Final Buzzer: Tilt! Kraken Jar Pacific Division Leaders

Anyone looking at the Pacific Division standings and expecting a one-sided game Friday? Wrong.

The Kraken once again lived up to what centerman and alternate captain Yanni Gourde calls "doing the right things" in recent games, defeating division leader Edmonton and its high-powered offense in a 4-3 Friday night thriller at Climate Pledge Arena.
The Kraken, now 9-13-2, have a four-game standings points streak, winning three of four games and losing in a shootout. It adds up to seven of a possible eight points and a much brighter outlook on competing for a playoff spot.
What's more, look at the top of the standings in each conference. In the East, Seattle has beaten Washington (Metropolitan Division leader) and Florida (Atlantic Division leader), plus Carolina when it was leading the Metro. In the West, Edmonton is now in the Kraken's 'W' column and same for Central division leader Minnesota (a Seattle victory earlier in the season).
The Kraken opened the scoring at Climate Pledge Arena less than a minute into the game.
Yes, Edmonton's and the NHL's leading scorer, Leon Draisaitl, knotted things seven minutes into the period.
But by first period's end, the Kraken were back ahead on the strength of an Adam Larsson goal scored with five of his former Edmonton teammates on the ice and the rest in nearby front-row bench-view seats.
Yes, Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard tied up the game again, 2-2, scoring eight minutes into the second period on a long Oilers puck possession in the Seattle end. The replay appeared to show at least one and possibly two screens on Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer's sightlines to the puck.
But by second period's end, the Kraken rebounded with two goals. It's what Kraken coach Dave Hakstol calls "tilting the ice."
"We were competitive all night," Hakstol said after the game. "We managed the puck well and put ourselves in good spots ... we had contributions from everybody in the lineup."
Hakstol is an even-keeled leader, but he did add some levity to assistant coach Paul McFarland taking a puck to the forehead during the game. Hakstol said NHL Network was on in the victorious locker room and added he didn't understand how McFarland wasn't "First Star" because never left the bench or missed a play.
"I'm 'glad' that one hit him," said Hakstol, ending his remarks. "I didn't see it."
By game's end, the Kraken earned every decimal of the two standings points. As usual, the Kraken crowd was Seattle-worthy loud and once again resoundingly entertained. The final minute was basically a 6-on-4 Edmonton advantage (empty net and questionable penalty call on Larsson) with the world's best two scorers on the ice for the division leaders.
The last four-plus minutes was not for the faint-hearted. Somebody check if former NHL Seattle senior advisor of hockey operations and current Oilers coach Dave Tippett even took stars Draisaitl and Connor McDavid off the ice in those final minutes.

The first second-period Seattle goal was a highlight-reel beauty by Colin Blackwell (his second of the year), who took a one-touch pass from fourth-line mate Kole Lind (his first NHL point) who had received the puck from fourth-line mate Riley Sheahan (he and Lind were both on the American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte roster this time last week).
Blackwell split the Oilers defenseman (they might have been thinking dump-in rather than a Blackwell gush of a rush) and scored on a deke and back-handed shot. He was leaping with excitement once the goal light went red.
"I kinda blacked out to be honest," Blackwell said when asked about the goal.
Alex Wennberg made it 4-2 Kraken after 40 minutes, first passing cross-ice and back to the point on defenseman Jamie Oleksiak's stick. Oleksiak, playing more and important minutes in captain Mark Giordano's absence, waited a second or two, then sent the puck right back.
From there, Wennberg followed a pattern all night here in the first game of a four-game homestand: A shoot-first mentality. Get the puck on net, don't make the extra pass.
It started with a rapid-fire, longer-range Yanni Gourde shot that found net 41 seconds into the game. Possible the scouting report on EDM rookie goalie Stuart Skinner suggested shooting fast? Or maybe just a change in approach that certainly worked Friday whatever the motivation.

