Seattle Kraken edge Oilers for gritty preseason win
The Seattle Kraken fans packed inside Angel of the Winds Arena waited nearly three full periods for the chance to explode.
There were a few moments to cheer about early — most notably goalie Philipp Grubauer’s big saves against a flurry of shots from Edmonton. But Seattle and the Oilers ended the first quarter scoreless, and it was Edmonton who found the back the net first when Brendan Perlini tipped the puck over Grubauer’s shoulder with 14:46 left in the second quarter.
But with 58 seconds left in regulation, Jaden Schwartz got the puck past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner after the Kraken pulled the goalie for an extra attacker. The goal brought the fans to their feet, and they stayed that way as the overtime period started.
Then, with the crowd still buzzing from the last-minute goal, center Jared McCann scored the game-winning goal with 1:58 left in overtime.
“We just got pucks to the net more,’’ McCann said of the Kraken’s stronger play later. “It sounds like a cliche, but we just kept it simple. We’ve got a great goalie and a competitive group.’’
McCann’s goal gave the Kraken a 3-1 preseason victory, moving Seattle to 3-1 in preseason play. Its only defeat was a 6-0 loss to Edmonton on Tuesday.
Friday marked the second stop on the Kraken’s statewide arena tour. After playing in Spokane on Sunday, the team will wrap up its preseason home schedule — even though it has yet to play in Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle — in Kent on Saturday.
McCann, Schwartz and Jordan Eberle make up the Kraken’s top-scoring line of the preseason. McCann — the Kraken’s selection from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Entry Draft — looks primed to play a central role for Seattle this season.
“It’s something I’ve been waiting for my whole career,” McCann said. “I’m very excited to be in that position.”
Friday also marked the first preseason game for center Alex Wennberg, who took time away after the birth of his child. While the all-Swedish line of Wennberg and wingers Marcus Johansson and Calle Jarnkrok has shown chemistry in practice, this was their first outing in a game atmosphere.
“We had some good chemistry,’’ Wennberg said. “I had a lot of fun and we played some good hockey.’’
The game was physical, especially for a preseason match-up. Late in the first period, Carsen Twarynski got into Seattle’s first fight of the preseason with Edmonton’s Brad Malone.
It was no surprise the game seemed grittier than the rest of the preseason as head coach Dave Hakstol uses the final preseason games to take a hard look at his roster. The Kraken must trim their roster to 23 before the start of the regular season.
Despite the intensity, Seattle had a slow start on Friday. Penalties put the Kraken on the defensive and limited opportunities. Seattle went on the penalty kill three times in the first period alone. But the Kraken came out with the win in the end. And despite the difficult start, Hakstol said these are the kind of games that will bring the team together.
“One of the ways to build chemistry and camaraderie is by gritting through situations … where things aren’t coming easy, they’re not going all that well, but we’ll find a way,” Hakstol said.
