Kraken suffer 3-0 shutout to league-leading Capitals

Kate Shefte, The Seattle Times on Jan 24, 2025

Published in Hockey

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SEATTLE — Just 20 goals to go for Alex Ovechkin.

Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord can still say he hasn’t allowed a goal to the 39-year-old Washington Capitals legend, who made headway in his chase for the all-time NHL record of 894, set by Wayne Gretzky in 1999. Ovechkin scored the empty-netter in a 3-0 Capitals victory on Thursday night at Climate Pledge Arena.

Last week, the Kraken hung with the Western Conference-best Winnipeg Jets until the last 30 seconds, done in by a fluky goal. They stayed with the best team in the whole league during a penalty-free, goal-free first period Thursday.

That was briefly in doubt. Washington’s Martin Fehervary tucked a gorgeous shot into the very top corner, over Daccord’s elbow. The Kraken benched challenged, saying the play was offside, which nearly everyone in the arena angrily confirmed when the replay aired once. After about 30 seconds of inspection from the officials, the game was scoreless again.

Daccord, granted a reprieve, had his 100th NHL game honored on the video boards a moment later.

Late in the first period, Capitals winger Andrew Mangiapane shook loose on a clean breakaway at center ice. One-on-one with Daccord, the Kraken goalie waited until the last moment to drop, with just enough momentum to inch his foot to the goalpost at the right moment to stop Mangiapane’s bad-angle shot. Mangiapane was left shaking his head.

That wasn’t Washington’s only breakaway, or its best. Still it looked like the Kraken would survive another promising Capitals chance early in the second period when Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson dropped and stretched to stop a shot on net and the puck bounced safely behind the cage. But it reemerged, Daccord’s poke check didn’t work and Seattle blueliner Vince Dunn knocked it into his own net.

With only Daccord in his way if he hurried, Capitals winger Ethen Frank pumped his legs to get away from Dunn, at the other end of the neutral zone and hurrying to cut him off. Daccord (30 saves) stopped Frank’s first shot, but let out a small rebound. Frank pounced on it for a 2-0 Washington lead.

This was only Frank’s seventh NHL game, but many of those on and behind the Kraken bench are well familiar. Frank spent the past two full seasons in the American Hockey League playing for the Hershey Bears, the team that beat Dan Bylsma’s Coachella Valley Firebirds in the Calder Cup Finals each of the past two summers. Frank scored on Daccord twice during a seven-game series in 2023.

Seattle’s Oliver Bjorkstrand got a similar opportunity to Frank’s with 20 seconds left in the second period but Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren (22 saves) didn’t let out a rebound.

Kraken center Chandler Stephenson had goals in back-to-back games and three of four. He saw his streak end, but at least he returned to the game. Stephenson, one of several Kraken players whose career started in Washington D.C., went down the tunnel after blocking a shot with his hand, but returned in the second period.

The Capitals’ would-be, first-period goal scorer, Fehervary, was defending the front of his net during a Kraken power play and took a puck to the face. He, too, left for a chunk of the game, leaving a trail of blood. He returned in the third period.

The Kraken had won back-to-back games and three of four.

Ovechkin had two official shots on goal in 15:24 of ice time. The Kraken didn’t offer his team a single power-play opportunity, which didn’t help Ovechkin’s odds, but he found a way.

The Kraken will host Ovechkin’s longtime rival Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Saturday matinee, then make a brief stop in Edmonton before five more games at Climate Pledge Arena. The last game before the two-week 4 Nations Face-off break is Feb. 8.