Misguided Matinee for Kraken

SAN JOSE – There’s no getting around this Black Friday matinee was a rough outing for Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who surrendered eight goals on 26 shots on goal. There were turnovers and other breakdowns that contributed to an 8-5 defeat, but by any measure, Grubauer didn’t measure up to his own standards. Kraken skaters were resilient, especially in getting the visitors back within a goal by the second intermission.

But the third period played out with two more San Jose goals, including a first NHL goal for one rookie, Ethan Caldwell, just called up from the AHL and a second goal of the game for journey D-man Jake Walman. The 8-5 final puts Seattle’s record at 11-12-1, with a rematch set for 7 p.m. Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena. The defeat negated a pair of power-play goals from Shane Wright, upping the scoring rate to two points per game since he returned to the lineup from a short hiatus, plus an end to a long goal-less streak for the Kraken power play.

Both Oliver Bjorkstrand and coach Dan Bylsma agreed that playing the Sharks again in less than 30 hours had some positives.

“In this scenario, I think it's a good thing,” said Bjorkstrand, who had a goal and assist with five points in his last four games. “I think we have something to prove tomorrow. It's got to be a statement game.”

“I think you know all of the underlying story parts of this game, where we went wrong, what we didn't do, you can put to bed real quickly with an opportunity tomorrow night,” said Bylsma, who added the coaching staff did look at all scenarios involved with potentially removing Grubauer from the game given Joey Daccord was on a rest day as the presumed starter in net Saturday.

Next: What do the players need to say to each other after this type of loss during a schedule stretch that everyone on the roster and coaches' room knew to be weak to make up ground in the Pacific Division and wild-card standings?

“Ultimately, it comes from the guys in there [locker room],” said Bylsma. “Certainly messaging from the coach, but it's about us, and it's about us putting our best foot forward, night in and night out. When it comes from the guys, when it comes from the group, it's more meaningful. There’s a bigger buy-in. Sometimes, you have to get tested to bring that out in the group. ‘[Saturday] night's game, we have to use that opportunity to make a change.”

The defeat negated a pair of power play goals from Shane Wright, upping his scoring rate to two points per game since he returned to the lineup from a short hiatus. Plus, the pair of goals put an end to a long goal-less streak for the Kraken power play.

A Second Period to Shake Off

The second period here featured six goals and a nightmare scene for Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer. He surrendered four of those scores, including three straight goals, to reverse a 4-3 Seattle lead into a 6-4 San Jose advantage. It started with Will Smith, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, taking a stretch pass to beat Grubauer from the right faceoff dot with the puck dribbling through the goaltender’s leg pads. It’s fair to say Grubauer would like that one back.

Seattle regained the lead with Wright’s second power play of the afternoon. With solid cycling of the puck, defenseman and power play quarterback Ryker Evans moved the puck to Stephenson down low on the right side. The veteran center quickly sent the puck cross-ice to an open Wright, who buried it for his fourth goal of the year. He now has three goals and three assists in the last three games since coming back into the lineup.

But just over a minute later, the Sharks notched their own response goal (scoring within two minutes of another goal) to get the score back to 4-4. Defense Jake Walman ripped a rocket (measured as the Sharks' fastest shot of the season. Over the next five-and-a-half minutes, San Jose jumped out to a 6-4 advantage. The goals were scored by Sharks leading goal scorer Mikael Granlund, his 10^th of the season, at 13:10, then less than a minute later, Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick in the 2024 Draft, scored his eighth of the season. On the Granlund goal, Grubauer quickly flung the puck from his net. The Celebrini goal came off a Ryker Evans turnover in the neutral zone, affording Fabian Zetterlund a rush chance, dishing to Celebrini, whose shot was so hard it quickly ricocheted in and out of the back of the net. Grubauer flung that puck out of the net, too, as well as the seventh goal of the game tallied by the just-called-up Cardwell in the third period.

To their credit, the Kraken skaters fought hard to halve the lead, still working at top pace in the final minutes. The effort paid off, with Yanni Gourde battling a net-front scrum to pull the Kraken within one after a bevy of scoring chances in the final moments of the period.

First Shots on Goal Both Go In

This game didn’t start positively for either goaltender on Friday. The home-squad Sharks scored on their first shot on the goal just over two minutes into this matinee affair. San Jose defenseman Timothy Liljegren scored his third goal of the season with assists from Tyler Tofolli and his linemate and an original Kraken, Alex Wennberg. Liljegren’s hard shot from the right faceoff circle ripped the upper left corner with the Kraken starting goalie deep in the crease.

Just 56 seconds later, the Kraken line of Shane Wright centering Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen continued their strong work together since the rookie Wright was reinserted into the lineup last Monday in Anaheim. With extended Seattle possession on the offensive end, the Sharks were attempting to exit the zone a couple of strides from the blue line. But Wright, who was on or around the puck on every shift during the first 20 minutes, disrupted the exit attempt to free up Tolvanen. The Finnish forward backed a diagonal pass from atop the left of the faceoff circle, finding Bjorkstrand near-right of the goal mouth for a quick-released that elevated past SJS goalie and original Kraken expansion draft pick Vitek Vanacek.

It marked the Kraken’s first shot on goal. Strong forechecking by both Tolvanen and Wright (who had jumped back into play after being knocked down behind the San Jose net). Tolvanen earned the only assist but the response goal doesn’t happen without Wright’s prevent move.

Third Time Charming for Kraken Power Play

There were a pair of goals tallied between the opening two scores that knotted the game at 2-2. But the context of the third Kraken goal of the first period is too overbearing to delay its unfolding. After two Seattle earlier power plays that didn’t impress, veteran Sharks defenseman Cody Ceci was whistled off for slashing Jaden Schwartz with just more than a minute left in the frame. The Kraken started that third power play with an 0-for-21 streak in their last seven (or 0-for-23 if you reach back into the Nov. 14 Chicago in which the Kraken scored a man-advantage but went scoreless on their last two power plays in the home win.

Twenty-eight seconds later, Shane Wright was ideally positioned near-net at the far post, allowing him to slam home the rebound off an Oliver Bjorkstrand one-time shot that Sharks goalie Vanecek couldn’t control. Seattle center Chandler Stephenson picked up with a deft touch pass to Bjorkstrand. The wrong kind of power play streak was over, and soon the period, with a 3-2 Kraken lead at the first intermission.

Ok, now for the aforementioned second Kraken goal to tie the game at 2-2. Just 33 seconds after San Jose regained the lead at 2-1, Chandler Stephenson was at the left faceoff circle, slipping away with the puck after new linemate Ryan Winterton rode his mark and Jaden Schwartz outworked two Sharks defenders to leave the puck open to Stephenson who went straight to the crease, deking Vanecek for his second goal of the season. Schwartz picked up the assist and looked happiest in the goal celebration, giving Stephenson a huge hug.