Kraken Overcome Trade Noise & Calgary Thuggery, Win 4-2

Even as a Monday contest loomed with the Calgary Flames, the focus of the Seattle Kraken front office has turned to Friday's NHL trade deadline.

That's why Alex Wennberg was held out of the lineup. The Athletic's Arthur Staple speculated that the Swedish center could net a prospect and a 2nd round draft choice from the New York Rangers.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun added that Kraken management pivoted into trade mode once talks on a Wennberg contract extension proved unproductive.

At the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Kraken admirably avoided trade-deadline distraction - and repeated thuggery by Martin Pospisil - to snap Calgary's five game winning streak, 4-2. Each team won both games on the other's home ice.

Phillip Grubauer shined again in the Seattle net, stopping 36 shots, including 34 in the last two periods. Offense was provided by Yanni Gourde in the 1st, Oliver Bjorkstrand in the 2nd, and Adam Larsson & Jared McCann in the 3rd.

1st Period

Warburg, Alberta, population 766, is down to one active NHL coach. Dave Hakstol is behind the Kraken bench tonight, but fellow Warburg native Lindy Ruff has been fired by the New Jersey Devils.

Ruff becomes the 7th coach to lose his job this season. His replacement, incidentally, is former Vancouver Canucks coach Travis Green.

In the first 10 seconds, Martin Pospisil rams Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson's head into the side boards. Legally, according to referees Chris Schlenker and Steve Kozar.

Larsson is on ice and records a plus at 4:04. Yanni Gourde gives Seattle an early lead with his first goal in 19 games, 8th of the season.

Seattle has eight SOG in the first 13 minutes. Calgary has zero. Shot attempts are 24-7 (!) for the visitors. Without stout goaltending from the Flames' Jacob Markstrom, the Kraken could reasonably be leading 3-0 or 4-0.

Matty Beniers has a lot of net to shoot at but rings the post.

14 minutes in, Calgary's Jakob Pelletier twirls around in the slot, shooting twice. The first one is blocked by Will Borgen, the second requires the first save - and a good one - by Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer.

Oliver Bjorkstrand puts his left arm around Dryden Hunt, which isn't allowed. For all the good Seattle has done, they must kill a penalty to keep their lead.

Fortunately, Calgary's power play is ranked 30th (14.4%). They get no goals, and no shots, on the PP.

Back on ice, Bjorkstrand feeds Jaden Schwartz, who pounds the puck into Markstrom as the goalie slides across just in time.

Shots in the period were 11-2 Seattle, with scoring chances just about that lopsided.

2nd Period

What a tough night physically for the top-pairing Kraken defensemen. Vince Dunn deflects an Andrei Kuzmenko shot painfully into the side of his head. On the bench, Dunn checks to see if his right ear is still attached (it is).

The discussion in the Calgary room between periods must have consisted of one word: "Shoot!" The Flames take six SOG in the period's first five minutes, triple the total from the opening 20.

Seattle's Tye Kartye provides retribution for Pospisil's dangerous first period hit on Larsson. Kartye feeds right hands into the Calgary winger, drawing an extra two minutes on top of matching roughing penalties.

The valor is admirable, but the lack of discretion costs Seattle its lead. On the Calgary power play, Kuzmenko banks the puck off Grubauer and in for a 1-1 tie at 7:50.

For 12+ minutes this period, the Kraken were sleepwalking while the Flames were taking target practice on Grubauer. Calgary actually pulled ahead in SOG, 17-16.

Then Oliver Bjorkstrand shows why goal scoring isn't always about skating. Sometimes, it's about finding the right place to stop, when a soft spot in the opponent's defense presents itself.

The Kraken All-Star scores for the third time in four games, his 16th on the season, for a 2-1 Kraken lead at 12:34.

Markstrom stops Beniers' partial breakaway.

Despite Calgary outshooting Seattle 18-9 in the period (20-20 overall), the Kraken will take a 2-1 lead into the 2nd intermission.

3rd Period

Worth noting: On Bjorkstrand's lead goal, he took a pinpoint feed from behind the net by Jared McCann. With trade target Wennberg held out, McCann needed to shift from wing to center. And he delivered.

Revenge is a dish best served with an insurance goal. Right, Adam Larsson? Rocked in the first minute of the 1st period, "The Big Cat" beats Markstrom high glove to increase the Seattle lead to 3-1, 21 seconds into the final stanza.

Seattle gets bottled up in its defensive zone. Pospisil hits the post, then Kuzmenko hits the back of the net for the second time tonight. The Kraken lead is trimmed to 3-2 at 7:46.

Uh-oh. Dunn bats the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty. Calgary can tie on the PP. A deflected puck dribbled into the right post, then Grubauer traps it against the ice while Jamie Oleksiak ties up Andrew Mangiapane's stick. If he doesn't, it's a tie game.

Just 24 seconds after Dunn's penalty expires, Oleksiak high sticks Kuzmenko at 10:33, and - see if this sounds familiar - Calgary can tie on the PP.

There's a goal during the power play all right, but the visitors get it. Seconds after McCann feeds Gourde for a shorthanded chance which doesn't go, McCann steals the puck at the Kraken blue line.

Seattle's top scorer is all by his lonesome over the red line, the Calgary blue line, in on Markstrom, and restores the two goal lead with his 26th.

Pospisil loses his mind with 6:19 left. This time, he smashes Vince Dunn's head into the glass. For the check from behind, he's assessed a five minute major and game misconduct - and if he wasn't getting a call from the NHL Dep't. of Player Safety for the Larsson hit, he surely will for this one.

When Eeli Tolvanen is called for hooking, Calgary pulls Markstrom to create a 5-on-4 with more than five minutes left. The score doesn't change despite a bunch more shenanigans and penalty calls.

Kraken win 4-2, the 100th win in franchise history.