Late Heartbreak Dooms Kraken In 4-3 Overtime Loss To Oilers

Edmonton Gets Last-Minute Tying Goal, OT Winner From Evander Kane

For the first of only two times this season at Rogers Place, Theresa Hakstol wasn't rooting for her hometown Edmonton Oilers. 

The 80-year-old former school teacher - and mom of Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol - was in attendance to see her son's team shake their recent doldrums.

Unfortunately for the Hakstol family, another two goal Kraken lead went for naught. Evander Kane scored a natural hat trick, including the overtime winner, as Edmonton rallied to beat Seattle, 4-3.

The key word for this matchup is "different." Edmonton has a new coach (Kris Knoblauch) than in Saturday's victory in Seattle. The Kraken are aiming for a different start than the four 1st period goals-against in the 4-1 loss.

Seconds after puck drop, Seattle's Brandon Tanev and Edmonton's Evander Kane are exchanging sarcastic smirks. Later, Tanev barely misses on a shot behind Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner but wide of the far right post.

Kraken pressure is causing turnovers.

Saves: Oliver Bjorkstrand couldn't hope for a better chance, but Skinner makes a glove save. Kraken goalie Joey Daccord confidently pushes outside his crease to cut down the angle on a Cody Ceci drive.

"Great 1st period. We're creating chances, though we can't score," Alex Wennberg said in a ROOT Sports interview. A scoreless period is obviously a vast upgrade from the four goal deficit at the same point Saturday; shots favored Seattle, 13-11.

At 5:21, the Kraken can't keep Connor McDavid from getting behind their defense. I don't need to tell you how this ends.

Goal scorers are streaky. The Kraken hope Jared McCann started a new streak at 7:20, knotting the game two minutes after McDavid's tally.

Streaky? McCann scored five goals over a five-game stretch, then didn't register so much as a point in his last five games. The deflection off his shin pad is McCann's 7th, from Eberle and Oleksiak for a 1-1 tie.

Another two minutes, another goal. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, returning to the Kraken lineup after three games, tips in Vince Dunn's wrister at 9:24 for Seattle's first lead, 2-1.

As seen in the ROOT Sports screengrab at right, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has a firm grip on Matty Beniers' stick. 

Sure enough, a penalty is called - on Beiners, for hooking Nugent-Hopkins.

At 17:21, Alex Wennberg proves all the high-end skill doesn't belong to the guys wearing orange and blue. 

Wennberg, denied his first goal of the season Monday by a Colorado coach's challenge, leaves Oiler jockstraps lying all over the ice with stickhandling and finish for a 3-1 Seattle lead.

Remember the boos cascading down at Climate Pledge Arena after Edmonton scored four times in the first period? Well, now it's Oilers fans (though surely not Ms. Hakstol) voicing their displeasure, as Seattle takes a two-goal lead to the dressing room.

Shots in the period were 15-7 Seattle, 28-18 after 40.

This game matched the NHL's 7th (Oilers) and 8th (Kraken) best power plays, but deep in the third period, Seattle is 0-for-4, Edmonton 0-for-3. That's somewhat misleading, because it seems every time one team goes up a man, they take a penalty to negate the advantage

With 9:03 left, Bellemare is done dirty. Edmonton's little-used Adam Erne smashes his right elbow into Bellmare's chin. The call is "Illegal check to the head" - why it's only a two minute minor remains a mystery.

Not only don't the Kraken score on their 5th power play chance, but shortly after the penalty expires, Evander Kane brings the Oilers back within 3-2 at 13:28. The cheese has gotten quite a bit more binding.

Edmonton pulls Skinner for an extra skater with 90 seconds left. Jaden Schwartz shoots for the empty net from center ice, but Darnell Nurse gets a stick in the way.

The Oilers tie the game 6-on-5 with 45 seconds left in regulation. Evander Kane gets his second of the period, as Seattle has blown yet another two goal lead. It's Kane's 6th goal in his last 10 games. 

Edmonton led in 3rd period shots, 11-7, though Seattle leads through 60, 35-29.

Evander Kane completes his hat trick at 2:57. Heartbreak for the Kraken, who lose 4-3 after leading 3-1 with seven minutes left in regulation. Seattle falls to 5-8-4, with a game Thursday at home vs. the New York Islanders.