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Led by Jordan Kyrou, Blues come back vs. Kraken to open season with 3-2 win

Matthew DeFranks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on

Published in Hockey

SEATTLE — Call it a little early jitters.

After falling behind two goals, the Blues roared back for a 3-2 season-opening win over the Kraken on Tuesday afternoon at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Jordan Kyrou scored twice for the Blues, and Philip Broberg scored one goal.

Jordan Binnington made 30 saves and has not lost in regulation in any of his sixth opening-game starts.

Former Blue Vince Dunn and Eeli Tolvanen scored for the Kraken, who were beginning the season at home for the first time in their four-year franchise history.

The Blues finish their season-opening three-game road trip with a back-to-back Thursday in San Jose and Friday in Vegas.

Kyrou leads second-period outburst

Kyrou scored two goals in the second period, dragging the Blues from down 2-0 to a 3-2 lead entering the third period. Kyrou’s two goals were sandwiched around Broberg’s first as a Blue, and the three goals came in a span of 1:55.

Kyrou got his first of the season by speeding down the right wing on a power play, receiving a breakout pass from Robert Thomas, evading the check of Jamie Oleksiak and slipping a backhand past Philipp Grubauer.

Broberg tied the game with a shot from the left circle, which fooled Grubauer with Jake Neighbours providing a partial screen in front of the net. Broberg was playing in his first game with St. Louis, and Dylan Holloway (his fellow former Oiler) picked up a secondary assist on the goal.

Kyrou was the engine behind his second goal, as he disrupted a play at his defensive blue line and raced into the neutral zone to await a saucer pass from Alexandre Texier. Kyrou broke in alone on Grubauer and gave the Blues their first lead of the season.

Physical stuff at the bench

 

The game appeared to turn following a melee in front of the Blues bench after Oleksiak’s goal was disallowed due to offside. Oleksiak shot a puck that had just exited the zone while his teammates were still in the offensive zone, and his shot caromed off the post and off Binnington into the Blues goal.

According to Rule 83.4, if a shot goes in under a delayed offside, it will be disallowed.

During the stoppage in play, Kraken and Blues skaters exchanged shoves and punches on the ice, resulting in Alexey Toropchenko and Yanni Gourde receiving fighting majors and Nathan Walker and Dunn receiving roughing minors. It was Toropchenko’s second fighting major of his career; he also had one in March 2022 with Carolina’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

After the kerfuffle, the Blues had 10 of the game’s next 13 shots on goal and scored the last three goals of the second period.

Prior to St. Louis going on the power play for the first time of the afternoon, Blues forward Radek Faksa and Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson each received roughing minors for rough stuff after the whistle.

Old friend opens scoring

Dunn scored the first goal of the season for the Kraken, lighting the lamp just 27 seconds into the second period after a scoreless first period. Dunn collected the puck in the neutral zone after Colton Parayko hesitated his pursuit and then was tied up with Jordan Eberle along the boards.

Dunn’s initial shot was stopped by Binnington, but Dunn followed up and stuffed his own rebound.

Dunn’s goal kicked off a Kraken push at the start of the second period. Seattle had the first seven shots of the period, which included Tolvanen’s goal that gave the Kraken a 2-0 lead just 1:53 after Dunn’s goal. Tolvanen tipped home Ryker Evans’ point shot after a Seattle won faceoff, beating Ryan Suter to the net front in order to double the Kraken lead.

After Seattle had the second period’s opening seven shots on goal, they held an 18-6 edge overall.


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