Yanni Gourde and Adam Larsson scored in the first period, leading the Seattle Kraken to a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks in their final home game of the season on Friday night.
Victor Rask added an empty-net goal in the final minute, and Chris Driedger made 24 saves for his first shutout of the season — the Kraken’s third overall.
“The Seattle fans came out. That’s maybe the loudest I’ve heard this building,” Driedger said. “Coming out with the building going crazy like it was, was pretty special. And to finish off the year at home is pretty cool.”
Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 28 shots for the Sharks, who ended their season on a three-game losing streak.
Both teams were well out of the playoff hunt, but the Seattle home crowd remained in high spirits. Despite a challenging inaugural season and holding the third-worst record in the NHL, the fans were eager to celebrate. Driedger ensured a positive end to the season, securing the first shutout for the Kraken at home.
“When you go out for the third period, it’s on the back of your mind. But you just try to play and make the next save,” Driedger said. “I didn’t want to count my chickens before they hatched, but it was nice to get it done.”
The Kraken gave fans early reasons to cheer, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period. Gourde scored his 21st goal from the top of the right circle, and Larsson added the second goal with a slap shot from the top of the left circle with 1½ minutes left in the period. Larsson’s goal marked his 25th point of the season, setting a career-high.
“I think we came out of the gate pretty well. The first period was excellent,” Gourde said. “Overall, it was a great game for us, and I’m super happy with the result.”
Seattle rookie Matty Beniers assisted on Larsson’s goal, giving him at least one point in eight of his nine career games, including all five home games.
San Jose’s best scoring chance came on a power play with about nine minutes left in the second period, but Brent Burns’ shot hit the crossbar.
“Those are pivotal moments in the game; we just couldn’t finish it today. I think you could probably see, it’s no secret there weren’t a lot of sharp guys,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. “Tonight was a team that I thought looked extremely tired and did not have much in the tank, and that’s what happens.”
CELEBRATING THE SEASON
After the game, Seattle players returned to the ice for a post-game celebration and awards ceremony. Jared McCann was named team MVP, and Gourde was named fan favorite.
“If you look at the atmosphere out there, before the game, throughout the game, and even after — I don’t think anybody left before we came back out for the presentations and the awards,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “We’ve talked a lot about building the foundation in various areas. That connection with our city, our community, our fans is a real important one.”
NOTES
The Kraken won three of the four meetings between the teams. San Jose is the only team Seattle beat three times. Larsson is the eighth Kraken player to reach a career high in points, joining Will Borgen, Ryan Donato, Morgan Geekie, Karson Kuhlman, Kole Lind, Jared McCann, and Carson Soucy. This is the third straight season the Sharks have missed the playoffs, the longest stretch in franchise history.
UP NEXT
- Sharks: San Jose’s season is over.
- Kraken finishes the season with a makeup game in Winnipeg on Sunday.
