Kraken Slowed Down in New York

The current road trip started with 16 Kraken goals in the first three games, but the current week has not only stopped the win and points streaks, but slowed the scoring. The first-place New York Rangers dismissed their West Coast visitors with a 5-2 win that went from tight to a three-goal deficit by second intermission. The Kraken have scored twice in the last two games.

The Rangers, entering the game with the NHL’s second-best power play, opened the scorebook Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden during their second man-advantage situation before the first period even reached the halfway mark. The Kraken penalty killers snuffed out their 12^th opposing power play in 13 attempts over the last seven games earlier in the frame, but couldn’t hold off NYR super-scorer Artemi Panarin and center Vincent Trocheck during the next power play.

Panarin skated swiftly through the neutral zone into the Kraken zone before waiting a beat and then finding Trocheck at the back-door post behind and left of starting goalie Chris Driedger. Trocheck tapped in for his 14^thgoal of the season in 43 games (and his 43^rd point) and a good jump on his career-high of 22 goals. Panarin and Trocheck worked the play like linemates because they are and have been hot all season.

But the Kraken worked their own power play magic and fluidity with Oliver Bjorkstrand reversing a pending shorthanded NYR scoring chance and hustling the puck into the offensive zone before slipping a pass cross-ice to Jared McCann, who forked the puck quickly to Jordan Eberle, who had maneuvered into a high-slot primo location. Eberle converted for his sixth goal of the year and second goal in the last three games. Bjorkstrand’s 23^rd assist tied him with Vince Dunn, who missed his second straight game. Both players have 35 points. Bjorkstrand has six points in his last five games.

Eberle was straightforward in his post-game remarks about the Kraken’s need to end this six-game trip on a high note in Edmonton Thursday.

The biggest thing is the ground that we've made up the last month can be slip away pretty quickly if you start losing games,” said Eberle, who logged his fifth multiple-point game of the season with a goal and assist. “I think the next game obviously a must win for us. We got to find a way to get healthy first, then find some energy and some passion.”

Eberle and fellow Tuesday goal scorer McCann both referenced teammates not feeling 100 percent. McCann referenced it as a sickness and Dave Hakstol called the condition “under the weather” after Monday’s matinee in Pittsburgh but didn’t use it as an excuse for the back-to-back losses.

“We’ve got some guys obviously battling some stuff right now, sickness wise,” said McCann. “We're grinding ... the injuries and sickness isn't adding up right now. But we’re gonna stay focused.”

Unlucky to Be Untied

The 1-1 score lasted just 29 seconds with NYR defenseman Eric Gustafsson notching his fourth goal fo the year on the next shift. Kraken D-man Will Borgen blocked a shot attempt but the puck bounded right to Gustafsson, who quickly moved a shot through traffic. Unlucky bounce but it turned out to be an important go-ahead goal. New York’s young forward, Kaapo Kakko, beat Driedger.

Second Period Starts Fast, Then ...

Seattle fired off six shots on elite Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin in the first four minutes of the second period. Whatever was discussed in the locker room at first intermission appeared to be working.

Not so fast apparently: By the 12-minute mark, the home squad was maintaining offensive zone possession long enough to set up a tip-in goal for Blake Wheeler, the former Winnipeg captain (replaced by assistant coach Dave Lowry’s son, Adam) who scored his sixth goal in his first year with the so-called Blueshirts. New York’s young forward, Kaapo Kakko, beat Chris Driedger on a snap shot several shifts later to make it a 4-1 game after 40 minutes. Wheeler scored his seventh goal on an empty net that finished off Seattle’s third-period push.

In the second period we had great opportunities,” said Dave Hakstol post-game. “We didn't execute on the 2-on-1 [in the early minutes of the middle frame]. Shesterkin made the save on ‘Yamo’ and on the 3-on-1 just didn't execute.”

Hakstol mentioned the illness issue as the team heads back West for Thursday’s matchup: “We’ve still got a lot of guys that are fighting through things. It doesn't just clear up in a day, unfortunately.”

Finding Some Success in Third Period

With a vital road game on the docket Thursday against division rival and playoffs qualification contender Edmonton, Dave Hakstol and his players were keen to generate some offense and positive mojo in the final 20 minutes. Paying back his linemate and power play colleague for the first-period assist, Jordan Eberle skated a power-play puck through neutral ice and fed Jared McCann (his team-leading 17^th goal) to make it 4-2. With about five minutes left, Jamie Oleksiak nearly scored net-front on a rebound that would have made it 4-3. But NYR star goalie Shesterkin made the stop and lived up to his billing as one of the league’s best. All in all, it was an energetic 20 minutes for a team that was playing its sixth period in some 30 hours.