Jake Bean had expected to join Seattle in the NHL expansion draft this summer but instead found himself in Columbus. His return to the Emerald City as a Blue Jacket was unforgettable.
Max Domi scored twice and added an assist, and Bean netted the game-winner just 55 seconds into overtime, leading the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.
“Honestly, not being selected was tough for me and my family,” Bean said. “But once I arrived in Columbus, I focused on being here, and it’s been great ever since.”
Jack Roslovic and Oliver Bjorkstrand each contributed a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who snapped a rough stretch by winning just their second game in the last eight outings.
Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves for Columbus, which managed to withstand a strong third-period comeback by Seattle. Merzlikins also had help from Bean in the first period when Bean covered an open net to block Jamie Oleksiak’s wraparound attempt.
The Blue Jackets snapped a five-game road losing streak.
“Credit to them—they worked hard and used the crowd’s energy to push to overtime,” Domi said. “We would have liked to finish it in regulation, but a win is a win, and we’ll take it.”
Seattle clawed back from a 4-1 deficit in the third period, capped by Vince Dunn’s wrist shot that tied the game with 4:06 remaining.
The Kraken had earlier scored twice in a span of 22 seconds, with Jaden Schwartz deflecting Joonas Donskoi’s shot past Merzlikins at 3:41, followed by Morgan Geekie’s wrist shot off a pass from Mason Appleton, closing the gap to 4-3.
Jared McCann also scored his 11th goal of the season for Seattle in the second period. Despite earning a point, the Kraken dropped their third straight game.
Philipp Grubauer made 24 saves for Seattle but couldn’t stop Bean’s shot from the right circle in overtime.
“Our players should be proud of that third-period effort, coming back and earning a point,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “But it’s still tough to swallow being unable to secure the win in overtime.”
Columbus took control with four goals in the second period. Bjorkstrand opened the scoring at 8:13 with a wrist shot from the left circle, followed by Roslovic’s redirection of Domi’s pass three minutes later.
Domi then added a breakaway goal at 16:43 and scored again just under three minutes after Bjorkstrand’s shot slipped between Grubauer’s pads, allowing Domi to guide the puck into the net. It marked Domi’s third three-point game of the season.
COVID CONCERNS
Seattle faced challenges with COVID-19 protocols, as forwards Yanni Gourde and Riley Sheahan and assistant coach Jay Leach were added to the league’s protocol list on Saturday. They joined Colin Blackwell, who had been placed in the protocol earlier in the week.
Coach Hakstol indicated the team learned of the positive tests Saturday morning.
“We’re getting real-time information, so we had to figure out who was available for tonight’s game quickly,” Hakstol said. “It’s not ideal, but it’s the reality of sports right now.”
Seattle recalled forward Alexander True from Charlotte of the AHL. True became the first former Seattle Thunderbirds player to debut for the Kraken.
Game Notes:
- This was the first overtime game played at Climate Pledge Arena.
- Seattle activated G Chris Driedger off the injured list on Saturday and reassigned Joey Daccord to Charlotte.
- Bjorkstrand earned his 200th career point with Columbus, becoming the 11th player to reach that milestone with the franchise.
- Seattle’s Marcus Johansson appeared in his 700th career game, becoming the 11th active Swedish skater to reach 700 games.
UP NEXT
- Blue Jackets: Travel to Vancouver on Tuesday.
- Kraken: Head to San Jose on Tuesday.
