Playing With Ease: Wright On!

Shane Wright returns to the Kraken roster and playing with Eberle and Schwartz, he scores the game winning goal against the Sharks

By Alison Lukan

@AlisonL nhl.com/kraken

April 02, 2024

Shane Wright joined the Kraken last night on his second call-up of the season and he continued the successful run of play he’s shown in Coachella Valley this year.

Against the Sharks, Wright played 15:14, led his team in rush chances, passes to the slot (tied), and had two shots from the slot along with four puck battle wins.

All those details are important ingredients of the game, but what will stand out in the minds of Kraken fans is the goal that Wright scored with 2:54 to play in the first period. It set the score at 3-1 and would go on to stand as the game-winner.

So how did that goal come to be?

As part of our Playing With Ease series presented by GEICO, let’s dig in.

This was Wright’s first game back in the NHL since November, but it was also Vince Dunn’s first game back since Mar. 4 due to injury. And we got an immediate reminder why the defender is such a key part of this team.

As the Kraken begin the breakout, Dunn gets the puck on his stick and is eyes up surveying the ice.

Dunn exhibits patience as he holds onto the puck drawing in the San Jose defense. This is going to give Wright even more space in the middle of the ice.

Dunn, who leads all Kraken skaters and is in the top ten among NHL defenders in completed stretch passes, sends a pass that isn’t a significantly long one, but it still move the puck quickly, and accurately to a player who has space to advance the puck. As Dunn likes to say, “let the puck do the work.”

Now Wright is moving. As the puck carrier, he now draws the attention of the Sharks. Thomas Bordeleau (SJS 17) moves from his center lane coverage to try to impede Wright, but that means a certain Jaden Schwartz now is wide open in support of the play.

Now there’s a trickle-down effect. Just like Dunn drew the defense to create space for Wright. Wright pulls in the defense before sending the puck to a very wide-open Schwartz. Bordeleau’s momentum carries him past Wright and now the Kraken center can skate into the space behind the Shark player.

And this is where the odd-man advantage truly starts to take shape for the Kraken. Wright breaks through the layer of Sharks coverage. Schwartz has the puck on his stick and draws Kyle Burroughs (SJS 4) to him, opening up the ice behind him.

The puck barely settles on Schwartz’s stick as he chips it past Burroughs’ stick to an advancing Wright. In less than five seconds, the puck has moved from the left of the ice (with Dunn) to the right and then center with Wright, and now to the left and back to center thanks to Schwartz. For the three Sharks skaters who are trying to catch up to the play, that means they can’t skate in a straight line to the puck. And that means their advance is slowed meaning the Kraken attack can advance.

Schwartz’s pass moves play behind Burroughs (if you’re counting, that means there’s now just one Sharks’ player to beat, and in an underrated moment, as Wright skates to the puck, he bats it down from mid-air to control it and move into the zone.

The fact that the puck is loose may have actually further helped make this goal happen. In a 2-on-1, the defender has to choose to cover the shot or the potential pass. Because there’s no clear possession, the lone San Jose player between the Kraken and the goal, Mario Ferraro (SJS 38) steps up on Wright to try to gain possession.

Now Wright has a decision to make. He can continue on his path toward the goal, but he’ll have to get through Ferraro, and the puck is on his backhand, so he’d have to corral it (and perhaps slow down) to try to get a shot off. So, what does Wright do? He pokes a pass off the back of his stick to Eberle who is uncovered on the right flank.

Now all the focus is on Eberle. Ferraro pivots to cover the puck, and every single Shark player is focused on number 7, including goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood who sets up to take the shot from the left.

Eberle holds on to the puck, pulling play down into the zone and drawing the attention of the three Sharks players who have caught up to the play.

And that’s when Eberle strikes. He sends one last pass across the slot once again flipping play to the opposite side of the ice. Wright gives the alternate captain an easy target because he has his stick on the ice, blade open to receive the puck. Ferraro tries to play the pass, but he’s too far in front of it. Blackwood now realizes he has to traverse his entire crease.

Wright lets his momentum power a swift shot that goes through Ferraro’s legs and past the goaltender into a wide-open net for what would ultimately be the game-winning goal (and give Eberle the 700^th point of his NHL career).