Marcus Johansson scored in the seventh round of the shootout, helping the Seattle Kraken secure a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night after nearly letting a two-goal lead slip away in the third period.
Johansson also contributed two assists, while Yanni Gourde, Ryan Donato, and Jared McCann scored during regulation for Seattle. Philipp Grubauer made 30 saves and denied all seven attempts in the shootout.
Seattle’s Adam Larsson inadvertently forced overtime by redirecting a pass from Montreal’s Nick Suzuki into his net with 2:12 left in regulation, giving Suzuki credit for the goal.
“He tried to make a play, and everyone saw that, so we supported him,” McCann said about Larsson. “He’s done a lot for us this year, so getting this win for him was good.”
Kraken coach Dave Hakstol was pleased to see his team bounce back after conceding the late goal.
“It was a good play by them to get the puck to the net, but it went off our stick, and the tying goal ended up in the back of the net,” Hakstol said. “That gave us every opportunity to shy away from the moment, but I didn’t think we did that.”
Michael Pezzetta and Alexander Romanov scored for the Canadiens, while Samuel Montembeault made 32 saves.
“I think the boys feel pretty good about their game, and so do I,” said Montreal interim coach Martin St. Louis. “Sometimes, you don’t know if you’ll get the goals or the key saves, but overall, we’re in every game, and I think the boys see that.”
Seattle took an early 1-0 lead in the first period with a short-handed goal on a peculiar play involving Gourde and Chris Wideman. Montembeault left the puck for his defenseman, but after Gourde checked Wideman, the puck ended up in the Canadiens’ net, with Gourde credited for the goal.
Montreal, trailing by two, cut the deficit 1:04 into the third period when Romanov picked up a loose puck at the point and beat Grubauer with a slap shot. The Canadiens eventually tied the game late, thanks to Larsson’s own goal, sending the game into overtime.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Host Tampa Bay on Wednesday night.
- Canadiens: At Philadelphia on Sunday night.
