The Seattle Kraken began a California road trip on Monday night by visiting the lowly San Jose Sharks. Although Wednesday is the big one in Los Angeles to face the Kings – the nearest team they can mathematically catch to make the playoffs – it was important to not overlook the Sharks. This was especially true since some out-of-town score-checking would have revealed that the Kings fell to the Winnipeg Jets.
To that point, it was nice to see a rather different-looking Seattle side on the ice, both concerning the lineup and the spirited effort that led to a 4-2 victory. Here are three takeaways.
Shane Wright’s Memorable Evening
Last week we wrote extensively about the Kraken’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Unlike the NHL squad, the Firebirds are having a terrific season and feature a roster replete with talent and depth, at least by AHL standards. Last week Ryan Winterton and Logan Morrison got the call (Winterton played last night). The Kraken brought up Shane Wright for the match versus the Sharks. Astute followers will remember that he was the club’s first-round pick in the 2022 Draft.
Despite being such a prized selection, he only partook in eight contests in 2022-23, and last night was but his fourth for the 2023-24 campaign. All the same, it’s important to make an impression at times like this. It’s the part of the season when average clubs like Seattle will start to try new things, see what sticks and possibly carry that into the following season.
Related: Kraken’s Jordan Eberle Tallies Assist for 700th Career Point
Wright did himself and head coach Dave Hakstol proud, scoring off a Jordan Eberle pass in the first period. Beyond that, it was his first goal of the season (the second of his NHL career), and it happened at a critical moment in the match. San Jose had halved Seattle’s advantage from 2-0 to 2-1 only minutes before. However poor the Sharks have been this season, it was important to deflate the momentum they had retrieved. Rather than heading back to the locker room with a one-goal lead, the Kraken were cruising with a two-goal cushion.
Kraken Start Strong with Early Goals
Speaking of the excellent first period, Seattle scored goals! Plural! We’ve discussed again and again how it’s been a rough campaign offensively for the Kraken. The sort of moxie the group showed in the opening frame was a refreshing change of pace.
It wasn’t just that the Kraken scored three times – a fourth was cancelled out via a successful offside challenge – it was how the visitors took the initiative. They got the party started only 29 seconds into the opening stanza. Some excellent forechecking resulted in familiar Sharks sloppiness in their zone, which allowed Matty Beniers to slap home a one-timer for his 13th of the season. The Kraken don’t score early very often, but rather than rest on their laurels, the club continued to press.
Olivier Bjorkstrand hit the 20-goal mark with a brilliant wrist shot from San Jose’s Mackenzie Blackwood’s left side to make it 2-0 and then there was the aforementioned Wright goal. Granted, the only other time Seattle put the puck in the net was with an empty netter late to seal the deal, but the team is at the stage of its campaign when any positives are to be wholly embraced.
Coach Hakstol praised his men’s efforts: “That’s a good way to start the hockey game, especially in this building. We’ve had a couple of nights where we’ve had trouble scoring in here. So that was a good way to get off to a good, positive start” (from the Associated Press, April 2, 2024).
Kraken Hold on as Sharks Press
It was not a perfect performance by any definition. The Sharks have been crushed plenty of times this season, and a Kraken supporter might have believed by the first intermission that it was the Kraken’s turn to have a goal festival. It was not meant to be.
The hosts woke up immediately at the start of the second period. The shot count narrowed significantly and San Jose’s netminder had much less to do during the middle frame. What’s more, the Sharks clawed back with a goal of their own only five minutes into the second period. Given some of the brutally disappointing results the Kraken have suffered, one would be forgiven for worrying that this could be one of those nights when the Sharks not only smell blood but go in for the kill with a comeback victory.
Thankfully, the third period was a more convincing display by the visitors. Only an empty net goal would make it 4-2, but it was not for lack of effort throughout the final frame of regulation.
All in all, the match typified who the 2023-24 Kraken are. There is some good and there is some bad. If the club wants to give itself a chance on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, it will have to play with the same energy as it did versus the Sharks in the first period. The caveat is that the Kings are a lot better than the Sharks.