Ty Nelson and Jagger Firkus kept making their case Sunday, and Seattle’s power play did the rest.
The Kraken beat Calgary 4-2 at the Saddledome in preseason game No. 2, with Nelson scoring his second goal of the weekend and Firkus adding a power-play marker. Logan Morrison supplied the game-winner, his second goal of the weekend and Seattle’s fourth power-play goal across the two games.
Philipp Grubauer handled the heavy lifting in net for more than 40 minutes, much like Joey Daccord did Saturday against Vancouver at CPA. Grubauer cleaned up several defensive-zone mistakes and turned aside 15 of 16 Calgary shots before Nikke Kokko finished the job in the third period. With 70 seconds left and Seattle down two men, Kokko made a huge stop on Dryden Hunt to preserve the win.
Seattle jumped ahead early and kept finding answers. Morrison started the opening goal by carrying the puck into the zone with Jani Nyman, then dropping it to Nelson as the trailer. From nearly the same spot between the circles where he scored Saturday, Nelson snapped a rising glove-side wrister past the Calgary goalie.
Not long after, Firkus buried a power-play chance from the top of the left circle. The puck came to him rolling and slightly deflected, but it didn’t matter - he one-timed a blast home.
Calgary got one back through Aydar Suniev, a third-round Flames pick in 2023, for the first of his two goals.
Suniev tied it with nine minutes left in the third, but Seattle answered right away. Morrison put the Kraken back in front one minute later on the power play with a sharp tip of Tyson Jugnauth’s long-range shot.
J.R. Avon added the empty-netter with Calgary skating 6-on-4.
Seattle’s lineup Sunday was light on regulars. Along with Grubauer, the only full-time Kraken player dressed was forward Ryan Winterton. Curtis Douglas, the 6-foot-9 forward who split time between Tampa and Vancouver last season and signed as a free agent, also made his Seattle debut.
Seven prospects who did not play in Saturday’s 4-2 home win over Vancouver got their first preseason run against the Flames. The group included forwards Carson Rekhopf, J.R. Avon, Mitchell Stephens and Nathan Villeneuve, plus defensemen Kaden Hammell, Caden Price and Gustav Olofsson.
Assistant coach Aaron Schneekloth singled out Nelson, the 5-foot-10, 208-pound defenseman selected by Seattle in the third round in 2022.
“You can see the growth from rookie camp. He looks more comfortable out there.
He’s leaned on some of our veterans. They’ve done a nice job making him feel comfortable, allowing him to play his game.
He’s been a bright spot in training camp.”
Calgary finished 0-for-6 on the power play, while Seattle went 2-for-5.
The teams meet again Thursday at Climate Pledge Arena, with puck drop set for 6:40 pm.
In Other News...
Kraken Prospects Just Made Seattles Roster Battle A Lot More Interesting
Preseason games can be easy to shrug off, but Seattles 4-2 win over Vancouver at Climate Pledge Arena had a little more weight than the usual September tune-up. With the regular season coming with a shortened preseason attached, every chance for young players to make an impression matters a little more, and the Kraken got useful looks from a group of prospects who kept pushing the pace and giving the coaching staff something to sort through.
Jani Nyman, Logan Morrison, Ty Nelson and Jake OBrien were all part of the nights best stretches, as Seattle mixed in power play chances and a few notable plays at both ends. Joey Daccord also gave the Kraken a steady backbone in net, stopping all 14 shots he faced over two periods, which only adds to the sense that the early roster decisions here are going to be more competitive than expected. [Read more 🡒]