The Seattle Kraken left Finland still searching for their first win overseas, and Saturday’s NHL Global Series game in Helsinki never really gave them much of a chance to change that.
Carolina, already rolling into the matchup as the league’s top goal-scoring team and second stingiest defensively, kept right on steamrolling. The Hurricanes beat Seattle 5-1, and the Kraken’s penalty kill was a major reason why. Seattle took five minors and surrendered three power-play goals, with the PK finishing at 65%.
Matty Beniers provided the lone Seattle goal, but even that came in a game where the Kraken spent far too much time chasing. Through two periods, Beniers’ shot was one of just three total by Seattle forwards. By night’s end, shot attempts were 95-28 in Carolina’s favor.
The loss was Seattle’s third straight, including Thursday’s 4-1 defeat to the Hurricanes, and its fourth in the last five games. Carolina improved to 16-3-2, while Seattle fell to 9-8-1.
Seattle did manage to kill a 1st period 5-on-3, but the reprieve didn’t last long. Berkly Catton went off barely two minutes later, and Jackson Blake opened the scoring.
From there, Carolina kept building pressure, even while Seattle had a pair of power plays of its own. The period ended with the Hurricanes ahead in shot attempts 32-9 and on the scoreboard 2-0.
The first Carolina goal came 11 minutes in when Sebastian Aho slipped a behind-the-back, through-the-legs pass to Blake for the finish on the Hurricanes’ third power play of the period. A little later, Mark Jankowski added another when his knuckling shot from the right circle fluttered past Joey Daccord.
Seattle’s best moment came in the 2nd period when Beniers finally broke through. Dropping into his familiar one-knee pose, he hammered a one-timer from the inner edge of the left circle for his fifth goal of the season.
But the Hurricanes answered again, and fast. Andrei Svechnikov scored twice on the power play, including a right-dot one-timer that beat Daccord before he could slide post-to-post. That goal ended Daccord’s night at 10:05, and coach Lane Lambert turned to Philipp Grubauer.
Jankowski capped the scoring in the 3rd period with his second goal of the game, finishing off a transition sequence that left Seattle defenders with no answer.
There were a few bright spots for the Kraken, if only a few. Seattle kept Carolina off the board for the first six minutes, and the team survived that early 5-on-3 despite being without both Brandon Montour and Ryan Lindgren, who took penalties 35 seconds apart. The problem was that the Kraken’s 30th-ranked penalty kill had to weather that storm while two veteran defensemen were in the box.
Lindgren returned after missing 13 games with an upper-body injury suffered Oct. 6 against Vegas.
“It’s a unique experience,” Kraken forward Jagger Firkus said about making his NHL debut overseas. Firkus’ mom and dad were there in time to watch, and he took the traditional solo lap during warmups.
The trip also included some work behind the scenes from the Kraken’s broadcast crew, with PA announcer Chet Buchanan keeping fans informed at Veikkaus Arena and TV voice Everett Fitzhugh working through a hoarse throat.
Seattle now heads back to North America and won’t play again until hosting the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
In Other News...
Kraken Lineup Twist Brewing In Finland As Top Call-Up Pushes In
The Krakens Finland trip produced a little lineup intrigue at practice Friday, with Jagger Firkus joining the group after being recalled from Coachella Valley and taking part in the session ahead of the teams final NHL Global Series game against the Carolina Hurricanes. It was the kind of wrinkle that tends to follow a long road trip, especially when a young forward gets a late call and suddenly finds himself in the conversation for an NHL debut.
Jacob Melanson and Ryan Lindgren were also on the ice as they continue working back from injuries, giving Seattle a few more moving parts to sort through before Saturdays game. With the roster still taking shape and the team already abroad for a showcase event, the Kraken could be looking at a different look than the one that opened the trip. [Read more 🡒]
Kaapo Kakkos Finland Return Showed Kraken Fans Something Bigger
Kaapo Kakkos return to Finland during the NHL Global Series did more than put him back on familiar ice. The Kraken forward spent time with youth hockey players from the HC TPS organization, meeting them in a private suite, signing autographs and taking questions from kids who were clearly thrilled to have a local pro in front of them. It was the kind of stop that can get lost in the shuffle of a road trip, but it said plenty about how Kakko is carrying himself in a different setting.
Kakko also helped make the experience a little bigger for those players by providing tickets and transportation so they could attend an open practice, giving them a closer look at the NHL game they follow from afar. He is also looking into additional charitable efforts through the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund, a reminder that his homecoming was about more than just the on-ice backdrop of the series against Carolina. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Defense Gets A Needed Boost At The Perfect Time
The Kraken got a timely reinforcement on the blue line with Ryan Lindgren coming off injured reserve after a stretch of roughly five and a half weeks sidelined by an upper-body injury. His return gives Seattle a needed defensive option as the club heads into its upcoming game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Helsinki, a setting that only adds to the significance of getting a regular back in the mix.
To make room on the roster, Logan Morrison was reassigned to AHL Coachella Valley. For Seattle, the move underscores how tight the roster picture can get when a key defender is ready to rejoin the group, especially with a trip overseas looming and the team trying to settle its lineup before the puck drops. [Read more 🡒]