Kraken have Halloween spoiled by Rangers, lose 3-1

Seattle, WA - The Seattle Kraken would look to end their first ever homestand with a victory over one of the NHL's original six, the New York Rangers on Halloween night. Seattle rides into this matchup having won their last two contests, outscoring both the Canadiens and the Wild nine goals to two. A key victory over the Rangers would give the Kraken solid momentum following the homestand, a chemistry building block that could prove crucial as the season carries on.

The starters stand for the national anthem pregame

A look at the Rangers: New York is off to a solid start this season after missing the Pandemic years playoff in the 2020-2021 season. Lead by Adam Fox and Chris Kreider, New York has a solid group and will likely push for a playoff spot in the Metropolitan division, where they are currently sitting third. The Rangers had the first overall selection in the 2020 NHL draft, selecting Alexis Lafreniere, who has had a rocky slope to begin his career. That being said, recent games have seen his form turn, notably notching an assist in the last Rangers game. The Rangers will not be an easy team to put down, but you could argue the same for the Minnesota Wild, who Seattle thrashed by a score of four to one.

First period action: Seattle brought the attack early into the opening period, but the Rangers would strike first on a two on one situation, with New York's Chris Kreider capitalizing to put the Rangers up 1-0 with 16:22 to go in the first. From there, Seattle would get several chances, but none of them would be able to get past New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Seattle would battle back after that early goal and put up a fight, with multiple opportunities on net and out shooting the Rangers in the period, but none of them would result in a goal.

Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin had a great night in goal

Intermission thoughts: This was a solid half for Seattle. Getting a goal past New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin will not be any easy feat. Seattle will need to keep the pace up in the second period, but getting better opportunities will be what the Kraken will need to tie this game. The passing has also been an area to improve on, with some opportunities being squandered due to the puck being just out of reach of the Kraken player.

Second period action: The second period would get chippy early, and feature an offensive attack continue for Seattle. Defensemen Adam Larsson and Jeremy Lauzon would take several shots from the Rangers blue line, but Shesterkin would continue to be a brick wall in goal. Several fights would break out, mostly including Brandon Tanev, but as the period continued it would be made clear that both squads as a whole did not share kind feelings towards each other. Seattle would even get two minutes of power play, and those would prove to be null as Seattle continues to struggle in the power play. The Kraken would finally break through the glass with six minutes left in the period when Jaden Schwartz would pass to Jordan Eberle in one of New York's red circles, where he would spin to the inside of the defender and lace a missile past Shesterkin for the goal, equalizing the game at one with 6:14 left in the second period! The rest of the period would finish out in the power play, bouncing between both teams. Neither team would be able to capitalize, but their were close chances.

The team celebrates Jordan Eberle's goal

Intermission thoughts: Seattle was finally able to capitalize on one of the opportunities that they were creating, thanks to a great pass from Jaden Schwartz into Jordan Eberle. The Kraken kept up their aggressive ways, putting some distance between themselves and New York in terms of shots on goal, leading 22 to 10 at the end of the period. Seattle would also take the face off % lead with them into the third period, with a .65 to .35 advantage over the Rangers. Despite the fact that the power play continues to be an area of concern for the team, the Kraken played well and if they are able to keep this pace, they should net another goal and end this homestand with a win.

Third period action: The third period would start with a power play shortly after it began, similar to the end of the second period. This was only a minor penalty, meaning that it would only last for two minutes, but a power play is a power play regardless. Seattle is on an 0 for 19 streak of power plays, meaning that in their last 19, they have not scored a goal. This dates all the way back to the Nashville game, the first Kraken victory in franchise history. The Kraken continued to fire away on the Rangers with shots, including at the eight minute mark when Brandon Tanev would get the puck right in front of goal, but his attempt would be knocked away. Following the block, New York would take the puck to the Kraken half, when Panarin for the Rangers would pass to Adam Fox, who's straight away shot would sneak through two Kraken players and just to the left of Philipp Grubauer, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead with 7:50 left in the third period. There would be a period of Rangers offense, as New York had a second wind of aggressive attack near the end of the third period. Seattle would have an opportunity to tie the game, when the puck would creep incredibly close to the net, but Shesterkin would be able to nudge it out. The Rangers would be able to clear, get a counter attack, and score on an open net, putting the, up 3-1 with 1:52 left to go in the game. A tough break for the Kraken as the puck was mere inches from going in and tying this game up, but that would not be how this game went, and your Kraken would fall 3-1 to close out the homestand.

Defenseman Adam Larsson had a solid game

Post game reflection: This was a classic example of quality being better than quantity. Seattle outshot New York 32 to 18, had better face off percentage, and had more power play opportunities. That last part is key though, and something that I will address here in a second.