Kraken Stay with High-Flying Jets, Fall in OT

Sunday did not end with the extra standings points and a homestand sweep Seattle players and coaches desired, but the Kraken did push the league-leading Winnipeg into overtime to earn five of six possible points on this week’s homestand.

“We’re playing good hockey as of late,” said Kraken leading scorer Chandler Stephenson to Kraken Hockey Network’s Piper Shaw post-game. “We would have liked to have closed it out. But there are good things we can take from the game ... we played well and limited the opportunities against a good team.”

The visiting Jets arrived in the Pacific Northwest with the NHL’s best record, but deuces were wild as the Kraken jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period on another power play goal by 20-year-old sensation Jani Nyman and trade acquisition Mikey Eyssimont scored his second goal for Seattle since joining the team on the last road trip.

Unfortunately, Winnipeg tallied its own deuce to tie the game 2-2 at second intermission with a last-minute first period and then a tying by Jets leading scorer Kyle Connor, who was lingering in the neutral zone – Kraken play-by-play man John Forslund extraordinaire calls that “camping out” – waiting for an outlet that arrived. Connor converted the breakaway against Seattle starter Joey Daccord.

The deuce theme didn’t quit in the final period either. The Kraken had to kill off not one but two penalties against an elite and dangerous Jets power play units. that is a big reason Winnipeg entered Sunday’s contest with 96 standings points. Daccord made some big saves during those penalty kills and, is anyone surprised, a pair of high-danger saves after Kyle Connor scored his 36th goal of the season and then stopped two more Grade-A. In fact, Daccord was outstanding after surrendering the second Jets score, a big reason why this game went into extra time. Daccordmade close-in, point-blank saves on both Cole Perfetti (he scored the first Jets goal last first period) and fellow WPG forward Gabriel Vilardi in the final 14 seconds of regulation.

Third Time Not a Charm, But Still Positives

Bylsma agreed with Stephenson about the level of competitiveness from his group: “Each and every one of the games we played [two overtimes and one regulation loss in which the Jets scored late], it's been a hard-fought game ... it's disappointing because of the way our guys fought, the way our guys played, the whole 60 minutes.”

Bylsma equally appreciated Daccord’s performance, especially after Winnipeg scored the tying goal midway through the second period.

“Especially against a team with that dynamic of a top line and that dynamic with power play you need your goalie to make a big save,” said Bylsma. “There was third period flurry with the power play going but it extended into the next shift. Joey made two huge saves, one was a sprawling save at the side of the net. the side of that, I think the one in the first period, it was a follow.”

GM Francis' Moves Trending Up

From his Kraken general manager’s office, Hall of Fame player Ron Francis is putting on some smooth moves of his own off the ice, starting with the Dec. 19 trade for forward Kaapo Kakko. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Finnish forward has 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in his first 35 games for Seattle, compared to 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 30 New York Rangers games earlier this season. As importantly, Kakko has jelled with linemates Jaden Schwartz and Matty Beniers, especially helping to spark more offensive production from the latter. Kakko scored the game-winner in Friday’s home victory over Utah.

At the NHL trade deadline, Francis not only acquired two first-round picks in the trade with Tampa Bay but made sure to get forward Mikey Eyssimont to instantly plug into the fourth line. Eyssimont, to reach two goals in six games with the Kraken and added his second goal in five games Sunday, taking a pass from defenseman Ryker Evans, then speeding into the Jets zone showing the offensive stickhandling flair he has matter-of-factly emphasized with the media. The result was a 2-0 first-period lead for the home squad, Eyssimont beating all-world goaltender Connor Hellebucyk. Eyssimont has said he welcomed the trade to show he can be a two-way with some added scoring. He was the top scorer at NCAA St. Cloud State (he roomed with recently traded Will Borgen).

Nyman Scores Again, Keeping ‘Pace’

Sunday night, fellow Finn and 2022 second-round draft choice Jani Nyman scored his second goal (both on the power play for a squad that had been struggling on man-advantage goals) since Francis and his hockey operations decided to give Nyman some NHL games before eventually returning to AHL Coachella Valley for a Firebirds team heading to the playoffs. Dan Bylsma said after Friday’s game, he will keep urging Nyman to play at the high-speed pace of which he is capable, even with the power-forward heft of a 6-foot-2, 212-pound frame. Though his shot went wide, Nyman showed serious forechecking work stealing a puck in the offensive zone mid-third period to nearly score a go-ahead goal.

“We’ve clearly got a good picture of what [Nyman] can do and what he can be,” said Bylsma post-game Sunday. It's not just the shot on the power play that we've seen a couple times. He had a good time in the offensive zone with the puck, making plays. He and his line had a real good shift there in the second, maybe our best in the second with chances in the offensive zone. So really good to see from him in another game.”

Montour, Eberle Continue Production

Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour (another great move by Ron Francis a first-day free-agent signee last July) notched an assist on Mikey Eyssimont’s goal. He compiled seven points (3 G, 3 A) on this just-completed homestand. His 16 goals are the fourth most this season among NHL defensemen. Jordan Eberle, notching an assist with a high-skill-pass from behind to extend to a four-game point streak and seven points overall (1 G, 6 A) in the quartet that started last Sunday in a tough, close loss to Eastern Conference standings leader Washington.

Brandon Tanev First-Period Adventure and Appreciation

It didn’t take long for original Kraken forward and fan-favorite Brandon Tanev to get booed by the Climate Pledge Arena. Six minutes into this matchup, Kraken linemate Tye Kartye disapproved and engaged with Tanev to trade punches amid skater bodies from both teams. The two wingers, linemates just a snap of the fingers ago, both were whistled off for roughing. Later in the period, during the third TV timeout, the Kraken game entertainment crew rolled a tribute video that drew mild boos when it first started but converted to high-decibel cheers for Tanev, who responded by standing up on the bench and raised a gloved hand to the crown, then tapping his chest in appreciation.

Entering Sunday’s game, Tanev was averaging three fewer minutes per game for the Jets (he played 195 games for WPG from 2016 to 2019) than the 14-some minutes of time on the ice he played for Seattle. The 33-year-free-agent-to-be this summer recorded his first point, an assist, in Winnipeg’s 4-1 home win over Dallas Friday. Not surprisingly, Tanev is part of the Winnipeg penalty-killer units and made an impressive stick play to break up a promising Kraken power-play scoring attempt in the second period.