Seattle Kraken fall to Oilers for second straight loss as COVID-19 disruptions continue across NHL
Coaches for the Kraken and the Oilers wore masks on Saturday night. It was the first time that’s happened at Climate Pledge Arena, and the change came as COVID-19 continues to surge through the NHL.
The day started with game postponements, team pauses and an ever-growing list of players and staff members in COVID-19 protocol. It ended with a 5-3 win for Edmonton over Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena.
What will happen next is murky at best.
Five teams — the Flames, Panthers, Avalanche, Bruins and Predators — had their seasons paused heading into the holiday break on Friday. The Maple Leafs and the Canucks had all of their games canceled this weekend, including Toronto’s game at Seattle that was scheduled for Sunday.
“It felt a lot like when (COVID-19) first started,” Seattle captain Mark Giordano said of the day’s events. “When the original COVID (pandemic) came in and we paused the season. Today felt a lot like that — when you keep seeing cancellations and losing players. Hopefully, we can get through this wave. Mentally sometimes it fatigues you.
“All we can do as players is listen to protocols from doctors and move forward. Hopefully, at some point, this can transition into something that we can deal with in a fashion where we’re not having guys out and sitting and people getting sick across the board. Hopefully one day the hospitalizations and all the deaths go way down and we can get back to some sort of life like we had before all this.”
More than 100 NHL players and staff members are in COVID-19 protocol. Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak became the latest Seattle player on the list before Saturday’s game, joining Yanni Gourde, Riley Sheahan and Colin Blackwell.
“We tried to take it as a normal game day,” said Kraken forward Jared McCann. “Obviously that wasn’t the case. We had a positive case this morning with Oleksiak. Everyone was just trying to stay focused on the game tonight.”
Edmonton was even more short-handed with five players — Jesse Puljujarvi, Ryan McLeod, Devin Shore, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Duncan Keith — in COVID-19 protocol along with head coach Dave Tippet.
“Unfortunately, we’re getting used to playing short,” Giordano said. “Every team is in the league right now. If you look around the league, there are guys out pretty much around the league right now.”
But even with the swirling off-the-ice news, there was still a hockey game to play.
The Kraken started fast, taking a 2-0 lead in the first thanks to goals from Ryan Donato and McCann. But Edmonton scored the final two goals of the period — one on a power play — to tie the score 2-2 heading into the first intermission.
The Oilers took the lead for the first time on a goal from Colton Sceviour with 7:08 left in the second period. But that advantage didn’t last long as Carson Soucy scored 4 minutes later to tie the game, 3-3, heading into the third period.
Warren Foegele scored the game-deciding goal for Edmonton at the 8:54 mark of the final period. Foegele was originally called for goalie interference, but the Oilers challenged the call and the officials ruled that Kraken Giordano pushed Foegele into goaltender Chris Driedger. The goal stood, and Edmonton added an empty netter late in the third.
The Kraken are scheduled to return to the ice at home against Arizona on Tuesday. That would be the last game before the holiday break since Seattle’s game at Calgary was postponed. But whether or not it happens remains to be seen.
The next few days will decide the NHL’s fate. As the number of players in protocol continues to grow, a league-wide pause seems increasingly likely. On Saturday, the NHL instituted enhanced COVID procedures. The requirements include daily testing, virtual meetings and a mask requirement inside club facilities and during travel.
“It’s far from ideal but it’s become part of our daily business right now,” said Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol said of dealing with COVID-19 issues. “That doesn’t diminish it in any way, shape or form. But it’s truly a fact — it’s become part of our daily world and our daily business.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2021 at 10:21 PM.
