SEATTLE, WASH
The Seattle Kraken rallied from a two goal third period deficit to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights in a shootout 4-3. The win for Seattle snapped their six game losing streak. Seattle’s goals came from Berkly Catton, Jared McCann, and Bobby McMann with Joey Daccord stopping 31 of 34 shots. The Vegas goals came from a pair from Mark Stone plus another from Brett Howden while Adin Hill saved 30 of 33 shots in defeat.
Seattle’s win keeps them mathematically alive in the playoff race with four games left in the regular season. Vegas with the overtime loss, falls one point behind Edmonton for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
The game came a day after the Kraken announced Team President Ron Francis mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the season.
Goaltender Joey Daccord set the tone for the Kraken, 30 seconds into the game by stopping a breakaway from Vegas’s Mark Stone. The Golden Knights went on to hit three posts in the opening period.
Mark Stone’s efforts were rewarded later on. The Vegas captain broke the ice by scoring at 10:04 from a shot from the slot. The Golden Knights took a 1-0 lead into the dressing room.
It did not take long for Vegas to strike again in the second period. Stone scored his second goal of the game on the power play, after Daccord had left a rebound off his right pad. Stone’s tally came 55 seconds into the middle frame. Late in the second, Jared McCann notched a power play goal on a one timer off a feed from Vince Dunn at 17:54 to put the Kraken within one at 2-1 heading into the second intermission.
Vegas just like the second period started quickly in the third. Brett Howden gave the Golden Knights insurance by finishing a loose rebound along the left post. The goal 71 seconds in gave Vegas a 3-1 lead, but matters changed nearly five minutes later. An awkward bounce off an Adam Larsson dump-in came where Berkly Catton had a yawning cage awaiting him. Catton’s goal at 6:11 of the third put the Kraken right back in the game at 3-2. Seattle continued to push for an equalizer and it was a matter of time before they were rewarded. Kraken Jordan Eberle won a puck battle along the right corner wall. He quickly found Bobby McMann, who scorched a shot by Hill to tie the game at 9:16. Neither team scored the rest of regulation, to send the game to three-on-three overtime. Each team earned a point in the standings.
Vegas held the edge in shots 3-2 in overtime, but with no scoring in the extra five minutes, a shootout was necessary to decide a winner. In the shootout, Vegas’s Mitch Marner opened the scoring in the bottom half of the first round, then Matty Beniers promptly responded in the top half of the second. The next four shooters missed on their shootout tries. Berkly Catton took center stage in the fifth round. Catton’s shot went stick side past Hill for the lead in the shootout. Vegas’s Pavel Dorofeyev was denied by Daccord to give Seattle the come from behind win.
Kraken Head Coach Lane Lambert said, “It’s nice to put in the effort and get rewarded with a win for sure.” The Kraken maintain their slim playoff hopes with a valuable two points in the standings. Seattle’s final homestand of the season continues on Saturday against the Calgary Flames.
