Kraken Again Storm Out Early And Don’t Relent

ELMONT, NY -- There was nothing magical or mysterious to how Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn on Thursday night ended his nearly two-month scoring drought for goals and multi-point games.

It happened much the same way the Kraken quenched other droughts in this 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders, be it Dunn’s goal on a three-point night, Tye Kartye’s first marker in 11 games or some rare power play chances converted by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Shane Wright. All those happenings had commonality; players getting to the net front for deflections and screens all night long.

“There were a lot of high-pressure situations that made it hard on their D to defend,” Dunn said after the Kraken’s second straight win to start this East Coast road trip. “I think you can see that the last six periods we’ve really focused on making sure we’re skating the right way with the puck, not bringing it back all that often and making life a little bit harder on goalies too.

“I think you see a lot of guys just getting to the net, being already at the net, so that creates a lot better odds of getting goals.”

Dunn added a pair of assists to his first goal since the Oct. 8 season opener in just his third game back from a six-week injury layoff. And though Dunn would argue afterward that this wasn’t his best defensive game, his offensive contributions have added another dimension to a Kraken squad once again back to .500 at 13-13-1.

“Some nights it just goes your way a little bit better than others,” Dunn said. “But I think as long as I’m continuing to push myself, especially when…missing a long time it’s hard to get your legs going and your puck touches at first.

“So, with the team playing so well it just makes everything so much easier for me and the bounces are coming my way.”

Kraken goalie Joey Daccord kept a shutout bid until there was 8:03 remaining in regulation when Noah Dobson put the puck in off the netminder.

Islanders coach Patrick Roy then pulled his goalie for an extra attacker with just over six minutes to go and Maxim Tsyplakov pounded home a rebound off a scramble in front with 4:25 left.

But Jaden Schwartz sealed it on an empty net in the final three minutes, his third straight game with a goal. Brandon Tanev drew an assist on the play in his 500^th NHL game.

The Kraken victory guarantees them at least a .500 mark on this four-city trip. As was the case against Carolina, the Kraken headed into this contest ready to play and again struck early courtesy of Kartye’s goal just 2:48 into the contest.

Dunn would draw the assist, firing a puck toward the vicinity of the net as Kartye found position down low just to the right of goalie Ilya Sorokin. Kartye’s ensuing deflection sent the puck to the right as Sorokin was headed left and the Kraken were ahead to stay on a night they thoroughly outhustled their opponent.

So total was their dominance by the game’s midway point that Islanders fans at UBS Arena were raining down boos as the beleaguered home team struggled to mount any offensive pressure at all.

Bjorkstrand had given the Kraken a 2-0 lead by the first intermission, getting his stick on an incoming Dunn shot during a power play opportunity in which the Islanders’ defenders seemed surprisingly passive. It was only the third Kraken power play goal in their last 32 opportunities.

“We’re trying to simplify things a little bit and put it in deep and work from there,” said Bjorkstrand, who has points in seven straight contests after a brief benching last month. “I think we did a pretty good job of that again tonight and the other (Carolina) game. We did a good job of putting it (the puck) deep and hunting it. And making it difficult as well for the other team to have the puck.”

But the Kraken weren’t done from there, with Dunn this time breaking things open just under four minutes into the middle frame. Dunn gathered the puck in the high slot and fired a blistering shot behind Sorokin with Yanni Gourde moving across the net front in a perfect screen.

Then, on another power play chance the latter half of the period, Wright unloaded a shot with Gourde this time standing unmolested directly in front of Sorokin. The Islanders’ netminder again had no chance and the Kraken were now up by four.

“I think it’s a good recipe,” Bjorkstrand said of all four goals aided by players parked near the net front. “It’s obviously harder for goalies when there’s traffic and pucks get directed. It’s hard for them to react. That’s kind of basic in hockey. You want that kind of foundation. But it’s good to see we’re doing it and obviously it’s something we’ve got to be more consistent about.”

Obvious, perhaps. But as Bjorkstrand alluded to, his team hasn’t always done it. Same with fast, energetic starts, which the Kraken often talk about without necessarily putting action to words.

Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said the two things are related, with his team’s up-tempo pace and overall mindset contributing to both the strong start and the determination to get more bodies in front. Bylsma said the first few high-energy shifts of the game set the tone for Kartye’s goal and had the Islanders on their heels throughout.

“Usually a recipe for success at the net is having someone there, having people there,” Bylsma said. “But it’s also a product of just playing a little more direct. Not on the outside. Getting to the middle of the rink. Getting to the net, driving the net and having a mindset that we’re going to get the puck there.”

Having Dunn to put pucks through to the net certainly helped.

Bylsma felt his cannon blast of a shot on his goal “was probably good enough to go in” even without Gourde’s screen making it impossible for Sorokin to see the puck. And that the Kraken now “get to play with the puck a lot more” with Dunn back there making smart plays in the offensive zone and in exiting his own end with the puck.

“When you can do that, it’s a game changer,” he said.

As for Dunn, he’s just glad to see his team reversing its fortunes somewhat after three straight lackluster losses a week ago.

“We’ve got to give some credit to ourselves,” he said. “Right off the start, when we’re playing direct and getting the first goal it really helps bring the confidence throughout the game.”