CALGARY, Alberta — With Friday’s trade deadline already digging at their lineup, the Kraken were knocked around at Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday, particularly the top defensive pairing. Still, Seattle took a 4-2 win from the Calgary Flames, one of the teams ahead of them in the Western Conference wild-card race.
Calgary’s Martin Pospisil drew the Kraken’s ire after similar, dangerous hits on each of the team’s top two defensemen. Just six seconds into the game, Pospisil drove Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson into the boards headfirst. Larsson was a short distance from the glass and settling the puck, bent over slightly, when Pospisil knocked him in so hard his feet flew up and over his head.
Pospisil landed on top of him, the players untangled themselves and play continued without a penalty call. Larsson, who has appeared in 329 consecutive games and every single one in Kraken history, remained on the bench and played a team-high 23:44.
In related news, Seattle teammate Tye Kartye dropped the gloves and tried to fight Pospisil in the second period. It was quickly broken up by officials and roughing minors were handed out.
While the teams played 4-on-4, the Flames tied the game at 1. Larsson still appreciated the 22-year-old rookie’s pluck.
“The kid has a lot of character,” Larsson said. “He’s been proving that time after time.”
Larsson got sweeter revenge on his own, scoring 21 seconds into the third period. Larsson moved up, accepted the puck from teammate Matty Beniers and casually scored his fourth goal of the season. It turned out to be the game-winner.
Pospisil wasn’t finished, though. Larsson’s longtime defensive partner Vince Dunn absorbed a fast, penalized hit behind the Kraken net from the very same Flames forward. Pospisil received a major penalty for checking from behind and a game misconduct.
“Dirty and unnecessary,” Larsson said.
Dunn, Seattle’s highest-paid player, was checked out in the tunnel and didn’t play another shift. He was on the ice for all four Kraken goals.
Coach Dave Hakstol didn’t offer an update on Dunn after the game. He called the hit “garbage” and subtly called for league discipline.
“You’re going to run around like that, you probably need to answer when somebody comes at you, man-to-man, and that didn’t happen either,” Hakstol said, seemingly referencing Kartye’s brief and one-sided fight with Pospisil. “From there, I’ll leave it to the league.
“Both hits were about as bad you get.”
Kraken All-Star Oliver Bjorkstrand gave the Kraken the lead for good shortly after the game’s halfway point. Behind the net, Jared McCann found Bjorkstrand wandering alone and fed him. Bjorkstrand tucked his 16th goal of the season inside the far post to make it 2-1.
McCann was the one to add an insurance goal, scoring on a short-handed breakaway with less than eight minutes left in the third period.
“I was pretty gassed, so I just tried to get the shot off quick,” McCann said. “I like to go low blocker but decided to change it up last second.”
McCann, usually a winger, has mostly played with the top line since the All-Star break. He was pressed back into action at center when Alex Wennberg was held out of the game despite making the trip to Calgary. After the morning skate, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said the reason was “trade-related issues,” a strong indication that pending unrestricted free agent Wennberg is in the process of being dealt to another team before Friday’s trade deadline.
For context, during the inaugural season, the Kraken’s first and only captain, Mark Giordano, was scratched from a March game at Climate Pledge Arena, during which he was honored for playing in his 1,000th NHL game. The Kraken front office didn’t want to risk an injury to Giordano while they finalized things. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs days later.
While that is seemingly happening again, McCann centered Wennberg’s usual line with Jaden Schwartz and Bjorkstrand. Andre Burakovsky, who missed two games with a lower-body concern, re-entered the lineup on Yanni Gourde’s third line.
The Kraken secured the 100th win in franchise history, split right down the middle. Fifty came on the road, 50 at Climate Pledge Arena.
In his fourth straight start, Philipp Grubauer made 36 saves for Seattle.
“It’s always fun to see guys get rewarded coming back from injury,” Larsson said. “He’s finding his game right now.”
Neither team worked a shot through to the opposing goalie in the first four minutes. A chain reaction got the puck to Gourde, who turned in the slot and whipped a wrister past Calgary goaltender Jacob Markstrom’s (26 saves) glove. Seattle’s Eeli Tolvanen bounced a puck up the boards, Dunn tried a shot that didn’t get through, Brandon Tanev nudged it to Gourde and the Kraken were up 1-0.
Seattle didn’t let up and outshot Calgary 11-2 in a clean and motivated first period. Tanev threw his body in front of the puck to stop a potential goal and was shaken up, but not so much so that he couldn’t block a second bid while drifting toward the bench. He briefly went down the tunnel but finished out the period.
Dunn had a previous scare when a Flames shot climbed his own stick and hit him in the face. He left the second period but returned.
After being tossed into the boards by Calgary’s Blake Coleman, Tanev took exception and dropped the gloves with Coleman with 3:35 left in the game.
The Kraken moved into a tie with the Flames, who had won five straight games. Each team has 65 standings points through 61 games. They’re seven points behind the Nashville Predators, who have won eight straight to take a firm hold on the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Nashville has played one more game.
“(This win) puts us right back in it. We feel like we’ve been playing well as of late, but haven’t gotten the results,” McCann said.
“There’s still no quit in our team. We still see it as we can make it. We still believe,” Larsson added.
“Just going to keep believing.”
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