephenson Breaks Goalless Streak
Chandler Stephenson was a new addition to the team in the offseason. He signed a large contract, so many fans were expecting a lot from him. He has had a slow start to the season, while also maintaining a point drought. However, he was able to break his nine-game goalless streak.
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This goal came with just 1:52 on the clock in the first period, it wasn’t even two minutes into the game yet. Vince Dunn was able to gain control of the puck from the Canucks’ failed attempt to get it into their scoring zone. He passed it to Andre Burakovsky, who in turn passed it to Stephenson. Even with two Canucks flanking him, he skated up towards the goal and took a shot, scoring the first goal of the night for the Kraken.
This first goal is a major step for Stephenson. It was his first in nine games, the last being scored when they hosted the Florida Panthers on Dec. 10. He recorded three assists in the meantime, but with the contract that he signed, many expected more from him. Hopefully breaking this streak means that he is now on the right path.
Beniers’ Power Play Goal Put the Team on Track
In the second period, the Kraken killer, Conor Garland, was the only player to score a goal. The Kraken were making sloppy plays for the rest of the period. Although the Canucks were able to get another goal to extend their lead, it was Matty Beniers‘ power play goal that put the Kraken back to where they needed to be.
Brandon Montour had control of the puck. He passed it up to Shane Wright, who was parallel to the net. He was able to see everything going on in front of him, and saw Beniers was open. Although he had three Canucks surrounding him, he took a shot and was able to score the second goal of the night for the Kraken.
The Kraken currently have one of the worst power play percentages in the league, sitting at 22nd with an 18.3% success rate. Beniers’ ability to score this goal is helping the Kraken claw their way towards the top. They might have one of the worst in the league at the moment, but at least they are not at the bottom.
The Holiday Break Helped
Before the holiday break, the Kraken did not look good, plain and simple. They went on a five-game losing streak right before the break. Now that they have returned, they have won two of their three games. Both times against the Canucks, they were able to come back from the brink of a loss and force overtime. Despite this game ending in a loss for Seattle, this is a huge win.
The Canucks are just two spots above the Kraken in the Pacific Division standings. Seattle sits at 37 points while Vancouver has 44. The only team separating them is the Calgary Flames at 43. The five-game losing streak really put them down, but they are making their way back up the rankings in a big way. The team before the break would never have been able to perform this well. That six-day reset was what they needed to come back stronger than ever.
One Point Is Good, but Let’s Go for Two
The Kraken look to get back on track when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 4.
