But the rest of the opening period was much less enjoyable and matters diluted from bad to worse in the second 20 minutes as the home squad Predators built a 4-1 lead that didn’t fade, though Jared McCann scored his 16th goal of the season on power play assisted by Jaden Schwartz and Andre Burakovsky with six-and-a-half minutes left to pull the Kraken withing two goals to make the final minutes more hopeful but not fruitful as Nashville notched an empty-net goal to carve a 5-2 advantage.
But the game did finish on a happy note with newcomer/trade acquisition Eyssimont scoring his first Kraken goal in his first game since Wednesday’s trade with Tampa Bay. Josh Mahura and Eyssimont worked a give-and-go for the newcomer’s sixth goal of the year. Next up for the Kraken is back-to-back daytime road games in Philadelphia on Saturday and Washington, DC, on Sunday.
Early Sustained Pressure from Nashville
After Larsson's first-period score, Nashville spent way more time with puck possession in the Kraken zone than coach Dan Bylsma, his coaching staff, and pretty much the rest of us would prefer. The result was 13 legitimate scoring chances and six high-danger attempts on Joey Daccord. Even so, the home squad managed just one goal when goalie Joey Daccord played the puck to D-man Vince Dunn, who lost his skate edging (aka blowing a tire), leaving the puck for a Predators counterstrike that was finished by NSH leading scorer Filip Forsberg, now at 24 goals on the season.
"They put a lot of pressure on us [in the first period],” said Bylsma post-game. “We didn't break the puck out very well, a few turnovers, and gave them a lot of time at our offensive zone, a lot of time on our net ... it was really back on our heels for the majority of this first period. That turned the tide of the game ...You can look at four or five plays coming out of D-zone, our execution there, puck play and the wall battles are keys to our game, those keys to us playing fast.”
Advantage Redirected to Predators
The second period started with a wrong turn with Nashville taking the lead three-and-a-half minutes in the frame on a shot from the point by ex-Carolina defenseman Brady Skjei, one of the big names signed to a seven-year, $49 million contract ($7 million average annual value) by Predators GM Barry Trotz last summer. Skjei now has eight goals on the season in a year that has disappointed Predators fans anticipating the free-agent trio of Skjei, Steven Stamkos, and Jonathan Marchessault would boost playoff chance but the squad’s record was 30th of 32 NHL clubs beginning the night.
From there, the period was marred by crummy luck. The Predators’ third goal was accidently deflected past Daccord by center Shane Wright, who was net-front to stop a Filip Forsberg centering pass in the slot. All good, except Wright tipped it past a sprawling Daccord. Forsberg was credited with his second goal of the night.
Daccord stayed with it, making several more quality saves after the third Nashville tally in a period in which Seattle was outshot 12-7 following a first period lopsided home margin of 16-5. Nashville notched 10 Grade-A chances over the first 40 minutes.
Unfortunately, the second-period misfortune continued for Daccord and his teammates. With Nashville pressuring in the final minute, fourth-line center Michael McCarron scored his fourth goal of the year (he scored a late empty-netter for his fifth goal, three against Seattle) on a wraparound with 7.3 seconds left. Daccord was maybe a fraction of a second late on sealing off his right post but the primary factor was the puck deflecting upward off defenseman Josh Mahura’s stick, clearing the Kraken goalie’s leg pad in the of type of score that Kraken play-by-play man John Forslund often calls a “stinger” in terms of momentum.
"Some of the goals went in, a little wonky to say the least, you know, third and fourth go in off our sticks," said Bylsma. "And Vince blew a tire on the first goal. There's not much you can do about that."
Melanson Gets Scrappy in Debut
Jacob Melanson’s first game included his first of what will be many after-whistle scraps with opponents. Toward the end of Period 1, the 2021 fifth-round draft choice laid a solid hit on NSH defenseman Marc Del Gazio. He and teammates took issue with Melanson not backing off, but Kraken analyst Eddie Olczyk was commending Melanson’s competitive zeal up in the broadcast booth.
Coachella Valley Call-ups Due Friday in Philly
Forward Tye Kartye (who looked strong in a short conditioning stint) and defenseman Cale Fleury were recalled from the Pacific Division-leading AHL Firebirds and are slated to join the team in Philadelphia for the weekend’s back-to-back game. Veteran forward, Brandon Tanev, was a healthy scratch here Thursday. The trade deadline ends at 12 noon Friday.
