Appreciation for Schwartz
It’s not news to avid Kraken fans, but Schwartz’ detail work in all zones can be lost at times when purusing the scoresheet. Yes, he gets a number of assists by retrieving a puck in the defensive and quickly sending it up for a scoring sequence. Other times, he does the same but touches too many teammates’ sticks to earn an assist.
He makes any number of smart and effective defensive plays on the forecheck too. By all accounts, he is a vocal leader in the dressing room and has been the teammate who hosted dinner when young teammates such as Matty Beniers and Shane Wright arrived in town to play their first playoff games.
Near-Misses Scattered Throughout the First Period
While the first period here Saturday night felt dominated by several near-miss scoring attempts by the Kraken, the final result was not only a 1-0 lead for Calgary but also five high-danger chances for the Flames compared to one for Seattle. The lone goal materialized on a late-period power play with defenseman Josh Mahura whistled off for slashing during a net-front sequence in which CGY forward Nazem Kadri had two close-in wrist shots plus a poke shot, all saved in succession by goaltender Joey Daccord.
With Mahura off, the Kraken penalty killers held the Flames to one shot on goal for the first minute-plus of the PK. Following a PK clear, the Flames re-entered the Kraken zone with less than 15 seconds to play but lost control of the puck as it headed left of the goal. Daccord, normally surehanded when he comes out of his crease to play the puck, whiffed this time, and the puck ended up at the left point on the stick of winger Blake Coleman when teammate Mikael Backlund rimmed it around the boards.
Daccord was back in net but likely not fully settled. Coleman’s shot zipped past net-front traffic that included elite killer Brandon Tanev trying to block the shot and Calgary defenseman Rasmus Anderson setting a screen (not his usual locale on the ice). It’s the first 2024-25 goal for Coleman, who won two Cups in Tampa Bay playing with Yanni Gourde.
About those several tantalizing Kraken chances: Leading scorer Jared McCann (seven points in five games before Saturday) had two Grade-A shots on an early-game power play, with one blocked and the other shot wide. On the same power play, Andre Burakovsky couldn’t quite corral a high hockey-IQ pass from Jordan Eberle, missing out on a gaping net.
Mid-period, linemates Jaden Schwartz and Oliver Bjorkstrand looked to be securing another highlight-reel 2-on-1 rush with the Schwartz pass allowing Bjorkstrand to deke Calgary goalie Dan Vladar out of position, but Bjorkstrand lost the puck just before he was ready to backhand it over the goal line. There were more near-misses, but you get the idea.