Free from the pressure of three years of anticipation, the Seattle Kraken played with confidence and ease in their second home game, resulting in a dominant victory.
Brandon Tanev scored twice, and Jordan Eberle added another to lead the Kraken to their first-ever home win, a 5-1 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens 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. “So, with that out of the way, I think the boys felt slightly at ease.”
Mike Hoffman scored for the second consecutive game for Montreal, but it was a rough start to their West Coast trip. The Canadiens sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just two points in six games and have 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 got Seattle started by scoring 62 seconds into the game, netting his first of the season.
Tanev, quickly becoming a fan favorite and Seattle’s unlikely goal-scoring leader with five goals in seven games, redirected a pass from Jamie Oleksiak for a 2-1 lead late in the first period.
Yanni Gourde scored his first of the season on a nifty backhand sweep around Montreal goalie Jake Allen during the second period. Gourde also assisted on Tanev’s second goal, catching Montreal in a line change midway through the second period to give Seattle a 4-1 lead.
Tanev scored seven goals in 32 games last season, including his career-high of 14 goals in the 2018-19 season 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 scored Seattle’s fifth goal on a breakaway early in the third period.
Allen made 21 saves but had little support from Montreal’s defense on the 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 in their most complete performance of the season after surrendering a third-period lead in their home opener against Vancouver. The Kraken’s five goals on Tuesday were a season-high and came 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 significantly boosts Seattle’s offense, but getting Gourde and Eberle going is equally crucial.
Eberle, one of the more prominent offensive selections Seattle made in the expansion draft, had been dealing with scoring frustration, which began when he hit the crossbar with an open net in Seattle’s first game in Vegas.
He seemed to release some of that frustration Tuesday when he flicked a wrist shot past Allen in the opening seconds.
“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 had another three or four good looks.”
1917 REMEMBERED
Prior to the game, Seattle honored the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans, who defeated the Canadiens to become the first American team to win the Stanley Cup. Seattle unveiled a banner commemorating that victory, which will hang from the rafters of Climate Pledge Arena.
Game Notes
Seattle’s Mason Appleton injured his right leg late in the second period when Sami Niku pinned him awkwardly against the boards. Appleton left the ice without putting weight on the leg. Niku was called to hold on to the play. Hakstol did not have an update on Appleton’s status. Montreal’s Jonathan Drouin skated in his 400th career game in the NHL. Seattle F Jared McCann has a four-game point streak, tying a career-high.
UP NEXT
- Montreal: At San Jose on Thursday night.
- Seattle: Hosts Minnesota on Thursday night.
