On a Sunday night in Seattle, a stretch of quick, decisive finishing settled a game that the run of play seemed to favor the other way. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Kraken 5-1, and with it Seattle's losing streak grew to eight, matching its longest of the season. It is the kind of evening that reminds a long campaign how much a few well-placed shots can outweigh the sheer volume of effort, and how a team fighting its own losing run can find, in one night, a small measure of relief.
Newhook scores twice as Canadiens rout fading Kraken 5-1 for eighth straight Seattle loss
Montreal's first two shots of the night both ended up in the net
Mark
Seattle outshot Montreal 37-17 and still lost by four. How does that happen?
Mimi
Mostly the start. Montreal's first two shots went in, and by the end of the first period it was 4-0 on a handful of chances.
Luke
Worth noting the report gives the shot totals and the sequence, but not why Seattle's shots weren't dangerous. Volume isn't quality, and nothing here measures quality.
Mark
Grubauer allowed four goals on six shots. Is that all on him?
Mimi
The numbers are stark, and he was pulled. But a two-on-one break led to one of those goals, and Guhle's shot got through traffic on another.
Luke
Right, so we can say what happened on the ice, but the source doesn't assign blame, and we shouldn't either.
Mark
What about Primeau's 36 saves?
Mimi
They are what let Montreal end a four-game losing streak while being outshot so heavily.
Mark
And the disallowed goal?
Mimi
A challenge showed Seattle offside on a power play about five minutes into the second. It would have made the score 4-2.
Luke
That's my caution too: the score then was 4-1, so it would have been 4-2. Closer, but we can't say it changes the outcome. Also, Evans's injury is only described as lower-body. Nothing is known about how long he'll be out.
O Pulso
- Montreal's first two shots of the night both went in, and Seattle never found a way to answer the early damage.
- Philipp Grubauer was yanked after allowing four goals on six shots, leaving Joey Daccord to clean up the wreckage.
- Seattle was outshot 37-17 yet trailed by four, and a disallowed power-play goal for offside only deepened the frustration.
- Mike Matheson's short-handed strike pushed the margin to four again, and the Kraken now face a home date with Anaheim with the skid hanging over them.
- Defenceman Ryker Evans left with a lower-body injury, a fresh worry added to a team searching for a way out of its slide.
On a Sunday night in Seattle, a stretch of quick, decisive finishing settled a game that the run of play seemed to favor the other way. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Kraken 5-1, and with it Seattle's losing streak grew to eight, matching its longest of the season. It is the kind of evening that reminds a long campaign how much a few well-placed shots can outweigh the sheer volume of effort, and how a team fighting its own losing run can find, in one night, a small measure of relief.
Montreal's first two shots of the night both found the net, and the Kraken never recovered from that opening rush. Kaiden Guhle's long shot slipped through traffic early, Alex Newhook deflected a second Guhle effort, and by the end of the first period Nick Suzuki had set up Newhook for a second goal that sent Philipp Grubauer to the bench after six shots and four goals against.
Seattle answered briefly when Jordan Eberle scored his 16th of the season early in the second period, and later thought it had another on the power play before an offside challenge wiped it out. Mike Matheson's short-handed goal late in the period restored Montreal's four-goal cushion and sealed the outcome.
The shot count told a different story, with Seattle outshooting Montreal 37-17, but Cayden Primeau stopped 36 of them and the Canadiens finished with five goals. Guhle added a goal and two assists in a career-best three-point night, and Montreal snapped its own four-game losing skid. For Seattle, the night brought another loss and a worrying injury to defenceman Ryker Evans, who did not return. Both teams return to action Tuesday, with Montreal visiting Colorado and Seattle hoping to halt its slide at home against Anaheim.
Montreal's first two shots of the night on Sunday in Seattle both ended up in the net, and the Kraken never recovered. The Canadiens beat Seattle 5-1, sending the Kraken to their eighth consecutive loss.
About four minutes in, a long shot from defenceman Kaiden Guhle made it through traffic in front of the net for the opening goal. Just over two minutes later, another Guhle shot was deflected in by Alex Newhook, and Montreal led 2-0 before the game was a quarter gone.
The Canadiens added another quick pair near the end of the first period. With 2:27 left, Nick Suzuki led a two-on-one break and put the puck over Philipp Grubauer's right shoulder. Twenty-seven seconds after that, Newhook scored his second of the night to make it 4-0, and Grubauer was pulled. 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 a second, on a power play, but a challenge showed they were offside and the goal was called off.
Montreal then restored its four-goal margin. With about seven minutes left in the second period, Mike Matheson scored short-handed for the fifth goal.
The score does not match the shot count. Seattle outshot Montreal 37-17, and the Canadiens matched their season high for goals on those 17 shots. Goaltender Cayden Primeau stopped 36 of them, helping Montreal end a four-game losing streak of its own. Guhle finished with a goal and two assists, a career-high three points.
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. The night also brought a possible new problem: defenceman Ryker Evans 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 Seattle hosts the Anaheim Ducks, with a chance to stop the slide at home.
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