Hometown Heroes

BOSTON, MA - The last time the Kraken were in TD Garden, they were in the midst of what would be a history-making eight-game win streak and handed the 2023 Presidents’ Trophy winners their only shutout loss on home ice all season. That was so fun, the Kraken decided to do it again, beating the Bruins 4-1.

The Bruins attacked with speed and tenacity, but Boston-born Joey Daccord was fantastic in net, keeping the game within reach on the scoreboard. And then local product Matty Beniers went to work. He was the engine of the first two tallies collecting two assists and then scored the third goal off the rush.

"It was great to see Matty…he was flying around,” Jordan Eberle said. “It gets you confidence and it gets you going and obviously Joey has been playing well since he (took on the workload) in November. So we just continue to kind of put together team wins. I think that's kind of an identity. We roll four lines and we win by committee.

This time of the year we are where we are and this is the mix you want to be in and we want to be winning games and pushing for a playoff spot. That’s what makes it fun.”

How did it all go down? Let’s dig in.

Cooking Pasta

The first goal of the game went the Bruins' way. The home team created six shots in the first five minutes, the last of which slid past Joey Daccord after a rebound of a David Pastrnak shot bounced into traffic net front. Joey Daccord was sprawled from the effort of two saves on two attempts in the seconds prior and a bounce off the bodies in front became goal number 34 for Pastrnak – the third most in the league this season.

Stay for Seconds

The Kraken survived a penalty kill that came right after the Bruins’ score, and then less than a minute after Boston’s power play expired, Seattle got one of their own thanks to a Brandon Carlo high stick. The seventh-best penalty kill in the league pushed the Kraken out of the offensive zone a few times. But a clean entry created by Matty Beniers and Vince Dunn followed by a dish from Oliver Bjorkstrand put the puck on Jordan Eberle’s stick. He skated net front and punched a shot at Jeremy Swayman but as the rebound went to the goaltender’s left, he tracked right and Eberle collected the bounce to shoot the puck into an open net.

So Much Sauce

The middle frame was a back-and-forth affair. The Kraken impressively kept the eighth-best power play in the NHL off the scoresheet for a second time, and the likelihood of the period one score matching the period two tally seemed likely. Until, with just under 2:30 to play, Brandon Carlo lost an edge at the top of the zone. Eeli Tolvanen jumped on the loose puck and he and Matty Beniers were off to the races. There was one Boston skater back – the captain, Brad Marchand – but Bjorkstrand joined the rush with a center line drive to push Marchand back and out of the play allowing Tolvanen and Beniers to execute a give-and-go across the slot ending with a one-timer by the Finn that beat Swayman for the second Kraken goal of the night.

“It's funny, we came back in the locker room and I was like, ‘you knew I was going to do that, right?” Beniers said. “(Tolvanen) was like, ‘yep.’ So we were on the same page. He knew, I was giving it right back to him and those work out. He's obviously got a great shot and he just put it in there.

 (And Bjorkstrand’s center lane drive) was a great play by him. That's the hard-nosed play. And that goal doesn't happen without him.”

With the goal, Tolvanen ties a career-high in points (31) which he set last year across his time in Nashville and Seattle.

For the cherry on top, Jared McCann added an empty net goal in the final seconds to make it a 4-1 final.

Back to Beantown

From the Boston area, Beniers surely had a large fan club in attendance, and he made sure to give them a fun game. After earning an assist on each of the first two goals, last year’s Calder Trophy winner decided there was still more to do. With the Bruiins set up and cycling, Alex Wennberg blocked a Parker Wotherspoon shot, gathered the puck, and launched Beniers on a breakaway where he beat Derek Forbort and Swayman from just inside the left circle to set the score at 3-1 and give Beniers his third point of the night (1-2-3). It was his first three-point game of the season and he is now just the second Massachusetts-born player in the last four seasons to have a three-point game.

“It's nice to see the offensive production, (Beniers) can feel good about that,” Dave Hakstol said. “And again that's plays at the right time, but, I liked his game, his 200-foot game tonight and that's what we really value within his abilities, and, he did a good job. He's matched up against some good competition (Charlie Coyle, Brad Marchand, Trent Frederic). (Boston) got the majority of the matchups that they wanted, but, he was up to that task.”

Another local product, Joey Daccord played his first NHL game in his hometown and he put on a show. In all facets of the game, the goaltender was a difference-maker. Boston outshot the Kraken 25-to-38 and only 1 got past the Kraken netminder. And these weren’t just any shots. Kraken fans were in awe as the goaler turned away six of Pastrnak’s six shots on goal; made a save on Charlie Coyle while Seattle was down a skater; a huge save on Charlie McAvoy as the Bruins pushed in the third and countless other grade-A chances – Natural Stat Trick counted 13 shot attempts from the high-danger area of the ice – on the way to backstopping the win.

“It's a really special night,” Daccord said. “I’m just trying to put everything all into perspective. I grew up through and through a Boston sports fan. I was here when the Bruins won the Cup. I went to Game Six, it's been a long road. Obviously, I’m pretty old for a rookie (laughs), and this is my first time playing in the Garden. It couldn't have been more special to have an effort from our group the way that we had tonight. So many guys had great games and we just grinded out a great win. And, you know, for me personally, this is a really special night. I'm really excited to go see my family and friends. And to share the moment with them because it was really special and pretty emotional for me.”