Kraken Back-To-Back Late Game Heartbreak In 2-1 OT Loss To Coyotes

There's all kinds of nightmares.

One game after three goals allowed to Buffalo in the first six minutes and getting yanked Mar. 18, Seattle Kraken goalie Joey Daccord returned to his college hometown eager for a better showing.

The former Arizona St. University netminder came within 68 seconds of a shutout. But like the Vegas Golden Knights have done twice to Seattle in recent days, Arizona scored a late goal to deny the Kraken a victory.

Then in overtime with two Kraken caught up-ice, the Coyotes' Dylan Guenther scored on a breakaway to provide the latest Seattle heartbreak, 2-1.

Rookie Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans, playing his 24th NHL game, fulfilled a dream by scoring his first NHL goal to break a scoreless tie in the 3rd period.

The Kraken losing streak grows to seven (0-5-2), with the culprit a failure to score in the 1st and 2nd period for the sixth time in their last 10 games.

1st Period

About tonight's unique venue on the campus of Arizona State, via ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism:

• "During 2021-22, the team’s final season in Gila River Arena in Glendale, the Coyotes didn’t sell out a single game while leaving on average 5,000 empty seats."
• "The Coyotes approached ASU about playing in Mullett. An agreement gave ASU priority, along with the Coyotes paying for additions that would make the facility NHL-approved."
• "The school allowed the NHL team to share the facility until the Coyotes built their new arena."
• "Then the team took temporary roots at (5,000-seat) Mullett Arena for the 2022-23 season, the Coyotes sold out every single game in a more intimate atmosphere."

Two great Kraken chances in the first seven minutes. Matty Beniers, re-living his missed opportunity from close range in the final minute against the Golden Knights, misses the mark again.

Jordan Eberle then hits the post from a severe angle. But the iron isn't playing favorites. Arizona's Nick Schmaltz dings the post as well.

Beniers takes a Coyote pass into the family jewels. He's shown on the ROOT Sports telecast doubled over behind the Seattle bench.

Daccord makes a glove snare on 2022's #3 overall draft pick, Arizona's smooth-skating Logan Cooley.

Daccord's best save of the period comes against Arizona's Michael Carcone, who's close enough to see the goalie's eye color (brown) when the save is made.

Tomas Tatar skates wide around a defender and all the way to Karel Vejmelka's crease. Tatar goes forehand-backhand-forehand, but can't beat the Coyotes' netminder. The pressure causes Alex Kerfoot to put a chokehold on Tatar.

Since "chokehold" isn't a recognized NHL penalty, the call is holding. The Kraken power play registers two shots, but can't break the ice. SOG in the period are 11-10 Arizona, goals 0-0.

2nd Period

Amazing how playing in a 5k-seat venue alters the supply vs. demand equation. Look at those ticket prices! Wonder if the ASU economics department uses this as a teaching too.

Both teams take penalties in the first three minutes. The Kraken can't break through on their second power play; neither can the Coyotes on their first. Daccord was forced to make three saves on the Seattle PK, and Arizona shot wide from dangerous areas a couple of times, too.

Where the rest of us see hockey players, Tye Kartye sees bowling pins. Carcone trips Ryker Evans and won't let him up, so Kartye comes rolling in and knocks Liam O'Brien on his wallet (and picks up the spare). Carcone gets penalized, Kartye doesn't.

The Kraken again come up empty on the PP, and truth be told, the Coyotes had the two most dangerous chances while shorthanded.

More than halfway through a 0-0 contest would be an appropriate place to mention that when it comes to goals-per-game, Arizona is 23rd (2.91) and Seattle is 29th (2.65). Which isn't meant as a slight on the goalies - Vejmelka turns in the latest sparkler, on Kartye's steal-and-shoot.

This Daccord save has Jack McBain looking skyward.

Seattle had a 10-7 edge in 2nd period shots, 20-18 after 40 minutes. Goalies Daccord and Vejmelka have stopped them all, including - apropos of the desert locale - a snakebit Brandon Tanev.

3rd Period

Waiting for a goal to call, Kraken TV voice John Forslund promises, "We'll stay here forever if we have to." Going into detail about faceoff statistics, he adds, almost apologetically, "We have to do something."

Earlier tonight in Washington, D.C., the Capitals and Hurricanes combined for 12 goals in a 7-6 Caps shootout victory. Wonder what that looked like.

Still, you can't beat fun at the ol' rink.

Clip-n-save, continued from Thursday. Kraken All-Star Oliver Bjorkstrand has played an even 10 minutes through two periods tonight, more TOI than the entire game against Vegas.

Arizona's Michael Kesselring and Seattle's Will Borgen have a garden variety hockey fight.

First goal watch: now 45 minutes and counting.

Andre Burakovsky, with seemingly all night to shoot from the slot, pounds it off the crossbar. That means he'll get a front row seat on Ryker Evans' first NHL goal.

The 22-year-old rookie defenseman from Calgary makes a memory, and a 1-0 Kraken lead, at 7:40.

Go ahead, watch it again.

Less than a minute later, the lead is in jeopardy when Eeli Tolvanen is called for high sticking. The energized Kraken masterfully kill the penalty. Nine minutes left to protect Evans' goal.

It looks like they can't. Carcone lugs the puck all the way to the crease. Burakovsky knocks the biscuit from his stick, right off McBain's skate and past Daccord to apparently tie the game 1-1 at 11:27.

But wait. The situation room in Toronto wants to review if McBain actually made a kicking motion. They decide... he did! The Kraken are returned a 1-0 lead on the most borderline of decisions.

Brandon Tanev can't ice the game when Vejmelka foils his breakaway with four minutes left.

Arizona pulls their goalie for a sixth attacker with 1:40 left. Clayton Keller makes the strategy work, tying the game 1-1 for sure at 18:52.

Overtime

Defenseman Adam Larsson and forward Jordan Eberle make an ill-advised choice to skate deep in the Arizona zone when the puck is no longer there. Dylan Guenther, sprung on a breakaway, beats Daccord glove hand-high for the 2-1 comeback victory.