After weeks of mounting frustration, it was fitting that Joonas Donskoi, who hadn’t scored all season, was the one to help the Seattle Kraken break their losing streak.
Ryan Donato scored the game-tying goal early in the third period. Donskoi netted the decisive goal in the shootout, leading the Kraken to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, ending their nine-game skid.
Donato’s goal at 2:02 of the third period brought Seattle level at 2-2. He also scored in the second round of the shootout, setting the stage for Donskoi—who was goalless in 38 games this season—to score the winner against Marc-Andre Fleury.
“During that losing streak, it felt like no matter how hard we tried, we just couldn’t get the wins, and the pressure kept building,” Donskoi said. “Getting that win is a relief, and I’m sure we’ll gain some energy from this moving forward.”
The victory was Seattle’s first since December 14 against San Jose, their first home win since December 3 against Edmonton, and their first comeback win of the season when trailing after two periods. The Kraken had been 1-16-1 when behind, entering the third.
Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 25 saves, facing just six shots in the third period and overtime combined.
“We were really close in the last few games,” Grubauer said. “We didn’t get the bounce then, but maybe today we did.”
Fleury was outstanding for Chicago, making 35 saves, including 14 in the third period alone, and keeping his team in the game.
Fleury made a remarkable glove save on Jared McCann during a power play early in the third and later stopped McCann on Seattle’s first-ever regulation penalty shot after McCann was tripped on a breakaway by Riley Stillman.
Alex Wennberg hit the post in the final seconds of overtime, narrowly missing a potential game-winner for Seattle.
“It’s unbelievable sometimes. I was just sitting on the bench watching the replay, thinking, ‘What is he doing out there?’” Chicago’s Dominic Kubalik said of Fleury. “He was amazing. He gave us a chance.”
Both goals Fleury allowed were partly due to defensive errors. Vince Dunn’s goal in the second period deflected off Stillman. Donato’s equalizer came after Fleury made an initial save but was knocked out of position by Caleb Jones, allowing Donato to score on the rebound.
“I was thinking pass right away, but you don’t get many chances where you’re wide open with time and space to get a good shot off,” Donato said.
Kubalik gave Chicago the lead with his ninth goal of the season at 12:06 of the second period, scoring on a breakaway after Erik Gustafsson found him with a long stretch pass behind the Seattle defense.
Chicago extended their lead on a power play later in the second period. Kubalik tipped Patrick Kane’s slap pass, and while Grubauer made the initial save, Brandon Hagel capitalized on the rebound to make it 2-0.
AVOIDING HISTORY
Seattle avoided becoming the fourth expansion team since 1991 to endure a losing streak of at least 10 games. Previous teams with such streaks include San Jose (13 games in 1991-92), Ottawa (11 and 14 games in 1992-93), and Atlanta (10 and 12 games in 1999-2000).
Game Notes
Seattle claimed forward Karson Kuhlman off waivers from Boston and placed forward Morgan Geekie on injured reserve. Geekie has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. Kuhlman has appeared in 19 games with two points this season. … Chicago defenseman Seth Jones cleared COVID-19 protocol. Still, the team opted not to have him travel to Seattle at the last minute, interim coach Derek King said. … Fleury was named the NHL’s second star of the week after posting a 3-0-0 record with a .957 save percentage and a shutout last week.
UP NEXT
- Blackhawks: Host Minnesota on Friday.
- Kraken: Host San Jose on Thursday.
