Late last March, the Kraken flew into Nashville for a two road games over three days that could provide breathing room between Seattle and the nearest contender in the playoff standings vying for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Kraken lost the first game on Thursday night, 2-1, in a shootout, earning one point while the hometown Predators gained ground with two points and the potential of sweeping the two-game set come Saturday afternoon. A Nashville sweep would tighten the postseason race with about 10 games looming before regular season’s end.
That Friday evening between the two games, Seattle forward Oliver Bjorkstrand was returning to the team hotel after a walk around downtown Nashville. He stopped in the lobby to talk for a few minutes. When asked how the team was feeling about securing that playoff spot, Bjorkstrand was quietly resolute.
“We’re a good team, a better team,” said Bjorkstrand referring to the NHL squads chasing the Kraken in the West standings. “We’re going to be OK. We believe in ourselves.”
Twenty hours later, Bjorkstrand was scoring the final goal in a 7-2 Kraken rout of Nashville as Seattle proceeded to win five of the next seven games after the Nashville visit to clinch the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup Playoffs bid. The Kraken added two more victories to notch a historic 100 standings points in just the team’s second season (the most ever by an NHL expansion team in Year 2). Bjorkstrand scored three more goals during that stretch and provided his usual high standard of all-zones play while facing the toughest opponents’ forwards alongside linemates Yanni Gourde and Eeli Tolvanen.
There is no more qualified evaluator of Bjorkstrand’s worth (the Danish forward went to notch four clutch goals and four assists in 13 playoff games) than Kraken general manager Ron Francis, who is second all-time in NHL assists and renowned for his two-way play. Francis consistently praised Bjorkstrand for the small details of his game throughout the 2022-23 season, whether it was winning 50-50 puck battles in the defensive zone, creating scoring chances for teammates or quick-releasing his elite shot when opportunities presented that option.
Bjorkstrand’s shot percentage (goals scored divided by shots on goal) was 10.1 last season. Based on the raw numbers, Kraken fans can anticipate an upgrade in Bjorkstrand’s goal output for the 2023-24 hockey year based on his career 11.7 shooting percentage, which included these rates of scoring in his final four seasons with Columbus: 14.2, 13.0, 12.6 and 13.0.
Bjorkstrand, 28, is in the prime of his career. Francis talks frequently about players hitting significant stride by 27 years old and remarked on that age milestone when discussing the trade for Bjorkstrand last July. Head coach Dave Hakstol, like Francis earning a contract extension this summer, contributed to the rising Bjorkstrand career arc by pairing him with Gourde (and starting Jan. 1, Tolvanen), plus he found power play minutes for Bjorkstrand too.
A glimpse of what Bjorkstand can do to elevate both his scoring and the Kraken’s fortunes was clear in the franchise’s historic Game 7 first-round playoff win at Colorado. Former Avalanche goalie Philipp Grubauer grabbed the headlines with a stellar 33-save outing, but Bjorkstrand was equally pivotal, scoring both Seattle goals to lift his teammates and the city to jubilation and shocking the fan base of the defending champions (and the Denver newspaper columnist who predicted the “Avs would win the best-of-seven series “in three”).
Bjorkstrand’s first Game 7 goal reversed momentum of the game, which was decidedly tipped in Colorado’s favor. Seeking to make something happen in the offensive end, Bjorkstand dug into a corner in the Avalanche zone three-plus minutes into the second period of a scoreless game. He backhanded the puck out front intended for Brandon Tanev, on for a shift change. Enroute to Tanev, the puck caromed off Colorado forward Alex Newhook’s stick and Colorado forward Ben Meyers’ glove. The two changes of direction led to a knuckler of a “shot” by Bjorkstrand that eluded Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev.
Almost exactly four minutes later, with Seattle facing lots of Colorado pressure, Tolvanen chipped a puck out of the Kraken zone to neutral ice. Bjorkstrand outraced Avs defenseman Devon Toews among others to gather the puck and used his speed up the left side of the ice. He then fired his elite right-handed shot past Georgiev, ringing off the post and then in. Kraken fans likely recall Bjorkstrand hit the post and/or crossbar three times in the contest with no goal resulting.
