SEATTLE — As a tonic for all that ailed them, Yanni Gourde and the Seattle Kraken could do far worse than a dose of a jet-lagged looking Philadelphia Flyers team that stumbled into town for this one.
By the midway point of Thursday night’s contest, the Kraken already had chased one-time Everett Silvertips netminder Carter Hart and the only remaining suspense was whether Flyers coach John Tortorella would save his inevitable eruption for behind the dressing room door. Gourde’s scored his first two goals in five weeks during this 6-2 victory, one of them on a power play that had been another source of concern for his team momentarily settled by beating up on the visitors.
Travis Konecny spoiled the shutout bid 14 seconds into the third period with a shot that eluded Philipp Grubauer through a partial screen. But the Kraken had entered the frame with a five-goal lead courtesy of the pair of Gourde goals, another by Justin Schultz, a breakaway marker by Oliver Bjorkstrand that chased Hart and the 26th of the season by Jared McCann to get the night started.
Matty Beniers closed out the Kraken scoring with his 18th of the season, capping a two-point night after being held scoreless his prior 10 games — including one where he suffered a concussion after a cheap shot by Tyler Myers of the Vancouver Canucks. Konecny would score again for Philadelphia before the night was done
Grubauer stopped 15 of 17 shots he faced, continuing a stellar stretch of play going on two months in what was his third straight outing.
The Kraken improved to 31-18-6 and moved back into sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division. They are also now seven points better than the last Western Conference team trying to qualify for a playoff spot — the Calgary Flames, who lost to Detroit.
It was obvious from the get-go that the Kraken had brought their legs to this game while the Flyers left theirs back in a Super Bowl hangover in Philadelphia. The Kraken set a team record in the opening period by allowing just a lone shot on goal, surpassing the previous mark of two set three times.
They outshot the Flyers 12-1 that frame and outscored them 2-0, starting with McCann’s short-handed goal off a 2-on-1 break. McCann carried the puck into the right faceoff circle and — using Gourde as a decoy — snapped a shot past Hart.
Gourde’s goal with just more than five minutes to go in the period would be the big one, putting his team up by a pair in a period they thoroughly dominated. Schultz got the shot through from the point and Gourde — battling as always in front of the net — got his stick on it for his first goal since Jan. 10.
Schultz would make it a 3-0 lead just 5:52 into the second period, his one-timed slapper from the point giving the Kraken a rare power play goal. The Kraken entered the game sitting just 23rd overall in power play efficiency and sinking fast.
Bjorkstrand ended the night for Hart, beating him with a top-shelf wrist shot on a breakaway midway through the period. And then, with just more than five minutes to go before intermission, Gourde one-timed home his second of the night on the power play.
