Just a Minute: Kraken Bunch Goals in 2-1 LA Win

LOS ANGELES – On a night when free-agent-signee defenseman Brandon Montour scored the game-winner and reached a new personal high of goals in a season, the defense was the No. 1 Star of this stellar 2-1 road win. With the 2-1 lead accomplished late in the first period, Joey Daccord made 18 stops in the next 40 minutes and faced 11 high-danger overall to prevent Los Angeles from gaining any ground in their quest for first place in the Pacific Division and/or get closer to home-ice advantage in at least the first round of the postseason. It marked only the fifth regulation loss at home all season for LA, which entered the night 29-4-4 on its home rink.

Funny what killing a 5-on-3 opposing power play can do for team momentum. The Kraken demonstrated exactly that in the second half of Monday’s first period here in downtown LA. With penalty killer extraordinaire Adam Larsson and fellow PK defenseman Josh Mahura in the penalty box for just short of two minutes, D-man Jamie Oleksiak played a starring role along with veteran forwards Chandler Stephenson, Eeli Tolvanen and Seattle leading scorer Jared McCann.

The home squad Kings managed just one shot on goal while the Kraken PK executed two huge clears and several sticks, disrupting any LA rhythm in the offensive zone. Mission accomplished and momentum frazzled. Most importantly, the Los Angeles 1-0 lead didn’t double. Being down 2-0 to a physical team like the Kings makes for hard comeback work, given the Pacific Division rival’s system of play that puts a premium and a 1-2-2 format in the neutral that makes it difficult to mount offensive rushes.

Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said the 5-on-3 penalty kill made him most proud Monday night among other high points, using first names of the PK heroes: “They got the first goal on a great individual play [by LA forward Quinton Byfield, one-handed his shot while grappling with Shane Wright]. Then we're stuck with a PK. It turned into a three-on-five, and the guys came up with huge plays. Chandler’s stick, Matty's block, Tolvy's block, Monty's block. We kind of shut the door on them. That gave us a chance to respond with the two goals late first period. It was a hard-fought match.”

“The group's been feeling good right now,” said Chandler Stephenson post-game. “We knew their home record. We want to hold ourselves to a certain standard going into next year. Against a good team, you want to be able to win games like that. I think we did a good job; maybe a little too much on our heels in the third, but I thought we controlled most of the second period. We obviously got some momentum from the three-on-five. Yeah, just kind of a good, gutsy win. Joe [Daccord] played well. Everybody did their part.”

Six minutes later, after the 5-on-3 success, Seattle tied the game when the PK high-performer Oleksiak turned to his offensive skill set. Deep in the zone near the left corner, the extra-large D-man quickly moved the puck cross-ice and net-front, where both Matty Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen were behind LA defensemen. Beniers got the first touch, then jammed the rebound past LAK goaltender Darcy Kuemper to knot the game at 1-1, silencing a noisy crowd clearly getting juiced for the potential of first-round home-ice advantage if Monday and the rest of the schedules goes the right way.

Linemate Kaapo Kakko started the play with his own cross-ice pass to Oleksiak, picking up his 18th assist since being traded from New York in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen. A crowded handful of those assists have led to Beniers goals. The 22-year-old alternate captain now has 19 goals on the season with four games left to reach the benchmark of 20.

Going Four-on-Fouring It

On the next shift, Jared McCann and young-star-in-the-making LA defenseman Brandt Clarke got in a scrap that earned them both two minutes for roughing, creating a four-on-four setup for the remaining 52 seconds of the first period and another 1:08 to start the middle frame. Truth be told, not always the Kraken’s best stat line. But it was, in fact, Seattle who scored before the period’s end.

After turning back an LA rush, Chandler Stephenson, with the puck, raced up ice right side along with winger Jordan Eberle. Stephenson moved the puck to Eberle, who crossed the blue line and jettisoned a cross-ice pass to Brandon Montour, who joined the rush. Montour wheeled and wired high far-side past Kuemper’s glove to take 2-1 into the first intermission. It is Montour’s 17^th goal of the season, marking a personal career-high in goals and building on a Kraken franchise record for D-men. Not too shabby for the first year of his free-agent contract.

When asked about his career-high, Montour modestly said it was the good fortune of "pucks finding the way in." He did expand on that and Kraken can savor seasons ahead for the dynamic D-man.

"I take pride and am confident in my shot at the blue line and wherever I may be, creating looks, getting good looks," said Montour in a happy locker room.

"He's got swagger," said Bylsma when asked what Montour means to the Kraken. "He's an effective player, both offensively and defensively, with his skating. "It's no more evident than on the goal. It's great play by Ebbs across the seam there, but also Monty jumping in the play and getting off the shot."

“Obviously, not really that surprised,” said fellow free-agent signee Stephenson. "He's a hell of a shooter. He’s just kind of all over the ice, like a horse out there. It doesn't seem like he gets tired. Seems like he just played the whole game. It's nice to have a guy like that. I know it's stuck playing against him. It's nice being on this side.”

One of the game's heroes, Jamie Oleksiak, took a puck to the face, staying down momentarily before heading to the bench under his own power. Oleksiak wasn't deterred, taking regular shifts the rest of the game.

"Rig keeps it simple, plays hard, makes the right plays," said Brandon Montour. "Unfortunately, it hits him in the face, but you know, it's a no-brainer that he was coming back in that game and finishing it."

No Scores but Lots of Chances in Middle Period

The Kraken penalty killers were stingy again with an early second period two-minute shutdown, helped by Kraken keeper Joey Daccord making a big stop on a bullet of a shot from defenseman Jordan Spence. Just seconds after the LA power play ended, Eeli Tolvanen was alone with the puck, looking to extend the score to 3-1. But the aforementioned Kuemper denied the breakaway, one of two he stopped in the second period. But LA’s veteran goaltender’s best stop of the middle 20 minutes was on veteran forward and Kraken leading goal scorer Jaden Schwartz, who had a mostly open net on a rebound chance but had to hurry the shot. But Kuemper, down on one knee, held his goalie-stick paddle horizontally and halted the puck just inches short of a potential insurance goal.

With two minutes left in the frame, Joey Daccord matched his opponent in net with a huge stop on Warren Foegele, the former Ron Francis draft pick in Carolina who scored some big goals against Seattle with the Edmonton Oilers and is the fourth-leading scorer for LA this season.

Daccord Holds His Ground

The Kings came out in the third period with speed and intention like the playoff team they are, but Joey Daccord withstood an early flurry from the home group, most especially stoning rookie Jeff Mallot close-in and then getting enough of the puck for LAK defenseman Brandt Clarke shot clanged the far post. Daccord stayed calm and squared during the remainder of the third period to help the Kraken to their third straight win and second on this four-game road trip that moves to Utah in a back-to-back game Tuesday night.