Burakovsky ‘Powers’ Down Jets

Let’s say this: Andre Burakovsky was due, long overdue, 18 games overdue. He dunked the drought on a power play goal with 3:39 remaining in the final period. Burakovsky took the pass from rookie defenseman and power play quarterback Ryker Evan (his first game since Feb. 13, replacing Vince Dunn), then calmly gathered the puck and wristed it hard past All-Star goalie Connor Hellebucyk, who got a piece of it with his glove but not enough. Burakovsky’s goal made it 4-3, marking just the second time since Nov. 4 that Hellebucyk surrendered four or more goals in a game.

The ensuing three-plus minutes were nerve-wracking of course. The final minutes featured three straight thud-thud-thud shot blocks from Adam Larsson, a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare snow angel to smother a netfront puck (welcome back, Pierre), and, best of all, Joey Daccord making a big save on the Jets’ Neal Plonk with seven seconds left. The kicker? Daccord had lost his goalie stick. No wonder he was pumping and swinging his fisted blocker glove when the horn sounded the 4-3 win. His teammates mobbed Daccord and the Kraken clearly have a rising goalie tandem rather than controversy.

“Coming here very late [3 a.m. after winning in Calgary Monday], back-to-back games, such an important game of the season,” said a happy Tomas Tatar, who tied the game at three apiece early third period. “Then we managed to grab two points. I mean, every single guy in this locker room chipped in and it's just great to see ... the camaraderie on this team is amazing.”

Coach Dave Hakstol agreed with Tatar (“Tuna’s goal was huge”) about everyone contributing and made it clear, that no one in that same locker room “cares about who scores,” just getting the standings points. Seattle now has 67 points in 62 games, tied with St. Louis (lost Tuesday) for the third spot among six total wild-card contenders. Nashville, which lost at home in overtime to Montreal, is at 73 points. Los Angeles picked up a point in a late overtime loss to Vancouver, leapfrogging Vegas, and climbing to third in the Pacific with 73 points.

Two Lead Changes, Four Goals, and 18 Minutes of Suspense

Winnipeg entered Tuesday’s game having come back in two straight games after trailing at the second intermission. The Jets didn’t wait the for third period to even the score in this road matchup for the Kraken, instead scoring with nine seconds left in the period.

The scoring vibe continued in the first 102 seconds of the third period. Winnipeg scored just a minute and 17 seconds into the frame when former Seattle forward Mason Appleton (the team’s expansion draft pick from Winnipeg) threaded a pass to linemate Nino Niederreiter. The Swiss-born forward couldn’t quite connect with a shot but the puck caromed off Niederreiter’s shins and eked past Daccord.

But Seattle didn’t sage. Just 25 seconds later, the Kraken were pressuring in the Jets zone. Matty Beniers took a puck from behind the goal line to the side boards left of the Jets' goal. Beniers flung the puck netward, discipling the put-pucks-on-net-and-good-things-can-happen theorem. Scholarly move, because Tomas Tatar, with his back to the net, redirected the puck in mid-air past WPG goalie Connor Hellebucyk. The veteran Tatar celebrated emphatically, understandable given the score was a welcome response goal for Seattle and Tatar’s first in 11 games. He now has seven for the Kraken since coming over in a trade with Colorado (all smart trades don’t have to be executed during trade deadline week).

The Kraken tying goal marked the fourth goal scored in just three minutes and 46 seconds, upping the third-period stakes and score to 3-3 and 18 minutes left to see if one of the two squads could take the two points in regulation.

Daccord Delivers

On the second night of back-to-back games, the Kraken looked maybe a half-stride slower on the puck than the hometown Jets at the start of play in Winnipeg. Joey Daccord, getting his first start since his one clunker of a night this season in a 5-2 loss to Minnesota on Feb. 24, was stellar and helped offset any pacing issues in front of him. His first save on Jets trade acquisition and center Sean Monahan’s in-close wrist shot, just 22 seconds into the opening period, might have been his best of 14 stops in the first period.

Daccord faced three Grade-A chances all told and definitely looked like he took advantage of extra work with goalie coach Steve Briere in practices and goalie ice sessions in the last 10 days. Philipp Grubauer, who played sporadically in the first weeks of returning from injury, credited Briere’s workouts as an integral part of how he stayed sharp and in turn has produced seven straight solid starts since coming off the injured reserve list.

Wennberg Out Again, McCann Excels Again

Center Alex Wennberg was held from the lineup Tuesday for the second straight game due to trade matters. Jared McCann filled in quite ably, adding an assist on the game’s opening goal after notching a shorthanded goal and assist on linemate Oliver Bjorkstrand’s third goal in the last four games. Tuesday, McCann zoomed up ice in mid-first period after linemate Jaden Schwartz backchecked to free the puck, then found Bjorkstrand with a perfect on-the-tape pass. Bjorkstrand moved the puck to defenseman Justin Schultz for an on-off quick-release shot and score.

It's Schultz’s sixth goal of the season, second only to Vince Dunn in the defensive corps. Worth noting: Bjorkstrand (29 assists) and McCann (24 assists) are top goal scorers for Seattle this season, but also rank 2^nd and 3^rd in assists on the Kraken roster. 

Penalty Killers—and Scorers

For the second straight night, Jared McCann sprung for a breakaway on the penalty kill. And he cashed in for a goal both times. Against Winnipeg, PK partner Yanni Gourde moved a loose puck to McCann with a perfect lead and McCann did the rest, making one move on Jets star goalie Connor Hellebucyk (feinting toward the blocker side and then firing upper right corner before Hellebucyk could barely raise his catch glove. McCann becomes the first Kraken player to pull off the “shorty” feat.

Coach’s Son Also Rises

Kraken coach Dave Lowry enjoyed a long NHL career, appearing in nearly 1,100 games and serving as a captain with the Calgary Flames. His son, Adam, is nearing 700 regular-season appearances and was named captain of the Jets this season. He scored a dagger of a goal late second period, beating Joey Daccord from the high slot by taking a pass from ex-Kraken Mason Appleton and just as quickly shooting. The tying goal officially crossed the goal line with just nine seconds left in the middle period.

Daccord worked the puck behind his net just before the scoring sequence, sending the puck up the ice along the side boards to his right. The rookie goalie’s stick work is elite but he might want a second chance at letting that late-late-period puck travel past him and to defenseman Will Borgen to the left side of the net.