Third Overtime is Another Charm

On a road trip that ended with yet another tight and competitive game – and a third overtime in four games -- the Kraken skated away with two standings points against Tampa Bay, dealing the elite franchise its third overtime loss of the season. Seattle heads back to the PNW with five of a possible eight points during the road week and next face Nashville Thursday at Climate Pledge Arena, then two nights later match up with division rival Calgary on Saturday.

After a furious push by Tampa Bay most of the third period, surrendering a Brandon Hagel goal, the Kraken relied on heroics to the geometric power from Philipp Grubauer, the Kraken held on to a 3-3 score to reach overtime. Nick Paul went off for a hooking penalty drawn by Alex Wennberg and a 4-on-3 version of Seattle’s power play converted for the game-winner. Jared McCann scored his fifth goal of the season with an assist from Vince Dunn and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

McCann, Dunn, and Bjorkstrand cycled the puck at the Lightning end while fourth teammate Jaden Schwartz stayed net-front to disrupt the sightlines of Tampa Bay goalie Jonas Johansson. Dunn set up McCann for a powerful shot and, as the winger said post-game, a much more enjoyable six-hour flight home to Seattle. Five points of eight possible, with another point or two just a normal puck bounce out of reach, against four hot teams? Absolutely good stuff.

“It's never gonna come easy in this league,” said Yanni Gourde, who scored against his former team. “Winning is really hard. You’ve just got to bear down to make sure you get those two points.”

November Opportunity Knocks After Grubauer’s 34 Saves

The Kraken figure to be feeling confident about the November schedule, which includes eight home games. A collective competitive edge of the entire squad and solid goaltending was a constant during the trip, with Philipp Grubauer earning his first win of the season Monday as the latest example. In the spirit of what coach Dave Hakstol calls a “good road game,” Grubauer was the main reason Seattle held off a major and extended push by the Lightning in the first half of the middle period, highlighted by a big stop on TBL captain Steve Stamkos. Later in the frame, Grubauer thwarted the underrated Brandon Hagel on a Grade-A backhanded shorthanded attempt that could well have tilted this game in the wrong direction.

Tampa Bay kept coming early third period, with Anthony Cirelli's close-crease attempt staved off by Grubauer, plus another the so-called German Gentleman made on Conor Sheary. By the second half of the final period, Grubauer had faced 30 shots on goal, including 11 Grade-A chances.

In an admirable twist, Seattle was the squad pouring the scoring attempts, nearly two-thirds more than the host with 35 shots on goal during the first 50 minutes. Then the Kraken went more than seven late-game minutes without a shot on goal and Seattle fans everywhere held their breath with each Tampa Bay rush.

The nervousness was reasonable as Tampa Bay was controlling pace and forcing Grubauer to make several clutch saves, including one Grade-A chance from Tanner Jeannot just seconds after the Lightning’s Brandon Hagel had tied the game at three goals apiece with a few ticks less than six minutes remaining.

With less than three minutes left, Grubauer met the challenge of a close-in shot from Brayden Point, who was attempting to take back the team's solo goal-scoring lead since Hagel had scored his sixth of the season just a few shifts earlier to tie his teammate. With less than a minute left in regulation, Jeannot hit the post before Grubauer was able to cover the puck.

Off and Skating and Scoring

The Kraken started fast on the last stop of this four-game road trip, sending 20 shots on goal against Tampa Bay goaltender Jonas Johansson. The Lightning’s interim goalie (as all-world Andrei Vasilevskiy mends from long-term injury) had shut out Carolina and San Jose in back-to-back wins last week but allowed three Seattle goals before the first intermission.

Summer free-agent signee Brian Dumoulin scored his first goal for the Kraken on an extended cycle in the Tampa zone. Early on, Johansson struggled to control his rebounds and paid for it when Dumoulin opened the scoring.

Dumoulin, who is partnering on defense with his fellow two-time Cup-winning teammate, Justin Schultz, started the play on which he cashed in. Schultz picked up the primary assist on the goal when his shot from the right point caromed off Johansson right to the unchecked Dumoulin finding open space and an open net. Jaden Schwartz, who tallied two assists in the first period alone, earned an assist for working the tough area of the boards to keep the puck in the offensive zone. As Dumoulin debuted his scoring touch for Seattle fans, Schultz recorded his 300th NHL point (65 goals, 235 assists).

Gourde Scores in Former Hockey Home

During the game’s first TV timeout, former Tampa Bay fourth-liner Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was celebrated by Lightning fans with a noisy ovation for his hard-nosed work on ice over two seasons in Tampa with Bellemare acknowledging the love with a high-gloved wave. A bit later in the first period, another former TBL fan-favorite, Yanni Gourde, was saying his own sort of hello to the crowd.

Taking a beauty of a backhanded saucer pass from Kailer Yamamoto, Yanni Gourde scored the Kraken’s second goal of the game and his second goal of the season. Yamamoto scored on the power play late first period for a two-point and the continuing admiration of teammates and coaching staff alike.