Wild. Not Weird.

Coming off a break between their home opener and first road game of the season, the Kraken started strong in the State of Hockey. During the time between the 3-2 loss vs the St Louis Blues on Thursday, and today’s matchup, Joey Daccord was signed to a 5-year, $25 million deal. He started in net, facing future hall-of-fame goalie Marc-André Fleury on the other end of the ice for Minnesota. 

Going into this game, expectations were high for the goaltender to steal the show, but Jordan Eberle had other ideas as he carried on last game’s narrative as a strong leader on the ice, showing why he is the new Kraken captain. 

At the opening of the game, the Kraken were able to neutralize the Wild and keep things under control while also putting a lot of effort into generating chances. However, elite scoring talent from the Wild eventually got the ball rolling with a goal from Mats Zuccarello at the 9:22 mark. The chance came when a faceoff loss for Seattle caused net-front confusion and Zuccarello was left unmarked with a direct line to the net.

This became the theme throughout the game as Seattle continues to workshop their net-front presence, both offensively and defensively.

After the initial goal, the Kraken were able to regain their footing and seemed to settle back into their flow. It took some time to reestablish themselves in the offensive zone thanks to a strong defensive strategy along the blue line from the Wild. Eventually, the Kraken were able to break through, and even though it was caught in Fleury’s glove, Evans showed another glimmer of his offensive upside with a nice shot from the blue line. 

The Kraken penalty kill was decent, although a barrage of shots from Minnesota in the first PK made it an interesting (and stressful) watch.

Play continued as the Kraken got back to their systems, and only tripped up (literally) in the last moments of period 1. With a power play on the horizon to start period 2, Kiril Kaprizov gathered some last-minute energy and put the puck behind Joey Daccord. The Kraken were saved by the bell when it was determined not to be a goal, as the puck had not crossed the goal line before the end of the period. 

From the second period onward, the game seemed to continue in a climb for a comeback for the Kraken, who continuously responded to the Wild with goals. 40 seconds after Matt Boldy sunk one on the power play, Jordan Eberle tallied his first goal of the game and the 300th of his career. This goal was from close up, and several Kraken players were at the net, jamming the puck to make sure it was in. This is the mentality they need to have this season, not just to “get pucks on net,” but to get the bodies there to tap them in. 

At this point in the game, MIN 2 - SEA 1, I remember thinking, if the Kraken can mount a comeback, it would showcase the new team identity, and set the tone for the rest of the season. 

Around 7 minutes later, the Kraken tied the game at 2-2 on the power play, a huge accomplishment for a team that struggled immensely on the PP last year. This goal was Eberle’s second of the game as he redirected a puck from André Burakovsky. Eberle continued to lead by example, getting to the open space at the backdoor, poised to redirect shots on goal. Seeing Burakovsky settling back into his game and working hard to get pucks toward the net was also a relief. The pieces that worked together on this goal are what the team needs to be looking to emulate in future games. 

The period ended with a tie and trust in the team’s systems.

The third period started with a bang as Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild capitalized on another early chance to score. Fortunately, for Seattle, the 3-2 lead did not last long. 

Kartye dragged the boys back into the contest with a wicked-fast wrister over Fleury’s glove. The space he shot from was created by the work Oleksiak and Tanev did to keep the play alive and protect the puck. Oleksiak played smart tonight, while Tanev battled against the boards and threw his body around to create a few good chances. Despite what seemed like residual “beginning of the season nerves,” it has continued to be encouraging to see the team working their systems and finding opportunities to keep pushing and create chances. 

The rest of the period continued in this tug-o-war fashion, Hartman scoring at 12:33 and McCann following with a goal of his own 4 minutes later. The Kraken stopped the Wild’s one-upping after that, leaving them with four goals apiece at the end of regulation. 

Overtime was also fairly even, with neither team dominating the 5-minute 3-on-3 play. This equilibrium led to the inevitable and dreaded, shootout.

Finally, it came time for Joey Daccord to shine, and while he stood tall in net, it was still Jordan Eberle who stole the show. Zuccarello snuck the first shot past Daccord and subsequent shots from Kaprizov and Boldy missed the net altogether. It was Bjorkstrand with a slow approach and sneaky shot over Fleury’s shoulder, and game-winner, Jordan Eberle, who went 5-hole after a quick approach, who led the team to a 5-4 victory. 

The post-win celebrations and joy coming from the bench were encouraging to see. Byslma and his coaching staff were visibly fired up about their first win of the season and it was a breath of fresh air, one that I hope will inject some fun and chemistry back into the locker room. 

The Kraken showed resilience and endurance throughout this contest and with some communication cleanup for the lines, and more disciplined play for the younger men in the room, I believe they are on track for a successful, foundational season. 

Tomorrow, the Kraken head to Dallas to face the Stars, and all I can say is well… Yeehaw!