The Seattle Kraken face the Vegas Golden Knights in the first game of back-to-back hockey weekends. The home team showed no mercy, defeating the Kraken 6-2.
game review
The game started right from the start of the first quarter. Nicolas Hague was sent into the box three minutes into the first minute. As the Krakens went on a power play, they scored their first goal of the night. That honor went to Vince Dunn eight seconds after they had the extra man advantage. Chandler Stephenson passed the puck from the blue line to Oliver Bjorkstrand. When Bjorkstrand had two guys next to him, he saw Dunn open the ball and pass it to him. He shot, through traffic and into the net.
Midway through the first period, Ryker Evans received a two-minute penalty for holding Tomas Hertl's stick. Stephenson had a great breakaway opportunity shorthanded with Evans in the zone, but the puck deflected off the post. We got some 4-on-4 hockey when Victor Olofsson was sent straight into the box after tripping up Yanni Gourde's chance. No goals were scored after that, and with the penalty shootout over, both teams were back to full strength. The Golden Knights took advantage of the Kraken on a line change, tying the game 14 minutes into the first quarter. Brayden McNabb received the puck near the Golden Knights' goal and began skating up the ice. He saw Olofsson and passed to him. Seeing Keegan Kolesar walking alone to the center of the ice, he passed to him. Kolesar skated the puck the rest of the way and put it in the net for the home team's first goal of the night.
The Golden Knights broke the tie less than a minute later. Jack Eichel won the face-off and put the puck into the blind spot of Phillipp Grubauer's net. He passed the ball to Brett Howden, who scored in front of the net. The Golden Knights scored their third goal of the night with two minutes left in the first period. Eichel passed the puck over the backboard and found Mark Stone. He passed it on to Nick Hague, who tested it on quite a bit of Kraken traffic. The puck sailed off the top post and into the net, the Golden Knights' third goal of the first period.
Compared to all the activity in the first stage, the second stage is much quieter. The Kraken took another penalty kick against the Golden Knights, this time Alex Pietrangelo received a two-minute penalty for interfering with Sean Wright. However, the Kraken were unable to score with that extra advantage. Entering the third quarter, the score was still 3-1, and both teams still had some work to do.
Midway through the third quarter we were back in the game. When there's a scrum in front of Kolesar, he's able to control the ball. He saw William Carlson standing alone in front of the net. Carlsen passed the ball to him and it sailed into the back of the net for the home team's fourth goal of the night. Just three minutes later, Noah Hanafin scored his fifth goal of the night. Tanner Pearson and Stone both had attempts, but Grubauer saved them. The Golden Knights recovered the puck and kept passing it between players on the ice. Stone eventually got it and passed it to Hanafin. He knocked the puck off the top post and into the net, similar to Den Haag's goal in Game 1.
Shea Theodore went to the penalty area to take a penalty kick and the Kraken attack started. They scored their second goal of the night, this time from Jaden Schwartz. Stephenson passed the puck to Wright, who shot from the faceoff circle. Samsinov blocked the ball, but Schwartz grabbed the rebound and scored his second power-play goal of the night.
However, the Golden Knights didn't end there. The home side took advantage of the opportunity when Grubauer was pulled out of goal. Howerton passed the puck to Stone, who fired it from the other end of the ice. The puck was on target, cementing the Golden Knights' victory.
Next step
The Kraken look to snap a four-game losing streak on Dec. 22 when they face the Colorado Avalanche. The Golden Knights look to keep their three-game winning streak alive when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 23.
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