In his first NHL start in nearly 20 months, Chris Driedger made 37 saves, leading the Seattle Kraken to a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.
“He was outstanding for us tonight, right from the first period through,” said Seattle coach Dave Hakstol. “A couple of saves on the PK were difference-makers, and he had to make one more for us right before the buzzer. Really happy for him. He’s worked hard to have that opportunity. He was a difference-maker for us tonight.”
Kailer Yamamoto and Alex Wennberg scored for Seattle (13-14-9), extending their points streak to seven games (5-0-2) and moving ahead of Calgary in the Pacific Division standings.
Nazem Kadri scored for Calgary (14-16-5). Jacob Markstrom, making his fourth straight start for the Flames, recorded 19 saves.
After his first season with the Kraken, Driedger tore his ACL while playing for Canada in the gold medal game of the 2022 World Championships, leading to surgery that sidelined him for most of last season. He returned to action in late February with Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella, where he played for the rest of the season.
“The most adversity I’ve ever faced in my career,” said Driedger, whose last NHL start was May 1, 2022. “It’s been a long road, a lot of hours spent with the medical staff, putting in hours when the guys are skating, doing my own thing, and watching from the stands. To come out and finally get back in, it was pretty emotional.”
Driedger’s biggest save came during a Flames two-man advantage in the second period when he moved from post to post to stop Elias Lindholm, who had been set up for a one-timer by a cross-crease pass from Connor Zary.
“He did amazing,” said Wennberg. “He played games down there, but it’s a different game up here, and just making those big saves. He’s winning the game for us.”
Tied at 1, the game-winner came from Wennberg six minutes into the third period when he took a pass from Jared McCann and fired a quick shot that beat Markstrom inside the post on the short side.
Seattle opened the scoring 2:24 into the game on its first shot when Vince Dunn’s pass sent Yamamoto on a breakaway. Kadri tied it up with a power-play goal six minutes later.
“You try to bear down in those situations. Of course, we want to score and capitalize on those opportunities,” said Kadri. “But at the same time, he made some great saves, timely saves to keep his team in it on the road.”
This game marked Seattle’s 200th regular season game in franchise history. Defenseman Adam Larsson is the only player to have played in every one. At 304 consecutive games, Larsson has the league’s fifth-longest active Iron Man streak.
Upcoming Games
- Kraken: Host Philadelphia on Friday night.
- Flames: Host Philadelphia on Sunday night.