Thriller of a Third Period

The final period was scoreless for nearly 12 minutes. The seemingly inevitable McDavid entry on the scoresheet surfaced when the all-world center tipped a Bouchard shot to make it 4-3 Seattle on Edmonton's 28th shot of the night.
Grubauer got a piece of McDavid's tip but didn't get it all. Grubauer made a couple handfuls of key saves throughout the three periods. He's also one of the NHL's better goaltenders in terms of stopping play when his team needs the reset. That helped get the right lines out for the Kraken in the final eight minutes.
Grubauer registered big saves in every period to keep the game in the Kraken's reach. He stopped a dangerous 3-on-2 midway through the first period. He made a point-blank stop on Jesse Puljujarvi with two minutes left in the opening period and another on a breakout by Colton Sceviour in the first minute of the second period.
The Seattle goaltender appeared to be aggressively challenging Edmonton shooters all night. He also moved a half-dozen effective pucks up the ice and passes to defensemen, plus one far-from-the-net poke check to ward off Edmonton attackers.

Donskoi in the Details

Joonas Donskoi is one of the more cheerful Kraken players during practices and travel. He is affable with the media. If he's down about not scoring a goal as yet for Seattle, he doesn't show it.
His coaches and teammates are certainly not down about Donskoi. The former Colorado Avalanche forward notched his 12th assist of the season in the first period with a prolonged puck possession that included a pretty spin (cheering crowd) and a swing behind the net to reset the offensive formation.
The end result was Larsson's second goal of the year and second Kraken score in the first 20 minutes. His arms-raised celebration no doubt was in part fuel of scoring on the offensive rush against his former team. Larsson now has two goals and five assists in 24 games and finished last season on Edmonton with four goals and six assists.
Late first period, Edmonton's potent power-play unit was set up for success. The Oilers had already improved on their 36 percent conversion rate in man-advantage situations earlier in the opening period, when Draisaitl scored his 11th power-play goal of the season and his 22nd overall.
Not this time, Donskoi stole the puck in the Kraken zone, skating up ice and promptly drawing a penalty to avoid the 5-on-4 Oilers advantage. With the sides even at four apiece, the period ended 2-1 Seattle. Shots on goal were even, too, with 13 shots on goal apiece.

Iron Man Larsson

With Edmonton reporters and broadcasters in town for Friday's game, it's no surprise Kraken coach Dave Hakstol was quizzed about Larsson after the morning skate. Larsson was appreciated as a premier defensive defenseman by Oilers fans and media alike.
"Adam is relentless on the ice," Hakstol said about his team leader in ice-time per game. "He is a pro in his preparation every day."
During the first intermission, Jen Mueller of ROOT SPORTS Northwest asked if there was any "extra emotion" for Larsson scoring against former mates: "Oh yeah," said Larsson with a hint of a smile.

Oilers Stars Harken Penguins Stars

McDavid and Draisaitl both have 40 or more points in the first 21 games. Draisaitl leads the league with 21 and 41 overall points. McDavid has 15 goals and an NHL-leading 25 assists.
The double-40 in 21 games feat last happened in 1995 with Pittsburgh legends Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. Lemieux finished the season with 161 points (69 goals and 92 assists) while Jagr notched 149 points (62 goals and 87 assists) in 82 games.
Kraken GM and Hall of Fame player Ron Francis knows all about those numbers. He was Pittsburgh's third leading scorer on that squad with 119 points (27 goals and 92 assists, matching Lemieux on the latter).

Sheahan's Drive for Five

Sheahan, signed as a free agent this summer, made the Kraken roster coming out of training camp. He was put on waivers in mid-November but with no NHL team claiming him, the Kraken were happy to keep him in the organization.
Sheahan played several games for the team's American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte, impressing coaches and younger teammates alike with his professionalism and avid two-way play. No doubt the Seattle front office noticed, too. When forward Calle Jarnkrok went down with an injury, Sheahan was recalled during the recent road trip to suit up for the Thanksgiving win over Florida.
While most nights some player on the expansion Kraken if facing his old team (Larsson vs. Edmonton Friday), Sheahan is currently in the midst of playing against five straight former teams. Here's the string: FLA-BUF-DET-EDM-PIT.
Sheahan was drafted by Detroit (Seattle's foe two nights ago), playing six-plus seasons before being traded to Pittsburgh (Monday's upcoming opponent). After two years with the Penguins, he was traded to Florida (last Saturday) before signing as a free agent with Edmonton (Friday's visitor) and then going to Buffalo (last Monday's foe) last year as a free agent. Friday is Sheahan's 584th NHL game.