With the anticipation of their first-ever home game behind them, the Seattle Kraken played confidently and easily in their second home game, leading to a decisive victory.
Brandon Tanev scored twice, and Jordan Eberle added another as the Kraken secured their first home win, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 5-1 on Tuesday night.
“I’m not gonna say pressure, but there’s a lot of anxiety in it. You feel the big game, the first-ever game in this building,” Eberle said. “With that out of the way, I think the boys felt a little bit at ease.”
Mike Hoffman scored for Montreal for the second consecutive game, but it was a rough start to the Canadiens’ West Coast trip. Montreal remains at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just two points in six games, having been outscored 24-11.
“Tonight we did not deserve to win at all,” Montreal forward Josh Anderson said. “The coaches put a game plan together every single night. Our job as players is to go out and execute. Right now, we are not doing that.”
Eberle opened the scoring just 62 seconds into the game with his first goal of the season.
Tanev, quickly becoming a fan favorite and the surprising leading goal-scorer for Seattle with five goals in seven games, redirected a pass from Jamie Oleksiak to give the Kraken a 2-1 lead late in the first period.
Yanni Gourde added his first goal of the season with a slick backhanded move around Montreal goalie Jake Allen in the second period. Gourde also assisted on Tanev’s second goal, catching Montreal in a line change and extending Seattle’s lead to 4-1 midway through the second.
Tanev scored just seven goals in 32 games last season, but his career high of 14 goals came in 2018-19 with Winnipeg.
“We wanted to come out tonight and play a full 60 minutes. I thought we did that and gave the crowd something to celebrate,” Tanev said.
Ryan Donato capped the scoring for Seattle with a breakaway goal early in the third period.
Allen made 21 saves for Montreal but received little support from his defense, allowing the Kraken to capitalize on each of their first four goals.
“We were in the same position less than a week ago,” Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry said. “It’s the same game we played in Buffalo, the same game we played at home against the Sharks. It doesn’t work. It’s frustrating.”
Philipp Grubauer made 23 saves for Seattle, which delivered its most complete performance of the season after losing a third-period lead in their home opener against Vancouver. On Tuesday, the Kraken’s five goals marked a season-high on just 26 shots.
“Big saves at the right time,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “It’s not always about the volume. It’s about key saves at the right time.”
Tanev’s scoring surge has been a pleasant surprise for Seattle, but getting Gourde and Eberle into form is equally important.
Eberle, one of Seattle’s top offensive acquisitions in the expansion draft, had struggled to find the net early in the season. His frustration was evident when he hit the crossbar with an open net in Seattle’s first game in Vegas. That frustration eased when he scored just seconds into Tuesday’s game.
“Throughout the first six games, I had two or three really good looks in each game. Sometimes they don’t go in,” Eberle said. “Got one first shift, and I had another three or four good looks.”
1917 REMEMBERED
Before the game, Seattle honored the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans, who defeated the Canadiens to become the first American team to win the Stanley Cup. A banner commemorating that victory was unveiled and will hang in Climate Pledge Arena.
Game Notes
Seattle’s Mason Appleton injured his right leg late in the second period after being awkwardly pinned against the boards by Sami Niku. Appleton left the ice without putting weight on the leg. Niku was penalized for holding on to the play. Hakstol did not have an update on Appleton’s status. Montreal’s Jonathan Drouin skated in his 400th NHL game. Seattle’s Jared McCann extended his point streak to four games, tying a career-high.
UP NEXT
- Montreal: At San Jose on Thursday night.
- Seattle: Hosts Minnesota on Thursday night.
