On Saturday, March 14, the Seattle Kraken traveled north to take on the Vancouver Canucks. This game was the final one in the season series, where the Kraken already had a 2-1 lead.
In this game, the Kraken took an early lead, but the Canucks tied it up shortly after. By the end of the first, Seattle was up by one goal. They scored again in the middle frame to extend their lead to two goals. By the end of the third, the Kraken scored two more times, and although the Canucks scored a second time, it was not enough of a comeback. The Kraken won, 5-2, and took the season series, 3-1.
The Kraken received Bobby McMann from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for two draft picks on the trade deadline, which was March 6. However, this was the first game McMann was able to play with his new team, as immigration issues had previously prevented him from taking the ice with the Kraken. He stepped onto the ice and immediately made a huge impact.
At 18:43, Tom Willander was penalized for holding Eeli Tolvanen, which resulted in the Kraken’s first power play of the night. Tolvanen carried the puck into the offensive zone and then passed it to Shane Wright. Wright took a shot that was blocked by Nikita Tolopilo. McMann quickly collected the rebound and shot the puck past Tolopilo, giving the Kraken the lead.
This power-play goal was not McMann’s only one in the game. Four minutes into the third period, Matty Beniers gained possession in the Canucks’ zone and carried the puck toward the Kraken’s net alongside McMann and Jordan Eberle. Beniers passed the puck to Eberle, who took a quick shot. McMann, stationed in front of the net, redirected the puck with his stick to score.
Both McMann and Eberle recorded the assists on Beniers’ goal just five minutes later, giving both players a three-point night.
McMann made Kraken history in this game, becoming the first player to score multiple goals in their Kraken debut. He also now holds the highest point total by anyone in their Kraken debut with his three points. The Kraken acquired McMann to try to help build their offense. This is a very small sample size, but it looks like he is already doing his job.
Line Changes Helped McCann
With McMann now entering the lineup and slotting into the left wing on the first line, Jared McCann was moved down to the second line, alongside Chandler Stephenson and Tolvanen. It looks like a new line did him some good, because McCann opened the scoring in this game.
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Brandon Montour skated the puck up to the net and took a shot. Tolopilo made the save, but Montour picked up his own rebound. He skated it around the back of the net and passed it to McCann in the center of the ice. He took a shot and scored the first goal of the game.
By scoring this goal, McCann has now broken his 10-game goal drought. He last scored on Jan. 31 against the Vegas Golden Knights. In the interim, he has picked up five assists, so he has been contributing that way offensively. While he might have been put down to the second line, this change of pace might do McCann some good.
Grubauer Continues to Perform Well
In the Kraken’s last three games, they have started Joey Daccord. All three have resulted in losses, including the game on March 12, where head coach Lane Lambert pulled him from the net and put Philipp Grubauer in to finish the job. In this game, he got the start and got a nice win to seal the deal.
Grubauer made 32 saves on 34 shots, earning him a save percentage (SV%) of .941. The Canucks peppered him with shots throughout the night, but he remained strong for his team, helping them secure the win.
Daccord has been great for Seattle in the past, but this season, he has taken a bit of a slump, while Grubauer has stepped up to help his team. The Kraken are about to play the second half of a back-to-back, and they recently activated Matt Murray from injured reserve (IR). It might be in Seattle’s best interest to play him in their next game.
Kraken Have a Second Half of a Back-to-Back
The Kraken will head back to Seattle and host the Florida Panthers on Sunday, March 15.
