Yanni Gourde, Jared McCann Reach Offensive Milestones
For a change, the Seattle Kraken relied on offense to overpower the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-4 Saturday at Nationwide Arena.
In the process, Seattle set a franchise record with their 9th consecutive victory, and have now recorded a point in 13 consecutive games (11-0-2).
Jared McCann, who hadn't scored in nine games, led the way offensively with two goals and a helper. McCann also reached 300 points in his career, as did Yanni Gourde with the first of his two assists.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, playing against his former team, contributed a goal and two assists; Brian Dumoulin added a goal and assist; Justin Schultz had two helpers.
Thirteen Kraken recorded at least one point. Like McCann, Jordan Eberle scored for the first time in 10 games.
1st Period
Do the Kraken get told what time games begin? Seattle managed to win in Buffalo and Washington despite sluggish starts, and tonight it happens again.
Within the first 3:07, Seattle is guilty of two icings, an Adam Larsson minor, and a goal against. Ivan Provorov celebrates his birthday by giving Columbus a 1-0 lead at 1:41.
After a scrum, Seattle's Yanni Gourde ends up with his helmet knocked off his head and into his sweater. It's never a mistake to keep your eye on Yanni Gourde.
Halfway through the period, the Blue Jackets have 22 shot attempts. The Kraken have four. Seattle is averaging one block per minute.
The Kraken's Jordan Eberle ties it at 11:37 on a looooong flip pass. Larsson, deep in his own zone, lifts the puck high in the air. It finally lands at the Columbus blueline, in the palm of Eberle's glove. He drops the disk to the ice, which keeps the play legal, and beats Jackets goalie Daniil Tarasov.
Columbus retakes the lead on a bad bounce for the visitors 33 seconds later. A shot from distance deflects first off Provorov, then off Kraken defenseman Brian Dumoulin, and finally past netminder Joey Daccord.
Provorov's 2nd of the period - as many as he had all season - makes it 2-1 at 12:10. TV cameras catch Seattle coach Dave Hakstol on the bench shaking his head.
This is what Seattle was hoping to avoid.
This is what Seattle was hoping to see: Jared McCann's first goal in 10 games, 15th overall, re-knots the game 2-2 at 15:31.
2nd Period
Oft-injured Kraken winger Andre Burakovsky's night is over after four 1st period shifts and 1:40 total ice time; lower body injury, says the team.
Despite being tied at intermission, and somehow leading 14-9 in SOG, Eberle tellingly says in a ROOT Sports interview, "We have to find a way to get back in this thing." And so they do: five scoring chances in the period's first three minutes.
Scratch that. At 3:58, the Kraken manage to take a too-many-men minor AND Will Borgen holding minor at the same time. Two minutes of Columbus 5-on-3 upcoming.
Kirill Marchenko takes advantage to grab the Blue Jackets' third lead of the game at 4:43.
The Kraken tie the game for a third time, 23 seconds after the expiration of a Seattle power play. If the NHL allowed it, Tye Kartye would have earned an assist on his 8th goal, second in two games.
First, he sends the puck back to the Seattle left point, then races to the net in time to redirect defenseman Vince Dunn's point shot at 9:45.
Cole Sillinger rams Matty Beniers head-first into the boards by the Kraken bench. Dirty? Depends on which team you root for. Dunn, who roots for Seattle, takes exception and fights Sillinger.
While the fight is still underway, teammates Larsson and Eberle are already banging their sticks on the ice in appreciation - the answering of perceived injustice Kraken fans have been calling for.
Sillinger was assessed an extra boarding minor. On the ensuing Kraken power play, former Blue Jacket Oliver Bjorkstrand hits the post. Given a second opportunity, Bjorkstrand doesn't miss. The goal, his 12th, puts Seattle in front for the first time, 4-3 at 13:42.
Shots after 40 are 30-22 Seattle.
3rd Period
Whether for precaution or injury, Beniers has not rejoined the Kraken for the 3rd period. Minus him and Burakovsky, Seattle is down to 10 forwards.
The Kraken have made two beautiful open-ice counter-hits in this game. Eeli Tolvanen puts the counter-hurt on Justin Danforth in the 2nd period. Here in the 3rd, Bjorkstrand does the same to Columbus' Brendan Gaunce.
Goal scorers, you may have heard, are streaky. McCann delivers his second goal tonight at 6:17 to put the Kraken up 5-3.
On a night of breaking scoring droughts, Dumoulin scored for the first time in 30 games at 8:28, as Seattle doubled the score, 6-3.
The Blue Jackets' Emil Bemstrom narrowed the deficit to 6-4 with seven minutes left. Eeli Tolvanen finalized the score at 7-4 Seattle with a late empty-netter. It's the fourth time this season the Kraken have scored seven goals. On to Pittsburgh for a 1 pm Eastern (10 am Pacific) puck drop on Monday.
