Winterton (and Daccord) for the Win

First, let’s agree on the best news of the night: No Kraken player left the game due to injury. Six regulars on the medical list not cleared to play is way too many, especially with forward Kaapo Kakko and defenseman Ryker Evans both out for six to eight weeks. From there, the positive report continues with a 4-2 win for the home squad with some promising work on special teams and a good night for Kraken 2021 third-round pick Ryan Winterton, still in camp with hopes of a spot on the NHL roster to open the season.

Winterton picked up an unassisted shorthanded goal in the opening period, then added a second goal on a long rush up ice with newcomer veteran Freddy Gaudreau.

“It felt good to see some go in,” said Winterton post-game about his multitude of scoring chances over the games he played this postseason. “On the second one, great wall play by ‘Karts’ [Tye Kartye]. I kind of knew we had numbers since their deep man pinched on Karts. Freddy had guys all over him and somehow found a way to get it to me. And I was just walking down the center, just trying to get the puck up.”

Winterton said the coaching staff has given him “positive reviews” but said, “I’m taking it day by day and just keep trying to work as hard as I can so I stay here another day and another day.”

Coach Lane Lambert liked Winterton’s overall work in the victory, not just because he scored a pair of goals. Lambert was rotating right wings on the second through fourth lines to “find a spark.” He liked what he saw with Winterton skating alongside Gaudreau and Kartye.

“This final game, we talked about it this morning, make an impression,” said Lambert in his media conference. “I thought Freddy, Kartye and ‘Wints’ did a good job of that.”

Celebrating Goals and Celebrities

The first period here at Climate Pledge Arena featured three Seattle goals, eight total penalties and three suites full of AL West champion Seattle Mariners looking on as they await the winner of the New York-Boston series in the MLB wild-card round. By the second period, Mariners manager and former Seattle catcher Dan Wilson was donning a headset and standing between Kraken Hockey Network announcers and MLB analysts John Forslund and Eddie Olczyk, discussing a variety of sporting topics. And that was immediately following Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour stopping by and no doubt making Kraken viewers feel better about the possibility of the dynamic D-man flying to and fro on the ice below the KHN booth come the Oct. 9 season opener. The Mariners madness continued with wildly popular centerfielder Julio Rodríguez riding one of the Zambonis during the second intermission resurfacing.

Oh, yes, back to Wednesday’s matchup, aka more opportunities for young Kraken players to make that opening night roster along with Montour and, here’s hoping, more of the currently not medically cleared players, such as forwards Jared McCann and Stephenson, plus Vince Dunn, who left Monday’s preseason game early. Earlier Wednesday, head coach Lane Lambert said Dunn was “progressing,” while he had previously said both McCann and Stephensom were looking good to him in recent practices.

The goals and the Mariners both drew high decibels while the referees absorbed their share of boos, especially when 19-year-old Berkly Catton was called for hooking midway through the first period and then tripping five minutes later in the first frame. Then, a little more than five minutes into the second period, Catton was whistled off for another hooking call. More jeers.

Fittingly, all three Kraken scores were registered via special teams, with Josh Mahura and Eeli Tolvanen scoring on the power play and young forward Ryan Winterton busting onto the score sheet with an unassisted shorthanded goal.

Three Goals, Three Hustle Plays

The Kraken’s first goal was set up by another stellar move by veteran forward Jaden Schwartz, whom Lambert has said is even better than he thought (already a high opinion) after watching the Kraken original exhibit pro details in all zones and all drills. In this case, Schwartz won a puck battle along the left wall in the Oilers zone, moving the puck to Shane Wright on the first power play of the night. Wright showed poise and his now-experienced NHL mindset by holding just long enough to have Edmonton penalty killers swing in rotation, leaving defenseman and fill-in power play quarterback Josh Mahura to wind up for a one-timer past EDM goalie Calvin Pickard just under seven minutes into the game.

Six minutes later, Catton was serving one of his two first-period penalties when Winterton chased the puck behind the Oilers' goal line, where Pickard was about to mishandle the puck, not seeing Winterton soon enough. The AHL Coachella Valley stalwart stole the puck and cleanly and rapidly backhanded a wraparound goal before Pickard or any Edmonton defender could stop him. It was a satisfying goal and night for Winterton, who has created at least two fistfuls of scoring chances this preseason without any goal light to show for it.

Before the period’s end, Eeli Tolvanen brushed off his own wicked one-timer shot to beat Pickard clean after the senior Finn forward at just age 26 worked a give-and-go with Matty Beniers, who, along with Jaden Schwartz, has looked the best among Kraken skaters all preseason long. And that’s including practices.

Daccord’s Night is Busy and Bountiful

Midway through the first period, Seattle was leading in shots on goal, 8 to 2. By first intermission, the visiting Oilers led by a margin of 13 to 9 but trailed on the scoreboard, 3-1. A significant reason was a strong performance in goal by Kraken starting goalie Joey Daccord. He made several close-in shots in the second half of the initial period, giving up a late goal and a second goal just 28 seconds into the second frame. But after that, Daccord played like the goalie who was part of a gold-medal winning tandem at the IIHF Men’s World Championship in May and one of four goaltenders invited to Team USA Olympic orientation camp. He also made his new head coach look prescient at Wednesday’s media availability at morning skate. Daccord finished the game with 32 saves, including a solid half-dozen grade-A stops after Ryan Winterton staked a claim to the opening night roster and staked the Kraken to a 4-2 lead.

“He’s really a professional guy who definitely hones his craft,” said Lane Lambert when queried about watching Daccord daily in camp. “One thing that Joey does very well is play the puck. That's definitely a real advantage compared to a lot of other goaltenders in the league, helping our defense. But his professionalism strikes me the most.”

While Daccord was probably a little busier than Lambert and his coaching staff would have preferred, there is value in the starting goaltender getting in significant work, especially with significantly fewer shots in earlier preseason games. Plus, with all of the penalties, there were all sorts of situations beyond even-strength that provided game-action goaltending.

“I enjoyed it,” said Daccord. “Just a chance to get reps. In the first couple of games, I didn't get a ton of reps, but got plenty tonight. I’m happy to play well and have the team get a good result, to feel good going into the season.”

Daccord called out learning a new penalty kill for himself as a goalie: “We’ve been learning a new PK system. It's a little different for me, too, because now the shots that we're giving up are coming from different areas. I mean, you want to stay out of the box as a team, but I didn't mind it tonight, even getting a little five-on-three, to get those reps in. Preseason is about getting prepared for the season. I'm glad I got to see a lot of different things: Six-on-five, four-on-four, five-on-three, five-on-four ... I think we're really confident in our penalty kill this year. We already have great killers and added some more great pieces with Lindy [Ryan Lindgren] and Freddy. We're excited about that.”