Kraken 3, Kings 2
The Seattle Kraken improved to 73-and-0 when holding a three-goal lead in a hockey game with a 3-2 victory over the Kings in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. In their short history, Seattle has never blown that big a lead.
It did get a bit dicey in LA.
After the Kraken scored three times in the second period to take a 3-0 lead, the Kings wasted little time in building a comeback.
Just 11-seconds after Ben Meyers scored for Seattle on a 2-on-1 rush at the 16:02 mark of the second period, Kevin Fiala put the Kings on the board after stealing a puck deep in the zone and roofing a backhander over goalie Joey Daccord.
With a wraparound goal, Andrei Kuzmenko tallied for LA at the 8:45 mark of the third period to raise the level of tension for the visitors.
The Kings would eventually fall short, despite earning a late power play opportunity and seeing golden chances with their net empty and the extra attacker on the ice in the closing minutes. Fiala hit the crossbar with a shot that would have tied the game with 17-seconds remaining.
Daccord finished with 30 saves and improved his record to 9-9-and-4 on the season.
Seattle swept their three game trip through California. They also head to the three-day NHL holiday break on that three-game win streak.
Who’d a thunk it, after the club started the month of January with seven losses in their first eight games.
The win moved the Kraken closer to the Kings in the playoff chase. Seattle sits three points out of a playoff position with a single game in-hand on LA in the 1st wild card spot and four games in-hand on the Utah Mammoth, the 2nd wild card team.
The Seattle/LA game was the last one before the league’s Christmas break began. The first game back will be the New York Rangers visiting the Islanders early Saturday evening. Next up for the Kraken, hosting the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken’s Lindgren An Old School Asset
Earlier Canucks:
— Tocchet’s Flyers Smoke Canucks 5-2