Kraken season opener 'special' despite loss to Blues in Bylsma debut

SEATTLE -- For Dan Bylsma, it wasn’t so much about how he felt on Tuesday, when he stepped on the bench as a regular-season NHL coach for the first time since he held the same position with the Buffalo Sabres in 2016-17.

It was about how he felt on Sept. 19, the first day he started coaching the Seattle Kraken at training camp. That feeling of wanting to do something special here started then.

“I just think that the mindset that ‘Ebs’ (captain Jordan Eberle) and the guys have in that room has really been enjoyable and enlightening to me,” he said after the Kraken’s 3-2 season-opening loss to the St. Louis Blues at Climate Pledge Arena.

“We all think we have something to prove, whether it’s our last year, whether it’s me whatever it is (last being an NHL head coach) seven years ago. Every one of us has a mindset that we’re going to change this around. We’re going to do whatever it takes to put a winning product on the ice. It wasn’t on the bench tonight. It was in training camp that the guys gave it to me.”

True, but Tuesday was the start of a new era, the Bylsma coaching era, as the Kraken try to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which they last qualified for in 2022-23, the second season in their history. Bylsma was named Kraken coach on May 28 after he coached Coachella Valley, the Kraken’s American Hockey League affiliate, the previous two seasons.

Tuesday was also monumental for Jessica Campbell, who was standing alongside Bylsma as the first woman to be a full-time assistant coach in the NHL. Campbell, Bylsma’s assistant in Coachella Valley, was hired by the Kraken on July 3.

The crowd gave solid cheers to the trainers and staff during the pregame introductions. When Campbell’s name was announced, the Climate Pledge Arena crowd roared. Campbell stood stoic through most of the cheer, but a small smile spread across her face as the camera panned to Bylsma.

“I was waiting to see if the reaction to me was going to be as loud. It wasn’t,” Bylsma said with a smile to laughs.

“I think there are moments as we start this season for all of us that are firsts. Ebs being a captain, it’s long overdue. It’s great to see him step on the ice as a captain for our team. (Forward) Shane Wright, he’s got a journey and he's stepping on the ice, now presenting himself as a full-time NHLer. That’s great for him. I don’t think it can be overlooked, Jessica Campbell, being a female coach in the National Hockey League for the first time. It’s great for her, great for the game.”

Bylsma and Campbell are looking to bring great things to the Kraken, who two seasons ago advanced to the Western Conference Second Round before losing to the Dallas Stars in seven games. But they struggled last season, finishing sixth in the Pacific Division (34-35-13). Creating offense was a big problem, as the Kraken were 29th in the NHL in averaging 2.61 goals per game. They were 25th in the League with 28.6 shots on goal per game.

Tuesday was just one game, but it was an encouraging one in most aspects. The Kraken had a 2-0 lead and were outshooting the Blues 21-7 midway through the second period. They dominated in the first period, keeping the Blues hemmed into their own zone and keeping the pressure on St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington.

“Tonight was special,” Eberle said. “Obviously, not the result we wanted. We saw a lot of good, saw a sleepy four minutes but I think that all in all, I thought we played a pretty good 56 minutes and then four minutes killed us.”

Indeed, the Blues had one massive push that proved the difference, scoring three times in a 1:55 span in the second period.

It wasn’t the end result the Kraken were looking for, but it didn’t diminish their outlook on things or dampen a historic day.

“First one’s out of the way,” said defenseman Vince Dunn, who scored the Kraken’s first goal of the season 27 seconds into the second period. “We have 81 more opportunities to play well, and there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll bounce back from this one.”