Schwartz gets 25th, Wright his 19th in Kraken win

Kraken forward Chandler Stephenson spoke postgame after securing a home team victory in a marathon seventh shootout round about using these final games as a summertime springboard to more.

That sentiment was aided on a Saturday night the team saw one of its oldest veterans reach one goal-scoring milestone while its youngest player neared another of his own. The 25^th goal of the season by Jaden Schwartz and the 19^th from Shane Wright set the stage for Stephenson’s heroics in a 4-3 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues.

And Stephenson, whose seventh-round goal against goalie Jordan Binnington decided this contest, hopes his team’s late-season push since the March 7 trade deadline sets the stage for better things to come.

“I think it’s more since the trade deadline that we’ve kind of liked our game,” Stephenson said. “And we’re trying to build from how we’ve been playing since the beginning of that. Obviously, it would have been nice to do it sooner. But it’s something where we can feel good too going into next year.”

For Stephenson, it comes down to “confidence” and “experience” in knowing the team can play better than its overall record. Part of that was even exemplified in the shootout performance, where the Kraken twice overcame deficits ahead of some Philipp Grubauer stops to help them prevail for only the second time this season in the extra breakaway rounds.

Wright got the Kraken to the extra-time finish by tying things midway through the third on a puck that went in off his skate from the lip of the crease for his 19^th goal of the season.

Beyond the rare shootout result – the first such Kraken victory since the season’s opening week in Minnesota – the confidence is also about consistency and a 9-7-3 record since the trade deadline that has indeed raised eyebrows in the locker room and beyond about why this wasn’t happening sooner. There’s nothing to be done about it now other than maintaining that higher standard of play, which is why Kraken players looked to these final two home games to finish setting a tone.

A blowout loss in Utah and a close defeat at Vegas this past week had drained some of the momentum from a strong start to the prior road trip. But overcoming a three-goal final period by the Blues and prevailing against a team fighting to maintain its playoff positioning guaranteed the Kraken will finish no worse than .500 at home for only the second time in franchise history.

They are 18-17-5 at Climate Pledge Arena with just Tuesday’s finale against the Los Angeles Kings to go. They are also just two victories shy of their home high set two years ago at 20-17-4 during the team’s only playoff season.

“The goal of the guys in there is to finish the season strong and prove to each other and prove to everybody watching that we can be a good team,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “And yes, I think that does provide hope for the future. There’s a sense that that’s been building. But then you have a Utah game and lose against Vegas and you’ve got to be able to prove to everyone and prove to each other that you can bounce back and come back strong.”

Not to mention, seeing season milestones reached by veterans and youngsters alike doesn’t hurt the optimism ahead of what’s expected to be a busy summer of player acquisitions.

“I think we’re approaching each game with the right mindset,” Schwartz said. “That’s a big part of it right now. We’re showing up to win games. Playing hard for one another and battling and doing what we can.”

Schwartz admitted it’s “disappointing” the team didn’t reach “potential” he saw as much higher before the Kraken dug a mid-winter hole they couldn’t climb out of. The last time he scored at least 25 goals was while wearing the uniform of the Blues team he beat Saturday, that prior milestone coming exactly a decade ago when he notched 28.

Schwartz, who won a Stanley Cup with the Blues six years ago, became the only Kraken player other than Jared McCann to ever manage 25 in a season. He carried the puck in on a 2-on-1 rush, then had an attempted cross-ice pass deflect straight back to him for the game’s opening goal early in the second period of a tightly played game to that point.

The Kraken carried that 1-0 lead into the final frame only to see Radek Faska tie it just over a minute in by backhanding home a rebound with goalie Grubauer down and out.

Michael Eyssimont then put the Kraken back in front five minutes later by potting a rebound past Binnington off a Tye Kartye shot. But that lead lasted only 37 seconds before Colton Paryko tied it up again, slipping in alone and tucking a backhander through Grubauer’s pads.

The crowd then watched, stunned, as Nick Leddy put the Blues ahead for the first time all night only 13 seconds after that with a slapper past Grubauer from the high slot.

But Wright going to the net midway through the period and catching a break when the puck deflected in off his skate – and was still counted as a goal after a long video review – set things anew again. And the Kraken hope continued strong play by veterans and emerging youngsters such as Wright gets them going anew next fall.

“I feel like I always set pretty high expectations for myself so I’m always expecting more and want to push myself to do more and do better always,” Wright said. “So, obviously, it’s been a great year. I’ve learned a lot about myself and how to play here.”

Kraken centerman Stephenson, who plays the same position as Wright, likes what he’s seen of the youngster’s individual “confidence” as it grows along with that of the greater group.

“You can just see the confidence,” Stephenson said. “When he’s feeling it, you really notice it.”

He added: “It just goes back to what I was saying earlier about being in situations and whatnot for next year.”

Situations where players up-and-down the roster are “feeling it” from the get-go and ready to reach this late-season level far earlier on.