Eeli Tolvanen scored twice, Philipp Grubauer made 14 saves, and the Seattle Kraken triumphed over the Nashville Predators 7-2 on Saturday.
Jared McCann contributed a goal and two assists, while Daniel Sprong, Adam Larsson, Matty Beniers, and Oliver Bjorkstrand also found the net for Seattle, maintaining its lead in the Western Conference’s wild-card race. Vince Dunn added two assists.
Matt Duchene and Tyson Barrie each recorded a goal and an assist, and Juuse Saros made 32 saves for Nashville, ending the Predators’ two-game winning streak. Nashville started the day five points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the West’s second wild-card spot.
“They were the better team from the start,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “They just looked faster and more competitive on the puck.”
Tolvanen’s performance was especially stinging for the Predators, who waived him in early December. Since joining Seattle, Tolvanen has scored 15 goals.
“He just keeps working hard,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “What he did today is what he’s been doing for us all along.”
Sprong scored early in the first period, marking his third consecutive game with a goal, tying his career best. Tolvanen extended Seattle’s lead at 17:37 of the first with a power-play goal, ending the Kraken’s five-game drought on the man advantage.
“We struggled recently with getting shots and scoring chances,” Tolvanen said. “Today, we did a good job on the power play. We got shots through and had some traffic, too.”
Barrie reduced the deficit at 1:43 of the second, scoring off a rebound from a Philip Tomasino redirect. However, Tolvanen responded at 17:16 of the second, capitalizing on a misplayed pass by Saros and sending a long wrist shot into the empty net.
Duchene scored 53 seconds into the third period to bring Nashville closer, but Seattle responded with four unanswered goals to secure the win.
“Yeah, it was kind of a weird game,” Duchene said. “We were not at the level we needed to be. We were a little flat. It’s hard to put your finger on why. Execution wasn’t great at times.”
Franchise Records
Nashville matched a franchise record for fewest shots in a period, managing just one shot on goal in the first period. Conversely, it was the first time in Seattle franchise history that they allowed only a single shot in a period.
“It’s a mental game with just one shot against,” Grubauer said. “That’s the period you want to have. It was 2-0 after the first period with one shot on net. That’s a hell of a road game.”
Daccord Reassigned
Earlier on Saturday, the Kraken reassigned goaltender Joey Daccord to the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL. Daccord had gone 1-0-1 in the two games he played this week.
Rinne Honored
Before the game, the Predators unveiled a statue of retired goaltender Pekka Rinne. Rinne, who spent his entire NHL career with Nashville after being drafted in the 8th round (258th overall) in 2004, recorded 369 victories and 60 shutouts over 13 seasons. Many of Rinne’s former teammates and former goaltending coach Mitch Korn attended the ceremony.
What’s Next
- Predators: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.
- Kraken: Visit the Minnesota Wild on Monday
