SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 17: Sebastian Aho #20 of the Carolina Hurricanes and Andre Burakovsky #95 of the Seattle Kraken fight for the puck during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena on October 17, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)Photo: Getty Images
The Seattle Kraken endured a tough night from the exploits of a consensus Stanley Cup contender, as the Carolina Hurricanes cruised, 5-1 over the Kraken before a sellout crowd of 17,151 fans at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday.
The loss was the Kraken’s second in a row (1-2-1), giving up ten combined goals in the process while Carolina dominated shot quality at five-on-five shifts for the game, registering a 61% clip. Penalties continued to haunt the Kraken, who yielded a 2-of-5 effort by Carolina on the power play.
Seth Jarvis and Sebatian Aho put Carolina out to a 2-0 lead by the second period. Andre Burakovsky netted the only goal for the Kraken, on the power play, before Carolina answered with a pair of goals from Andrei Svechnikov in a span of 1:10 before Jordan Martinook put on the finishing touches with 5:19 left in the game.
Three takeaways from the game:
1. SLOW STARTS: The Kraken actually improved in this area compared to a Saturday night that got off the tracks in a hurry when Vegas went up 2-0 in the first three minutes of the game. Seth Jarvis snuck in a goal that leaked past Philipp Grubauer just 3:35 into Monday night, and the Kraken and Philipp Grubauer battled to keep the game close with an array of point-blank saves. Frederik Andersen also made a point-blank save on Yanni Gourde in the first period that could have tied the game, and changed its dynamic. However, the Kraken were left playing the role of chaser the rest of the night and will look for a similar start to last Thursday’s win at Los Angeles –the only time in four tries so far – they have scored the first goal of the game.
2. THE HURRICANES CAME AS ADVERTISED: Carolina is well known for a “boring” brand of hockey, as stated by head coach Rod Brind’Amour before the game, but also for its effectiveness. Nobody was better at suppressing shots and preventing goals than Carolina last season, en route to the Metropolitan Division title. The Kraken had to earn a majority of their 23 shots on net, battling an interrupted transition game and through quick stick work and a physical approach by the Hurricanes in their own zone. Carolina is now 3-0 to begin the season.
3. THE POWER PLAY SHOWS MUSCLE AGAIN: The Kraken scored a power play goal for the fourth consecutive game and are tied for fifth best in the league (33.3) with the Flames, Rangers, and Blues. The off-season moves have begun to make an impact on those fortunes. Jordan Eberle’s filthy cross-ice pass to a new guy in town, Andre Burakovsky, converted Burakovsky’s fifth point in four games to lead the Kraken offensively.
The Kraken will host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday at 7pm PT, looking to salvage a win in the three-game homestand finale.