Without Help From Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks Best Seattle Kraken 4-3

If the Seattle Kraken were told before their game with the Chicago Blackhawks that they'd hold teenage phenom Connor Bedard to no goals, no assists, and just one shot, they'd feel pretty good about their chances.

Uh-uh. Tuesday at United Center, the Blackhawks scored four times on their first 20 shots, and earned just their 7th win of the season with a 4-3 decision over the Kraken.

Two Kraken who went through early-season scoring droughts, Matty Beniers and Alex Wennberg, brought Seattle back from a two goal hole. 

But they couldn't do it a second time. Seattle was unable to pull even with more than one minute of a 5-on-3 power play late in the game, and went 0-for-5 with the extra man.

Getting this out of the way:

Two minutes in, Jared McCann fires high on a breakaway.

Leaving the box after serving a penalty, Seth Jones leads a Chicago 2-on-1. Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, making his first start since being shaken up against Calgary eight days ago, looks sharp with a blocker save on Jones' shot.

Walt Tkaczuk was a high-scoring center for the N.Y. Rangers in the 1970s. The identically-pronounced, but much easier to spell Boris Katchouk puts Chicago in front 1-0 on a rebound at 8:54.

It takes the Hawks 89 seconds to double their lead. Jason Dickinson fires from long range; Seattle defenseman Will Borgen might have gotten in Grubauer's line of vision.

Matty Beniers at 14:43 scores - and unlike against Vancouver in his last game, it's not wiped out by an offside challenge. Beniers' fourth is the result of two key plays: McCann with a sweet no-look, indirect pass off the boards, and Beniers' staying alert after his initial shot was blocked.

Speaking of the Canucks game, the Kraken failed on four 1st period power plays. In this game, they're 0-for-3. Oh, hold on. Apparently the Kraken needed to have one FEWER player on ice to tie the game.

Just like those spy movies, when the hero defuses the bomb in the very last second, Alexander Wennberg waits, waits, waits until he's practically out of running room. Faking Chicago netminder Peter Mrazek down to the ice, Wennberg makes it 2-2 at 19:23. McCann was serving a hooking penalty at the time.

Four combined goals in the 1st on 14 Kraken shots, 10 by the Blackhawks. Seattle won here 8-5 last season; are we headed to a repeat?

Former Kraken Ryan Donato, now a Blackhawk, isn't the only reunion at United Center. Seattle's Kailer Yamamoto and Chicago's Tyler Johnson are Spokane natives and friends. What's more, Johnson (and his mom) mentored Yamamoto. None of this mitigates Johnson's goal at 4:22, retaking the lead for the Blackhawks, 3-2.

Before we can write what a terrific glove save Grubauer made on Joey Anderson, Anderson sends a cross-crease pass to Mackenzie Entwistle. Hawks regain their two goal lead, 4-2 at 10:43.

It didn't help that a couple of seconds earlier, Entwistle pulled the stick out of Yanni Gourde's hands. Perhaps feeling penalty-proof, Entwistle later wrestles Gourde into the Chicago net.

The best Kraken shift of the period - there haven't been many - comes 15 minutes in, resulting in four testing shots and four big Mrazek saves.

While shorthanded, Jamie Oleksiak saves a goal. The Kraken defenseman sacrifices his body to block Lukas Reichel's shot, with a yawning net behind him.

Grubauer goes down on his back, the puck underneath him. Blackhawks whack away, Kraken take exception. Shoving and angry words ensue, including from a maskless Grubauer, who apparently prefers not to be skewered. 

Look at Grubauer jawing with his former teammate, Donato.

Matching unsportsmanlike conduct penalties get doled out to the goalie and Gourde, as well as to Chicago's Donato and Nick Foligno.

Jaden Schwartz is out for the rest of the game with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

Tye Kartye, on a shift with Jordan Eberle and Beniers, narrows the Seattle deficit to 4-3 at 6:50. Kartye has goals in back-to-back games, and four for the season.

For a second time, Oleksiak potentially saves a goal while his team is on the PK. Grubauer is occupied with a scramble at the right post when the puck squirts into the blue paint. Oleksiak casually backhands the puck between his legs and out of danger.

Golden opportunity: Chicago's Lukas Reichel takes a slash at 13:14, followed by Katchouk tripping 57 seconds later. The Kraken call timeout to set their 1:03 of 5-on-3 power play time.

The Kraken are unable to tie the game on either penalty, and now have failed on nine PPs over the last two games.

Grubauer is replaced by a sixth Kraken attacker with 2:19 left. This gambit also fails, as does Seattle, 4-3.

A team serious about pursuing a playoff berth shouldn't be dropping games to a Chicago team distracted by off-ice drama and on-ice deficiencies.

The Kraken now have double-digit regulation losses this season. They'll look to improve their fortunes as the road trip crosses the border with games in Toronto on Thursday, then Ottawa and Montreal.