Kraken Fall to Bruins in Boston, Split Season Series Despite Power Play Spark
The Seattle Kraken couldn’t quite recreate the magic from their 7-4 win over the Bruins nine days ago. This time, it was Boston who held serve on home ice, skating away with a 4-2 victory on Thursday night. With each team taking one game apiece, the season series wraps up all square.
But despite the loss, there were some encouraging signs for Seattle-particularly on the power play and in the return of a key defenseman.
Montour Returns, Delivers Instant Impact
Brandon Montour made his long-awaited return to the lineup after missing a month with a surgically repaired hand-and wasted no time making his presence felt.
Midway through the second period, Montour drew a slashing penalty from Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov. It was a physical play that left Montour in visible discomfort, sending him down the tunnel for evaluation. Given the nature of his injury, there was real concern that his night-or worse, his comeback-might be cut short.
But Montour came back, and he came back with purpose.
Just as Zadorov’s penalty was winding down, the Kraken pushed for a scoring chance. Eeli Tolvanen dropped the puck down low to Montour, who fired a slap shot wide of the net.
It wasn’t the shot that made the difference-it was the chaos it created. The puck caromed off the boards and found its way to Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei, who tried to clear it but put it right on Tolvanen’s stick.
Tolvanen didn’t miss, lifting the puck short side past Jeremy Swayman for Seattle’s second goal of the night.
Montour picked up the primary assist on the play, a fitting reward for a player gutting it out through injury.
“I’m not fully healed,” Montour said postgame, “but healed enough to get back in the fight with the guys and keep this on the right track. Obviously, tonight wasn’t a good result-a tough two early on, need to clean up our starts-but for the most part I thought we were pretty solid.”
His return is a big boost for a Seattle blue line that’s been banged up and inconsistent. The hope now is that he can stay healthy and continue to round back into form as the season wears on.
Power Play Delivers-But So Does Boston’s Pressure
Both of Seattle’s goals came with the man advantage, which is notable considering the Kraken have been hovering around the middle of the league in power play efficiency. On Thursday, though, their special teams showed up early.
Seven minutes into the first period, with Jonathan Aspirot in the box for holding Kaapo Kakko, the Kraken wasted no time. Chandler Stephenson won the draw cleanly, Matty Beniers dropped it back to Vince Dunn at the blue line, and Dunn zipped a cross-ice feed to Jared McCann. McCann’s shot was on target, and Stephenson-who started the whole sequence-got the tip to beat Swayman and cut Boston’s lead to 2-1.
That was the kind of quick-strike execution you want to see from a power play unit-and it didn’t stop there.
The second goal, as mentioned, came from Tolvanen on another power play opportunity, with Montour helping set the table.
But it wasn’t all good news on special teams. Later in the second period, the Kraken gave up a costly shorthanded goal.
A miscue in the neutral zone led to a turnover, and Mark Kastelic took full advantage. He beat Beniers to the puck, carried it into the Kraken zone, and buried it past Joey Daccord for Boston’s third goal of the night.
That one stung-it was a momentum-killer during a stretch where Seattle was pushing to tie things up.
Head coach Lane Lambert still saw positives in the way his power play units performed.
“They were really good on the power play,” Lambert said. “There were opportunities on the other ones, and both units were good tonight.
I thought we mixed it around well, but you look for your power play to make a difference at big moments, and they’re not always going to do it. To score that first goal after we had gone down 2-0, to score in the fashion that we did within five seconds of the faceoff, I thought that was an outstanding job by them.”
He’s not wrong-the power play did its job. But when you give up a shorthanded goal and struggle at even strength, it’s tough to come out on top against a team like Boston.
Looking Ahead: One More Stop on the Road
With the loss, the Kraken drop another tough one on the road. They’ll wrap up their five-game road trip on Saturday, Jan. 17, when they face off against the Utah Mammoth.
Montour’s return, the power play progress, and flashes of strong puck movement are all things to build on. But Seattle will need to tighten up their starts and sharpen their transition game if they want to get back in the win column before heading home.
The good news? They’ve shown they can hang with top-tier teams. Now it’s about putting together a full 60 minutes.