Tolvanen Almost Ties It Late
In the final minutes, Eeli Tolvanen almost provided a dramatic turning point on a point-blank shot on a feed from Shane Wright. But Detroit goalie Cam Talbot saved the goal and the game for the Wings by gloving down the shot. Tolvanen had a second late opportunity, but Talbot stopped that one, too.
Tolvanen, with two assists, nearly notched a third point in what has been a hot stretch for him. He has two goals and two assists in the last three games.
Kraken Score First, But Detroit Doubles Up
The first period was so even for most of the 20 minutes that the two teams were tied in shots on goal at six each in the first seven minutes, then knotted at 7-7 with 11 minutes gone and 9-9 with two minutes left in the initial frame. That’s when the Kraken and captain Jordan Eberle tilted the score, if not the ice, with a power play goal. Matty Beniers picked up his 11th assist, and Eeli Tolvanen notched his seventh.
Eberle now has eight goals on the season, and along with fellow veteran and Kraken original Jaden Schwartz, has been a standout night in and night out. The two close pals are now tied with the team scoring lead with 14 points apiece. Eberle leads in goals with eight, Schwartz is right behind with seven goals to go with seven assists, while Matty Beniers (11), Vince Dunn (9) and Chandler Stephenson (8) are the top three in assists.
But the first two minutes of the second period were all wrong way, as in the Red Wings’ favor. Lucas Raymond snapped a shot that leaked past Joey Daccord’s pad in the Kraken goaltender’s return after missing five games with an upper body injury.
Forty-five seconds later, former Seattle expansion draft pick Mason Appleton sent a puck on net. It caromed off Danielson’s leg for the rookie’s first-ever NHL goal in his fifth game.
Lambert was calm but not anywhere near satisfied during the post-game medium scrum when asked about Detroit holding the Kraken to just shots on goal in the third period (the second period total was six).
There’s always effort, right?” said Lambert. “Our guys work, and they give it everything they have. I didn’t think we shot the puck enough third period. Again, we’re playing against a team that [plays] man-on-man in the D-zone for the most part. You’ve got to find a way to put the puck in the net, find a way to get a greasy goal. And I don’t think we attempted enough shots, not only in the third but all night long.”