The Seattle Kraken face the Utah Hockey Club for the first time. Two of the newest members of the NHL, had a big role to play in this game. However, Kraken won 5-2 at home.
game review
Halfway through the game, the first action happened. Brandon Tanev was sent to the penalty box for boarding Michael Kesselring. The Kraken were outscoring Utah 7-1 at this point, so the extra personnel advantage would be beneficial to them. Just 36 seconds later, Utah scored its first goal of the night. Logan Cooley earned the honor. Cooley passed the puck to Clayton Keller, who looked to put the puck past Philipp Grubauer. Seeing traffic in front of the net, he passed back to Cooley, who fired in for his first goal of the night.
At 11:16, the Kraken went on a power play after Barrett Hayton was whistled for hooking Matty Beniers. Despite having some great chances, they failed to capitalize on that two-minute man advantage. Utah was once again penalized, this time with Lawson Krause ejected for roughing Lake Evans. The Kraken didn't miss a chance this time, scoring on a power play at 16:26 of game time. Jaden Schwartz scored the first goal of the night for the Kraken. Unfortunately, the goal was ruled offside and subsequently disallowed.
With less than two minutes left in the first quarter, Yanni Gude brought the score back to 1-1. Adam Larsson's puck went around the wall and was recovered by Jaden Schwartz. He passed the ball to Lake Evans, whose shot was blocked. Goode grabbed the rebound and shot the ball, scoring the Kraken's first goal. Andre Burakovsky moved the Kraken higher in the standings just 51 seconds later. Larson moves puck from Utah zone into Clarken neutral zone. Schwartz got it and passed it to Burakovsky. At the net, he fired the puck through the legs of Olli Maata, who was trying to block the shot. The Kraken led by one goal at the end of the first quarter.
After the excitement of the first quarter, the second quarter was relatively calm until the final minute. Utah tied the game with 58 seconds left. Ian Cole and Michael Caccone sprinted up the ice to their end zone, passing the puck between each other. Cacone shot, but Grubauer blocked it. After a line change, Alexander Kerfoot grabbed the rebound and fired in, giving Utah its second goal of the night. Although Seattle outscored Utah State 16-5 in the first quarter, the visitors took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the home team 17-7. Entering the third quarter, both teams will have to be at their best to win.
The tie was broken at 7 minutes and 22 seconds into the third quarter. Kaapo Kakko intercepted a pass from Utah State. He sent the puck toward the neutral zone, where Jaden Schwartz caught it. With no one on guard, he skated to the net and scored a clutch goal to give the Kraken the lead. Three minutes later, Kraken had a lucky chance to extend their lead. Vince Dunn passed the ball to Kakko, who skated toward the goal. He passed to Marty Beniers, who had a poor shot. He was able to regain control of the missed shot and get a second try. The puck bounced off Karel Vejmelka's skate and into the goal, extending Seattle's lead.
With Utah trailing by two points, they stretched their goalie trying to mount a comeback. Jared McCann had other plans. Oliver Bjorkstrand deflected Utah's puck and sent it into the neutral zone where McCann was waiting. He skated to the empty net and expertly knocked it home to seal the victory for the Krakens.
next game
The Kraken look to extend their winning streak when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 2.
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