The Seattle Kraken delivered a commanding performance on Wednesday night. They scored four times in the first period and secured a 7-1 victory over the NHL’s bottom-ranked San Jose Sharks. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde recorded goals and assists during the explosive opening period.
Brandon Tanev and Adam Larsson also contributed to the first-period onslaught, helping Seattle reach a .500 record for the first time this season at 8-8-5. The Kraken, now with points in their last five games, claimed their fourth win in ten home matches.
Jared McCann, leading the team with nine goals, scored early in the second period. Eeli Tolvanen added two goals in the third, while Joey Daccord made 13 saves. Bjorkstrand tallied three assists, and Jamie Oleksiak added two.
“I think we’re feeling it,” Bjorkstrand said. “Maybe a few lucky bounces off the glass, but we like playing together, and things went our way today. The first period was back and forth, but we created good chances. In the second period, we really took over.”
San Jose’s Mike Hoffman scored in the third period, but the Sharks, now 0-9 on the road and 3-15-1 overall, were thoroughly outmatched.
“That was embarrassing. We weren’t ready to play,” said Sharks coach David Quinn. “Two breakaways in the first minute and a half – just absolutely embarrassing. We lost every single battle and were chasing the puck all game.”
San Jose’s starter, Kaapo Kahkonen, stopped 13 of 17 shots in the first period. Mackenzie Blackwood replaced him in the second period, making 10 saves.
Seattle’s scoring spree began just 1:28 into the game, with Alex Wennberg setting up Tanev for a backhanded goal through Kahkonen’s legs. Bjorkstrand followed up with a goal from the right circle, Larsson added another just 31 seconds later, and Gourde capped the period with a goal, making it 4-0.
“We were ready to go at the drop of the puck,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “We scored early and played with the right momentum from the start.”
This four-goal period tied for the second-most first-period goals in the franchise’s history. The first period has been Seattle’s most productive this season, accounting for 25 of their 60 goals.
“The ability to score and the confidence in that ability brings a bit of swagger to our team, which we’ve been looking to add,” Hakstol noted.
Joey Daccord was just 4:28 away from his first NHL shutout. He got his ninth season start due to Philipp Grubauer’s undisclosed injury sustained on Monday against Calgary. Hakstol mentioned that Grubauer is day-to-day.
Upcoming Games
- Sharks: Host Montreal on Friday.
- Kraken: Host Vancouver on Friday night.
