Valiant Seattle Kraken Comeback Yields Only One Point In 4-3 OT Loss to Tampa Bay Lightning

Seattle Losing Streak Reaches Seven; Goalie Grubauer Injured

For the nautically-themed Seattle Kraken, riding a six game losing streak and down two goals to the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday, the attitude in the home team  dressing room could best be summed up by Popeye.

"That's all I can stands. I can't stands no more."

The Kraken had every reason to feel sorry for themselves. Facing an all-world goalie who they'd never beaten in Andrei Vasilevskiy, a roster of opponents with two Stanley Cup Rings, and 29th in the league in scoring - why would the Climate Pledge Arena sellout believe their heroes would make a stirring comeback?

For the first time since Nov. 22, Seattle took a lead, rallying for three straight goals.

The only thing which would have made this tale better would have been a Kraken victory. That part of the story must wait at least one more game, because Nikita Kucherov scored his second goal in overtime to beat Seattle, 4-3.

Seattle's losing streak has reached seven games, tying a franchise-worst set in their expansion season of 2021-22.

Rookie Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans, playing his second NHL game, gets a new partner. Justin Schultz, a healthy scratch against New Jersey, cycles back into the lineup, while Evans' debut partner Brian Dumoulin gets a breather.

Goalie Philipp Grubauer with an early contender for Kraken save of the year. On a Tampa power play, Nikita Kucherov fires a right circle missle targeted for underneath the crossbar. Grubauer slides post-to-post, raises his glove, and stops a sure goal.

Photog Morgen Schuler beautifully captures the moment.

Even Grubauer's glove hand isn't quick enough to catch Anthony Cirelli's deft tip-in giving Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead at 9:28.

Kucherov's revenge: his 18th of the season at 19:16 doubles the Tampa Bay lead to 2-0. Not a good player to leave all by his lonesome at the edge of the crease.

The Lightning had 11 of the last 12 shots in the period; SOG are 14-4 Tampa Bay after 20.

Grubauer can't be faulted for the Kraken collapse. In the first two minutes of the period, he foils a Brayden Point breakaway and a point-blank follow-up by Erik Cernak.

Later, he makes a pad save on a shorthanded tip try by Cirelli, bidding for his second goal.

Wake up call: Brandon Tanev hits Michael Eyssimont so hard, Eyssimont's helmet comes off. He's lucky his head isn't still inside it.

That kind of hit can energize a team in need of a jolt. Sure enough, Devin Shore, standing in front, makes a remarkable no-look tip of Pierre-Edouard Bellmare's shot. Momentarily, Seattle has closed within 2-1 - until Lightning coach Jon Cooper makes a challenge for offside. Replay shows Kailer Yamamoto inexplicably far in the zone ahead of the puck. No goal.

This one counts: Oliver Bjorkstrand's 8th halves the Tampa Bay lead at 9:52. It's Bjorkstrand's 300th NHL point.

Suddenly, the 2022-23 Kraken have arrived. The home team is hungry for the puck, storming the Lightning zone, pushing Tampa defenders on their heels. The pressure pays off at 12:23. Jordan Eberle steals the puck, feeding Jamie Oleksiak for his 2nd of the season to tie the game 2-2.

Seattle outshot Tampa 15-9 in the 2nd period, and out-chanced the visitors by more than that. Now THIS should be an interesting final stanza.

Jared McCann's 13th goal on a Kraken power play which spilled over from the 2nd period gave the Kraken a 3-2 lead 14 seconds in - Seattle's first lead in a game since they beat the San Jose Sharks 7-1 on November 22.

The lead lasted just under seven minutes, due largely to a poor Kraken line change. Nick Paul finished off a nice Tampa passing play to re-tie the game 3-3 at 7:09.

Victimized on the goal was replacement Kraken goalie Joey Daccord, who took over the Seattle net to start the period. Grubauer appeared to injure himself just prior to the 2nd period horn.

Cirelli of Tampa Bay trips Tye Kartye behind the Lightning net at 19:45. The Kraken will have 1:45 of 4-on-3 power play time to start the extra session. The Kraken will have the between-periods break to set up strategy.

SOG in the 3rd were 7-6 Seattle; Lightning lead in shots through regulation, 29-26.

The Lightning PK comes up big with multiple blocks. The teams play 4-on-4 when the penalty ends, then 3-on-3 after the next whistle.

Vasilevskiy stops Bjorkstrand's backhand on the rush, but Daccord can't do the same when Kucherov scores his second of the game to win it for Tampa Bay, 4-3 at 3:12.