Perhaps there’s no better metaphor for the Kraken season than Will Borgen’s game Saturday night.
The 25-year-old defenseman turned the puck over in the first period to give the Canucks their first goal. He had another costly turnover later.
Then he scored a dramatic third-period goal — his first in the NHL — to make it a one-goal game, potentially stealing momentum for the Kraken, and giving not only himself redemption but the Kraken a legitimate chance to win.
It took 14 seconds for the Canucks to score again and make it 4-2, the Kraken once again surrendering a goal right after a big tally of their own. It was the 10th time this season the Kraken scored a goal only to allow one against within the next two minutes of play.
En route to a 5-2 loss to the Canucks — Seattle’s seventh consecutive defeat on home ice –, the Kraken played the type of game they’re starting to be known for: giving up the most untimely goals possible.
Despite that, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol didn’t believe that was what held the Kraken down on Saturday, though.
“They got the fourth one tonight but that’s low on the list of issues I look at defensively,” said Hakstol. “We addressed from last game, we had two that happened two games in a row so addressed those. That was part of the preparation.”
On the way to losing their fifth straight and eighth of their past nine games, the Kraken’s frustrating, developing identity was at it again.
Since Dec. 1, the Kraken have won only two games and gained only six points in the standings. Their 10 wins are tied for the fourth fewest in the NHL; their 19 regulation losses are the third most, with only Arizona and Montreal logging more. They are 12 points out of a playoff spot with 49 games left to play, and they’ve played five more games than the team they’re chasing for the last wild-card spot.
“We want to win games,” said Kraken forward Calle Jarnkrok. “Especially here at home in front of our amazing fans. We have to turn that around pretty quick here.”
The Kraken last faced the Canucks on Oct. 23, the first-ever game at Climate Pledge Arena. In that contest, they blew a third period lead in one of the first but now many games they’ve found creative ways to lose.
“After you score a goal or even when you get scored on, the next shift is super important,” said Jarnkrok. “It’s important not to get scored on right away and we’ve had that happen three games in a row now and that’s not acceptable.”
Saturday, on the other hand, was more of the norm; a run-of-the-mill Kraken defeat, their third consecutive on ice on a four-game — previously five-game before the Islanders postponed a contest — homestand.
When it comes to finding unique ways to lose, that’s one area the Kraken have excelled at. Wednesday against the Flyers, it was allowing a goal moments after tying it and falling in overtime; Thursday against the Flames, it was similarly allowing ill-timed goals. Before the holiday break, they lost on a goalie interference call against the Oilers.
No matter what they do, and the Kraken have had stretches of strong play in recent memory, none of it seems to be enough to not only string wins together, but to find the win column at all.
Against the Canucks, Borgen, who after sitting the first 21 games of the season has become a staple on the blue line with all the COVID cases, turned the puck over behind the net and right onto the stick of Vasily Podkolzin. Then, a Jared McCann penalty gave Nils Hoglander the space he needed to double the Vancouver advantage.
Calle Jarnkrok netted his second goal in as many games in the second period to make it a 2-1 game. It was his second consecutive game on a line with Yanni Gourde and Colin Blackwell, and another game where that unit showed some jump.
The Kraken couldn’t find any momentum off that tally, though, and in the third allowed the Canucks to expand their lead again. Borgen committed another turnover behind the net and it led to Tyler Motte’s goal.
“We put two pucks directly on their tape in scoring areas,” said Hakstol. “Those plays can’t happen. That’s the bottom line. The first goal, the third goal, those are pucks in our possession that end up on their tape without a whole lot of pressure. Those are tough plays to put on your goaltender.”
Then Borgen scored right before Conor Garland tallied the fourth Canucks goal of the night, sucking the energy out of the building and all but putting all hopes of a Kraken win to start 2022 away.
“We’re trying not to get scored on,” said Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson. “It’s a hard league, something we really need to figure out. It’s been an issue for us. We have talked about it. I think we should expect the push. It’s frustrating but at the same time we have had some answers to those goals too, so it goes both ways.
Jordan Eberle rang the crossbar with just over four minutes left on a late power play, but it was just another chapter in the story of a Kraken comeback that fell short.
Hakstol pulled goalie Philipp Grubauer with 2:51 left, and in less than a minute, Tanner Pearson hit the empty net for the fifth Canucks goal.
Without Jaden Schwartz for the second consecutive game, and without Brandon Tanev for the rest of the season, the Kraken had another game where the offense could barely muster any life. They had one high-danger scoring chance in a game where they played from behind essentially right off the bat.
They did get Ryan Donato back from COVID protocol, but on a line with Alexander Wennberg — without a goal in nine games — and Joonas Donskoi, who hasn’t scored at all this season, there wasn’t much of an offensive presence.
Jeremy Lauzon entered protocol on the defensive end, and while Vince Dunn was also out of protocol, he didn’t dress for the game. By the end of Saturday, though, Lauzon was the only player left in protocol.
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