Remember when I talked about how good life was as a Seattle sports fan? The Seahawks are 3-2 heading into Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Mariners are playing in the ALCS and are four games away from their first World Series appearance. Well, the Kraken followed suit on Saturday, going to overtime against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Kraken fans can thank Matty Beniers for making it happen after he scored a power play goal in the second period. Also, thank Dorofeyev for helping out. He tied things up with another power play goal. That man deserves an extension sometime.
Unfortunately, Vegas got only one point from the affair after Seattle won it with 3.8 seconds left. Jared McCann played the proverbial hero of overtime, burying the game-winner for an undefeated Kraken team. It looks like Seattle's ready to join the Pacific Northwest "Winning Party."
With that comes some takeaways from Saturday's depressing loss. What stood out for the Golden Knights against their expansion rivals? What can be improved for the next game? It's time to dive in and catch a fish in the Emerald City, matey!
What I liked about the Vegas Golden Knights against the Seattle Kraken
Adin Hill desperately needed a rebound game against the Seattle Kraken. Allowing five goals in the season opener had some fans worried about whether he had some juice left in him.
"Is he becoming 'Back-Up Hill' again?"
Well, it turns out that the netminder quickly put those questions to rest. He stopped all nine shots in the first period and his only goal allowed in the second period was on the penalty kill. Saturday's game was a testament to the goaltender's prowess throughout the game, showing that he simply had a bad night on Wednesday. Stopping 20 of 22 shots will win some people over.
Also, Pavel Dorofeyev. He scored his fourth power play goal this season (fifth overall), continuing his rapid ascent through the NHL ranks. He's made a living this season coasting past the face-off circle for goals. But he's learning to adapt with Jack Eichel on the unit, turning him into a lethal player. Watch for him as the season progresses.
Also, you must admire Ben Hutton for sticking up for his teammate, Zach Whitecloud. After a heavy hit by Brandon Montour, the Golden Knights defenseman dropped the gloves and took on the former Panther. That's the type of scrappiness needed to drag Vegas into the fight, especially when you don't have it on particular nights.
Where the Golden Knights struggled throughout the night
Once again, the Golden Knights didn't get a first-period goal. They only have one in three games this season and haven't done much offensively. It's taken a third-period effort to pick up the slack, putting them in rough positions. That puts more pressure on the goaltender to perform, especially if they find themselves down. That must change.
Also, 11 penalty minutes in a game can't happen again. All of those minutes came in the second period, where Vegas found themselves down, 1-0. Lo and behold, Matty Beniers capitalized on the Kraken's power play and punished Vegas.
In fact, this is quietly becoming a disturbing trend for the Golden Knights. Entering Saturday's game, Vegas was tied for 10th in the NHL with 14 penalty minutes. Sure, it's early in the season. However, that's a minor concern that could snowball into a bigger problem for the Golden Knights down the road.
Imagine if you're in a playoff game and you're tied. Suddenly, you get called for a two-minute minor and must kill that penalty. That could alter the series course and send you packing. Who wants to see that happen?