Seattle Kraken comeback falls just short in OT loss to Blue Jackets
.JPG "Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn (29) and Columbus Blue Jackets center Max Domi battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)")
The Kraken salvaged a point from near disaster.
Saturday’s game looked familiar — so familiar that the ending seemed inevitable. Seattle had lost back-to-back games heading into the match-up with Columbus at Climate Pledge Arena. Pittsburgh came to town and delivered a 6-1 thrashing, then the Jets arrived on Thursday and won 3-0.
The trend was eerily similar to the six-game losing streak Seattle suffered in November. So when the Blue Jackets took a 4-1 lead into the second intermission, the game was over. Right?
Not so fast.
Faced with a three-goal deficit, the Kraken jumped out of the gate in the third period to score two goals in the first 22 seconds — the fastest two goals for Seattle this season — courtesy of Jaden Schwartz and Morgan Geekie, respectively. Then, with less than 5 minutes left, Vince Dunn scored to tie the game.
The comeback was as thrilling as it was unlikely, and it left the raucous crowd delirious as the game headed into overtime. But unfortunately for the Kraken, the night didn’t end with a completed comeback. Jake Bean scored the game-winner for Columbus instead, handing the Blue Jackets a 5-4 victory.
But Seattle still left with a point, an outcome that seemed far-fetched at the start of the final period.
“I think we did a good job kind of battling back after going down like that,” Geekie said. “I think that speaks a lot to our group — how much we’re growing as a team and how much we rely on each other. I think we did a good job pushing back and getting halfway there. I think it’s a step in the right direction, but it definitely sucks not to get the extra point.”
The Kraken opened the game with a burst of energy. They were aggressive in the offensive zone, recording the first seven shots of the game. The Blue Jackets didn’t record its first shot until 10 minutes into the first period. But Seattle couldn’t get on the board.
Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins was spectacular in the early going. He made several acrobatic saves, including a stretched leg save to keep a Marcus Johansson wraparound from completely crossing the line.
Seattle continued to pepper Merzlikins with shots as the clock ticked past the midway point of the first period— an effort that drew applause from the crowd — but he refused to wilt. Columbus eventually narrowed the shot gap and a frenzied first period ended in a scoreless tie with the Kraken holding a 12-7 shot advantage.
The second period was nearly Seattle’s undoing. The Blue Jackets opened the scoring at the 8:13 mark and then added a second goal 3 minutes later. With 6 minutes left in the second period, Jared McCann pulled Seattle within a goal. But Max Domi made quick working expanding Columbus’ lead, responding with back-to-back goals that sent the Blue Jackets into the second intermission with a 4-1 advantage.
“We gave up some goals that were just too easy,” said head coach Dave Hakstol. ”We got to make Columbus work harder for those. We didn’t do that. So, that’s the disappointing part. … I liked the way we started (in the first period). Even the second period, great first shifts. We had to kill a couple penalties and we did a nice job on that. We didn’t close out the second period, which has been a strength for us.
“The thing our players can take a lot of pride in is coming out in the third period and playing an outstanding period and earning one point. At the end of the day, that makes losing the extra point and not being able to finish it out in overtime a pretty hard pill for everybody to swallow.”
Despite the eventual loss, Geekie said the furious comeback will only help the team’s growth. The Kraken will head out on the road next to face San Jose on Tuesday and Anaheim on Wednesday.
“We got down a few goals in he first and second period before and I think we did a good job tonight of continuing to play and making a game of it,” Geekie said. ‘We’re going to take the positives out of it for sure and kind of carry it into our road game coming up.”
