Wild Is Right: Gourde Shorties Lead Crazy Kraken 4-3 Win In Minnesota

The Seattle Kraken will have at least one thing in common with this year's Stanley Cup champion; both can say they won their final game of the season.

Small consolation for the Kraken, who don't have playoffs on their calendar. They did break a four game losing streak to go out on a high note, via an exausting and exhilarating 4-3 victory Thursday vs. the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

Yanni Gourde scored two 3rd period shorthanded goals, as the final period of the season - detailed below - proved to be as rewarding as it was insane for the Kraken.

Seattle finishes its third NHL season 34-35-13 for 81 points, at least 16 fewer than what was necessary to secure a postseason berth.

1st Period

Seattle's Oliver Bjorkstrand gets two for the price of one; a shoulder into Minnesota's Ryan Hartman, who falls on his goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. Bjorkstrand also gets two minutes in the penalty box for interference.

The Wild's offensive superstar, Kirill Kaprizov, converts on the PP. His 46th goal, past Kraen goalie Joey Daccord, gives Minny a 1-0 lead at 4:04.

Kraken fans love Brandon Tanev because he's a warrior. In Game 82 of a lost season, he takes the brunt of a Jake Middleton drive off his calf. It drops Turbo to both knees; when he rises, he can barely skate. Seattle clears, allowing Tanev to gingerly reach the bench.

And don't you know it - Brandon's out for his next shift.

Jordan Eberle has been stuck on 299 career goals since he lit the lamp against Anaheim on Mar. 26, 11 games ago. Fleury flashes his left pad to stop Eberle from reaching 300 from in close.

Shots in the period were seven apiece.

2nd Period

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare not only is playing tonight, he was penciled into the Seattle starting lineup. So when the puck dropped, history was made; Bellemare's 700th NHL game, a record for players born, like PEB was, in France.

Bellemare fires so hard from the top of the left circle that when Fleury makes the glove save, it visibly stings his hand.

On a Kraken power play, Fleury makes a terrific shoulder-shrug save to again deny Eberle #300.

But when ex-Kraken Marcus Johansson trips Eberle, Seattle makes its second PP count. Justin Schultz with the original shot, tipped in by Matty Beniers for his 15th goal and a 1-1 tie at 11:00.

32 seconds later, Minnesota takes its third minor of the period. Seattle puts four SOG on Fleury, but will have to settle for 1-for-3 against the NHL's 30th-ranked penalty kill.

Oliver Bjorkstrand manages to beat Fleury, but not the right post. Nor, when the puck slithers along the goal line, the left post!

The Kraken tilted the ice in the middle 20, outshooting the Wild 11-5, and 18-12 for the game.

3rd Period

Tanev shoots wide on a shorthanded 2-on-1. Yanni Gourde shows how it's done moments later, taking a pass from Tanev and converting his breakaway for a 2-1 Kraken lead at 6:38.

Seattle still has 15 seconds left on Jared McCann's high stick when Tanev takes his own high-sticking penalty.

On the Wild's brief 5-on-3, Daccord sprawls to smother Kaprizov's tying bid. Once McCann returns, Daccord rejects Kaprizov's slapshot. The Kraken finish the kill to retain its lead with 11 minutes left in the season.

The Wild tie the game on the first even-strength goal of the contest. For no compelling reason, all five Kraken are caught in the offensive zone when the Wild send Mats Zuccarello on a breakaway from his own side of the red line.

Daccord robs Kaprizov's blazing one-timer with a remarkable glove save. The Wild superstar has one goal today, but Daccord's stopped him five other times.

Minnesota's Jake Middleton shoots wide on his own breakaway backhander in the final four minutes.

At 17:20, solid Kraken passing results in the lead goal. McCann from the goal line hits Bjorkstrand at the right point. His drive is redirected in by Tye Kartye for a 3-2 lead.

But the Kraken haven't made life easy on themselves all season. Eberle trips Marco Rossi; combined with the Wild pulling Fleury for a sixth attacker, Minnesota will have a two-man advantage potentially for the final 1:59.

Yanni Gourde to the rescue! This shorthanded breakaway is much easier, because the Wild goalie is on the bench. Gourde deposits the disc for a 4-2 Seattle lead at 18:14.

What a wild - no pun intended - finish. Minnesota gets its 6-on-4 power play goal, Brock Faber (originally credited to Ryan Hartman) narrowing the deficit to 4-3 at 18:55

With the Wild net again empty, Daccord shoots for the opposite cage. Minnesota intercepts, but the goalie gets what he really wants - a season-ending 4-3 Kraken victory.

As the clock ticked down to zero, Matty Beniers gets tripped in a scramble. On his way down, he trips Brandon Tanev. Both remain down as the horn sounds - spent, in pain, but victorious. That's Kraken Hockey, baby.