Final Buzzer: Kraken Takeover in Toronto

TORONTO -The Kraken's seven-game road trip has started with two decisive victories over high-scoring teams. First a 5-2 divisional win in Edmonton and, Thursday, a 5-1 takeover in Toronto, where the crowd went effectively quiet over the next 40 minutes of play after the home squad outshot the visitors 10-3 in the first period. The Kraken are now 21-12-4 and third place in the Pacific Division with games in hand on all contenders.
All this goal-scoring and Martin Jones big saves were made even sweeter by Kraken rookie sensation Matty Beniers being named to the upcoming
NHL All-Star Game and Skills Competition
Feb. 3 and 4 in South Florida. Beniers celebrated his warm hockey-centric vacation destination by scoring the Kraken's third goal in another second-period outburst to ring up a 4-1 score against the Eastern Conference power Maple Leafs at the second intermission. Minutes later, ESPN announcers John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes were calling the 20-year-old center as one of the 32 players representing their teams at the ASG festivities.

While Hakstol and GM Ron Francis shared the All-Star news with Beniers before a practice last week, the rest of the team found out Thursday along with NHL fans everywhere.
"We all probably had a hunch based on the kind of year Matty has had and what he brings to the team," said Hakstol. "We're all thrilled for him."

Tolvanen Scores Second Power Play Goal This Week

Seattle got first dibs on goal announcements here at the home of Original Six Toronto when recent acquisition Eeli Tolvanen scored his second power play goal in his first three games for the Kraken. Both goals were one-times for the left-handed Tolvanen set up at the right faceoff circle. Defenseman and power play quarterback Vince Dunn assisted on Thursday's goal and did the same Sunday in the 4-1 home win over the New York Islanders.

Sunday night, right before the two teammates went out for a power play shift, Dunn told Tolvanen to shoot the puck if he gets a pass. Guess Tolvanen kept that in mind here in Toronto too. The 23-year-old also notched the primary assist on linemate Yanni Gourde's game-winning goal Tuesday in Edmonton to make three points in three games.
"He's a shooter," said Dunn about Tolvanen. "I tell him every day, 'whenever I give it to you, don't even think, you do your thing. He makes my job easy out there. It makes me look good. He's got a hell of a shot and he's been a great addition to our power play, a great addition to our lineup."
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Kudos to GM Ron Francis and the hockey operations group. Claiming the ex-Nashville first-rounder off waivers is the sort of under-the-radar move that is certainly paying dividends. Same praise is due the coaching staff for working with Tolvanen to get acclimated to the team's systems of play while keep a couple of hot hands, Ryan Donato and Morgan Geekie in the lineup. Donato was a healthy scratch Thursday with Geekie back in the lineup after sitting out Tolvanen's first two games for Seattle.
Last season, Francis made the point that the 12-forward lineup he and his front office staff imagined after the expansion draft played all of two periods (40 minutes), greatly disturbed by major injuries and the pandemic. Now, said Hakstol, "a good player [in the forward group] who deserves to be in the lineup" has to watch from the press box each game.

Rapid Response

When the aforementioned Gourde was penalized four minutes for high-sticking (and drawing blood), Kraken fans would be justified in worrying about a Toronto power play populated by scoring stars. It looked like the Seattle PK might just goose-egg the full four minutes of the double-minor, but Toronto captain John Tavares tipped a shot from the point to even the score at one goal apiece at the game's halfway mark.
But Vince Dunn, after assisting on his squad's opening, took the response goal thing into his capable hands, scoring unassisted 14 seconds after Tavares tied the game. Dunn picked up a loose puck at the left point and wristed a shot toward the net. Forward Oliver Bjorkstrand skated by the net tussling with a Leafs' defender, effectively flash-screening Toronto goaltender Matt Murray, who could only a partial piece of the puck before it crossed the goal line.

"That was the biggest goal of the game for sure," said Hakstol, the former Toronto assistant who beat his former team for the first time as Kraken head coach. "They tie it up, the momentum can push the other way. For our to group be able to come back and get that goal, that was the turning point of the hockey game."
Dunn racked up three points in the middle period and no doubt the Toronto area native made family and friends happy they attended the game. During a morning skate conversation with the media, Dunn explained he scored his first NHL goal, an overtime winner, here in Toronto as a member of the St. Louis Blues and only because veteran D-man Jay Bouwmeester was a late scratch.

More Kraken Second-Period Wonders

As if Tuesday's four-goal second period wasn't fun enough, the Kraken scored three goals in the final nine minutes of the middle frame after the Leafs scored on the power play, finally solving Martin Jones. Jared McCann notched his team-leading 18th goal to boost the score to 3-1 on a pretty stretch pass by linemate Jaden Schwartz. Dunn got his third point of the period with a secondary assist. Thanks to Schwartz, McCann rushed toward Murray all alone.

Then Beniers hit from long range with the primary assist going to linemate Jordan Eberle. All fitting enough, since Beniers said in an exclusive interview Wednesday that he's "learned the most" playing on a line with the veteran forward and 2022 Kraken All-Star, but also credits Schwartz and McCann with plenty of mentoring and support, plus newcomer Andre Burakovsky.

To complete the scoring, Alex Wennberg scored the fifth Seattle goal on a power play when ex-Seattle captain and now-Toronto defenseman Mark Giordano was in the penalty box.

First-Period Scoreless

The Kraken disrupted the hometown Maple Leafs just enough during the first 20 minutes to keep the scoresheet clean. There were lots of sticks on Toronto passes inside the Kraken zone, solid forechecking to slow down rush chances, and 19 hits from Kraken skaters, highlighted by Kraken D-man and alternate captain Adam Larsson, who hit each member of Toronto's fourth line/checking line during the period.
Kraken goalie Martin Jones turned in a stellar first period, looking calm and in position, what some goalies like to call quiet. He faced 10 shots (to just three for Seattle) and fended off four Grade-A chances, per Natural Stat Trick.
Late period, Toronto went on the power play when Justin Schultz was whistled off for tripping. But the Kraken penalty killers snuffed it out, including a crucial clear by Morgan Geekie, back in the lineup and the PK mix after two healthy scratches.