On a Sunday night in Seattle, a team that had been stumbling found its footing, and a team that had been sliding found it harder to rise. The Montreal Canadiens, who had dropped four in a row, took a 5-1 win on the strength of quick early goals and a strong goaltending night from Cayden Primeau, while the Kraken extended a losing streak to eight games. Seen from a distance, it is a familiar story of fortune and effort: the puck can bounce either way, and sometimes the team that deserves less still comes away with the points. The question left hanging is whether Seattle can find the passion its
Newhook scores twice as Canadiens beat Kraken 5-1 to snap four-game skid
Two shots, two goals, and the Canadiens had what they needed
Mark
Montreal got outshot 37-17 and still won by four. How does that happen?
Mimi
Efficiency, mostly. Their first two shots scored, and they got two more goals within about half a minute at the end of the first. Seattle never really recovered from that.
Luke
Worth noting that shot counts don't say shot quality. The reporting gives us the totals but not how dangerous Seattle's chances were, so I'd be careful reading too much into it.
Mark
Guhle called it a game where everything went in. Is that luck?
Mimi
He more or less said so himself: tips and rollers, a long shot through traffic. Two of the goals were deflections or screened shots.
Luke
That's his read, though. He's describing his own team's night. It's a fair description of the goals we can see, but it isn't a verdict on whether Montreal is turning a corner.
Mark
And Hakstol's comments were pretty pointed.
Mimi
Yes. He said the team wasn't playing with passion or for each other. That's a coach publicly questioning effort, which is not routine.
Luke
Right, but it's his assessment. The stats we have show low scoring in six of eight losses, which is real, yet nothing here proves an effort problem versus goaltending or finishing.
Mark
Grubauer was pulled after four goals on six shots.
Mimi
And the Kraken lost Ryker Evans to a lower-body injury, with no update on how serious it is.
Luke
Exactly, that part is simply unknown for now.
El Pulso
- Montreal jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Seattle could settle, turning a quiet first period into a rout.
- Seattle outshot Montreal 37-17 yet walked away empty-handed, a result that stung and disrupted every expectation of control.
- A goal was wiped out by an offside challenge and a post denied Newhook a hat trick, small twists that kept the pressure constant.
- Seattle's coach called out a lack of passion and commitment, and the Kraken now face Anaheim needing to halt the skid.
- Montreal, buoyed by its first win in four, heads to Colorado with momentum it has not enjoyed in weeks.
On a Sunday night in Seattle, a team that had been stumbling found its footing, and a team that had been sliding found it harder to rise. The Montreal Canadiens, who had dropped four in a row, took a 5-1 win on the strength of quick early goals and a strong goaltending night from Cayden Primeau, while the Kraken extended a losing streak to eight games. Seen from a distance, it is a familiar story of fortune and effort: the puck can bounce either way, and sometimes the team that deserves less still comes away with the points. The question left hanging is whether Seattle can find the passion its coach says has gone missing before the slide becomes the season's defining chapter.
Four minutes into Sunday's game in Seattle, a long shot from Kaiden Guhle slipped through traffic and found the net. It was the first shot Montreal took, and it set the tone for a 5-1 win that sent the Kraken to their eighth straight defeat.
Alex Newhook added a deflection about two minutes later, and before the first period ended, Nick Suzuki and Newhook had made it 4-0. Philipp Grubauer, who had given up four goals on six shots, was pulled, and Joey Daccord came in to make 10 saves. Seattle answered with a Jordan Eberle goal early in the second and later had one disallowed for offside, but Mike Matheson's short-handed goal soon restored Montreal's cushion.
The shot count told a different story: Seattle outshot Montreal 37-17, but Cayden Primeau stopped 36 of them and the Canadiens' four-game skid ended. Guhle, who had three points, said Montreal had been snakebitten lately and was simply glad the bounces finally went its way.
For Seattle, the loss matched its longest skid of the season. Coach Dave Hakstol was blunt, saying the team lacked passion and commitment and promising change. Both clubs return to action Tuesday, with Montreal visiting Colorado and Seattle hosting Anaheim, looking to break the slide.
Four minutes into Sunday night's game in Seattle, a long shot from Kaiden Guhle found its way through traffic in front of the Kraken net and went in. It was the Montreal Canadiens' first shot of the night, and it was the start of a 5-1 win that sent Seattle to its eighth straight loss.
The second shot went in too. About two minutes after Guhle's goal, he fired again and Alex Newhook deflected it past Philipp Grubauer. Two shots, two goals, and the Canadiens had what Cayden Primeau later described as the comfort of leading instead of chasing.
Montreal added a second quick pair late in the first period. With 2:27 left, Nick Suzuki led a two-on-one break and lifted the puck over Grubauer's right shoulder. Twenty-seven seconds after that, Newhook scored his second of the night to make it 4-0, and Grubauer was done. He had allowed four goals on six shots. Joey Daccord replaced him and made 10 saves.
Seattle got on the board in the first minute of the second period, when Jordan Eberle scored his 16th goal of the season from the right circle. About five minutes later the Kraken thought they had another, on a power play, but a challenge showed they were offside and the goal was wiped out. Montreal then made it 5-1 with roughly seven minutes left in the period, on a short-handed goal from Mike Matheson. Midway through the second, Newhook came close to the first hat trick of his career, but his shot hit the post. "I'll just say that one stung a little bit more than most posts," he said, adding that perhaps he would find a hat trick another night.
The score does not match the shot count. Seattle outshot Montreal 37-17, yet the Canadiens matched their season high for goals. Primeau stopped 36 shots, which helped end Montreal's four-game losing streak. Guhle finished with a goal and two assists, a career-high three points. He said the Canadiens had felt a little snake bit lately, having played better in games they lost, and that this time tips and rollers all went in. "I'll take that," he said.
For Seattle, the loss tied its longest skid of the season. In six of the eight losses, the Kraken were either shut out or held to a single goal. Coach Dave Hakstol was blunt afterward, saying the team was not playing with passion, heart or commitment to the teammate next to them, and calling that more than disappointing. He said it was hard to watch the team fall off with so much still on the line, and promised it would change. Seattle also lost defenceman Ryker Evans, who left in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
Both teams play again Tuesday. Montreal visits the Colorado Avalanche, while the Kraken host Anaheim, looking to stop the slide.
Citas Notables
You play this game with passion, you play it with heart, you play it for the guy next to you, and we're not doing that right now.— Dave Hakstol, Seattle coach
One of those games when everything went in for us, and I'll take that.— Kaiden Guhle, Canadiens defenceman
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