On a Sunday night in Seattle, a team that had been wondering whether its luck would ever turn found it in the first few minutes, and the Canadiens went on to beat a Kraken side sinking into its longest slump of the season. Sport has a way of making a single evening feel like a verdict, yet the scoreboard here told only part of the story, since Montreal was outshot badly and still won on timely finishes and a steady goaltender. For Seattle, the defeat is the latest chapter in a run where the team has struggled to find the net and, by its own coach's account, to find the commitment that the game
Newhook Scores Twice as Canadiens Beat Slumping Kraken 5-1, Seattle's Eighth Straight Loss
Outshot 37-17, Montreal still matched its season high with five goals
Mark
Seattle outshot Montreal 37-17 and still lost by four. How does that happen?
Mimi
Montreal scored on its first two shots, and by the end of the first period it was 4-0. Grubauer allowed four goals on six shots and was pulled.
Luke
That's the confirmed part. The "why" is thinner. Guhle's explanation was that pucks happened to go in, tips and rollers. That's his view, not a measured finding.
Mark
Primeau stopped 36 shots, though. Doesn't that count for something?
Mimi
It does. It's a big reason Montreal ended its four-game losing streak while being outshot so badly.
Luke
Agreed, but the shot totals alone don't say how dangerous Seattle's chances were. The report gives counts, not quality.
Mark
Hakstol's comments were harsh. What stands out?
Mimi
He didn't talk about tactics. He talked about passion and playing for the guy next to you, and said the team isn't doing that right now.
Luke
Worth noting that's a coach's assessment. The report doesn't say what changes, or how. "It's something we're going to change" is a promise, not a plan.
Mark
And Ryker Evans leaving injured?
Luke
All we know is a lower-body injury, and that he didn't return. Nothing on severity or how long he'll be out.
Le Pouls
- Montreal scored within four minutes, and the Canadiens' early luck set the tone for a lopsided night.
- Seattle, on an eight-game losing streak, saw its offence go quiet and a promising second-period goal erased by an offside challenge.
- Newhook's post-hitting shot and Grubauer's early exit left the Kraken chasing a game they could not claw back.
- Coach Dave Hakstol promised change, but with Ryker Evans injured and the skid deepening, Seattle heads into Tuesday's home game against Anaheim needing an immediate answer.
On a Sunday night in Seattle, a team that had been wondering whether its luck would ever turn found it in the first few minutes, and the Canadiens went on to beat a Kraken side sinking into its longest slump of the season. Sport has a way of making a single evening feel like a verdict, yet the scoreboard here told only part of the story, since Montreal was outshot badly and still won on timely finishes and a steady goaltender. For Seattle, the defeat is the latest chapter in a run where the team has struggled to find the net and, by its own coach's account, to find the commitment that the game demands. Both clubs now turn toward Tuesday, when the search for momentum begins again.
Montreal needed only about four minutes on Sunday night in Seattle to feel its fortunes shift. Kaiden Guhle's long shot slipped through traffic, and soon after Alex Newhook deflected another of his shots past the goalie. By the final whistle the Canadiens had won 5-1, handing Seattle its eighth straight loss.
The score did not reflect how the night unfolded. Montreal was outshot 37-17, yet goaltender Cayden Primeau stopped 36 shots and the Canadiens ended their own four-game slide. Guhle had a goal and two assists, while Nick Suzuki, Mike Matheson and Newhook also found the net. Guhle admitted the team had been snake-bitten lately, and that this night everything bounced their way.
The first period settled it. Suzuki's two-on-one goal and Newhook's quick follow-up put Montreal up 4-0, and Philipp Grubauer was pulled after allowing four goals on six shots. Seattle answered briefly when Jordan Eberle scored early in the second, and a power-play goal was wiped out by an offside challenge. Matheson's short-handed goal sealed it, and Newhook's shot clanged off the post on the way to a near hat trick.
The Kraken's offence has been the core of their struggles, with six of the eight losses coming with them shut out or held to one goal. Defenceman Ryker Evans also left with a lower-body injury. Coach Dave Hakstol spoke bluntly, saying the team is not playing with the passion and heart the sweater demands, and that it will change. Both teams return to action Tuesday, with Montreal at Colorado and Seattle hosting Anaheim, the Kraken hoping to end the slide.
Montreal needed barely four minutes on Sunday night in Seattle to find out that its luck had turned. The Canadiens' first shot of the game, a long one from defenceman Kaiden Guhle, got through traffic in front of the net and went in. Their second shot, a little over two minutes later, was another from Guhle, and Alex Newhook deflected it past the goalie. By the end of the night, the Canadiens had beaten the Kraken 5-1 and sent Seattle to its eighth straight loss.
The margin hid how the game actually went. Montreal was outshot 37-17 and still matched its season high for goals. Goaltender Cayden Primeau stopped 36 shots, which helped Montreal end its own four-game losing streak. Guhle finished with a goal and two assists, a career-high three points. Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson also scored, and Newhook added a second goal of his own.
Guhle said the Canadiens had felt a little snake bit lately. In his telling, they had played better in games they lost, and this was a night when everything went their way: a couple of tips, a couple of rollers, all of it going in. He said he would take it.
The first period decided the game. With 2:27 left, Suzuki led a two-on-one break and lifted the puck over Philipp Grubauer's right shoulder. Twenty-seven seconds later, Newhook made it 4-0, and Grubauer's night was over. He had allowed four goals on six shots. Joey Daccord replaced him and made 10 saves. Primeau said it was a good game from the start, and that leading is always better than chasing.
Seattle did get 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 a power-play goal, but a challenge showed they were offside and it was taken off the board. Montreal then made it 5-1 with about seven minutes left in the second, when Matheson scored short-handed. Midway through the period, Newhook came close to the first hat trick of his career, but his shot hit the post. He said that one stung a bit more than most posts, but that it's hockey and maybe the hat trick comes another night.
The loss tied the longest skid of Seattle's season, and the offence has been a large part of it. In six of the eight losses, the Kraken were either shut out or held to a single goal. Defenceman Ryker Evans also left in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
Coach Dave Hakstol was blunt afterward. He said you play this game with passion, with heart, and for the player next to you, and that the team is not doing that right now. He called it more than disappointing and hard to be part of, and said it will change. He added that it is hard to watch the team fall off given what is still at stake, and that the jersey means a lot but is not being honoured on the ice.
Both teams play again Tuesday. Montreal visits the Colorado Avalanche, and Seattle hosts Anaheim, with the Kraken looking to stop the slide.
Citations marquantes
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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