Final Buzzer: Point Taken

After a rough start to the just-completed five-game road trip, the Kraken salvaged three of a possible four standings points in the last two games of the trip. Winnipeg pushed Tuesday's contest to overtime with a lucky-bounce goal in the third period, then after a thrilling back-and-forth overtime, the Jets won the shootout with an official 3-2 final score.
Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer starred in net, facing 15 Grade-A scoring chances and 40 shots on goal overall, holding an offensively-gifted Winnipeg to just two goals over 65 minutes of play. The hockey analytics take is Grubauer allowed two goals fewer than the expected four goals based on shot quality. Coach Dave Hakstol credited his goaltender with holding off Winnipeg's pressure and quality scoring chances throughout the second and third periods.
"That's how you win points on the road, good goaltending and the special teams battled, doing the little things," said Hakstol. "Grubi was a big part of that."

"He kept us in the game," said fan-favorite and Manitoba native Morgan Geekie. "There's a save at the end there... In the third, there's another ... Well, there's multiple saves, I can't just pick one. He's been awesome for us. Both our goalies have been great."
"Unfortunately, we couldn't get it done for him tonight. I think we've got to work on scoring some more goals when he's in there."

Making the Point(s)

Kraken analyst and former NHLer JT Brown said on the ROOT SPORTS broadcast: "There are no moral victories losing in a shootout, but as the playoff push continues for the next eight weeks, piling up points two or one at a time will matter, and be appreciated by players and coaches alike."
"Tonight was a hard-fought road game," said Hakstol in the post-game media scrum. "We're disappointed not to get two, but that was a real important road point for us."
"They're heavy, they're fast, and they play well on both ends," said Geekie "I think that's something we do well too. Obviously, these were two evenly matched teams tonight."
Seattle will return home back in third place in the tight Pacific Division with 66 points, behind Los Angeles (67) and Vegas (68). The Kraken have one game in hand on LA and the same number of games played as Vegas.

On It in Overtime

Both teams had their chances to win the game in overtime, with three Kraken shots on goal and two for Winnipeg. Seattle is now 5-4 in overtime games this season while Winnipeg is a stellar 8-1.

Kraken Break the Zero

Just a few shifts after Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak reversed a puck behind the Seattle net instead of rimming it up ice, the top-four D-man redeemed himself by breaking up a Jets rush and sending a stretch pass to fourth-line center Morgan Geekie two zones away. Geekie, with lots of family and friends on hand, made an athletic play to reach out and receive the speeding puck along the boards. Geekie sent the puck net front to linemate John Hayden, who puts it past David Rittich before the WPG goalie could react.

Hayden subbed in the lineup for Daniel Sprong on the fourth line (Ryan Donato was on the left wing). It's his second goal in four games for Seattle this season, spending most of the season with American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley.
The goal was all the more sweeter for Hayden, who turned 28 Tuesday (and happy birthday, too, to future Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer John Forslund who said on-air that age 28 "happened to me once"). The primary assist for Geekie put a smile on his mother's face (picked up by the excellent ROOT SPORTS crew) and the numerous family and friends in the arena to support Geekie, a Manitoba native who grew up about three hours outside Winnipeg.
His brother, Conor, was in the stands too. He was a first-round draft choice last July, selected 11th overall by the Arizona Coyotes. The younger Geekie is a star player with the local Western Hockey League Winnipeg Ice franchise.

Pinball Squared

Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, frustrated late second period after being hit by Adam Larsson, proceeded to take out his anger on Larsson's defensive partner, Vince Dunn. That didn't work out so well. Dubois was whistled off for interference. The Kraken converted on a late power play when Jared McCann put the puck on net (always a sound idea). The shot deflected off two Jets players, the last one former Seattle forward Mason Appleton, then caroming past Rittich to stake the visitors to a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes. Vince Dunn picked up his 31st assist.

But in the third period, puck luck evened out. Dubois scored when his rebound shot pinballed around net front and got by Grubauer by deflecting off Dunn's shin guard. That score sent this contest to overtime. Dubois also sealed the shootout win with the Jets second goal in three chances while Ryan Donato and Jordan Eberle came up short for Seattle.

Goalie Duel Emphasizes Need for Tandem

In today's NHL, a high-performing goalie tandem is vital to a successful run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tuesday's matchup in net, Philipp Grubauer in the Kraken net versus David Rittich for the host Jets, proved the point. Grubauer, who won in Philadelphia Sunday with big late-game saves, earned the start while Rittich was next goalie up when Vezina Trophy candidate Connor Hellebuyck fell ill, non-COVID, and didn't dress.
Grubauer has been impressive since coming back from a long layoff due to injury. In his absence, Martin Jones racked up a pile of wins and stands third in the league in W's with 23. Hellebuyck is second with 25 victories. Rittich is 8-4 in 12 starts and clearly excelling in his role as a 30-year-old NHL career backup.
Both goaltenders turned in clean sheets in the first period with the Jets leading in shots on goal, 12-11, and scoring chances, 15-10. Grubauer's best save of the 20 minutes was a close-in attempt by rookie Cole Perfetti, set up by veteran playmaker and to-date Kraken killer Pierre-Luc Dubois. Perfetti was vying for his 30th point of the season to tie Anaheim forward Mason McTavish with leading rookie scorer Matty Beniers stuck on 36 points and without a goal or assist in the last nine games before Tuesday.
After surrendering two goals in the middle period (one that deflected off not one but two Jets defenders before going in), Rittich made two of his best saves of the night early third period, including a breakaway stop on Jordan Eberle. Just minutes later, Seattle defenseman Will Borgen jumped in the offensive-zone play to ring a shot off the near goal post. Rittich, as per goalie custom, tapped the iron post in appreciation after the puck cleared his zone.
For his part, Grubauer faced twice as many Grade-A chances as his opposite number in net (it was 12 to 6 with nine minutes remaining). He made a full-extension save with less than five minutes remaining during Winnipeg's power play.
Both goalies were outstanding in overtime too. Grubauer faced 40 shots before the shootout and Rittich turned away 27 of 29 Kraken shots.