Canadian 4 — Kraken 2 | Back in force in Seattle

(Seattle) In the end, it’s a harvest of five points out of a possible eight for the Canadian, and that’s probably all that matters.

That’s a bit of what Martin St-Louis took away from this four-game trip, which began at the beginning of the month in Calgary, ages ago, and which ended Tuesday night in Seattle, with a Canadian victory by a score of 4-2 against the Kraken.

Unexpected result? A little, yes, because the Canadian, faced with injuries, had to start this game with a formation of 11 attackers and 7 defenders, which is never ideal. The injured, we know them, but we remember that David Savard was not there yet, he who has undoubtedly been the most stable defender in this team since the start of the season.

But the Canadian won this one, as he won others this season, often when you least expect it, often when you think that this club will end up breaking on all sides. Because it’s impossible to keep winning with this formation which has nothing to do with an elite formation, not on paper in any case.

And then yet.

“It’s great to be able to go home with five points out of a possible eight,” noted forward Rem Pitlick. I think it was a great trip for our team, and also a learning opportunity, if you will. We had let a good lead slip away the day before, it must not be repeated… ”

The day before, of course, it was a 4-0 lead that was foolishly squandered in Vancouver. Often, that kind of defeat can have a heavy and long-lasting effect on a club trying to get a makeover. To this end, the response of the Canadian on this little Tuesday evening in Seattle was going to show us a little what this team is really made of…

“I’ve seen a team that doesn’t give up,” added Rem Pitlick. We knew that after the second period, I think, and I also think we learned from that loss against the Canucks in Vancouver.

“We really didn’t want that to happen to us again. If we look at the trip as a whole, I think we can be happy with the result; even during the game in Edmonton on Saturday, I think we were the best team…”

Because that’s what it’s all about: this mentality, no doubt driven by Martin St-Louis himself, which consists of never letting go, never giving up. We tell ourselves that it’s going to be a while, that it can’t last forever, because the more talented teams always end up beating the teams that try hard.

But the Canadian is still there.

“I think we saw the kind of team we have following this loss to Vancouver on Monday night,” added Jonathan Kovacevic. What happened next here in Seattle [mardi soir]I think it demonstrates very well all our strength of character… ”

That works. It’s been working since October, and it’s still working now, although maybe it shouldn’t. Regardless, this 2022-2023 season is already a success, in a way.

In details

Without Monahan and without Savard

The Canadian had to do without Sean Monahan and David Savard during this match in Seattle against the Kraken. In the case of the veteran striker, he was seen before the match in the halls of the Climate Pledge Arena with a protective boot on his right foot. Savard, he missed a second game in a row, he who has not played since Saturday night’s meeting in Edmonton against the Oilers. These two injuries are in addition to other injuries in the Montreal formation, so that the Canadian, a little taken aback, had to face the Kraken with a formation of 11 attackers and seven defenders.

Shane Wright’s first!

Freshly recalled from the American League, Shane Wright returned here on a very good run, having scored four goals in five games there. We don’t really know if he will be able to keep this same pace with the big boys, but it’s off to a good start, since Wright took advantage of this Tuesday evening to score his first goal in the National League, in addition against the Canadian, the club who was supposed to fish him out, but who didn’t. Not wanting to be outdone, Juraj Slafkovsky didn’t score, but he still managed to pick up a point, an assist on Josh Anderson’s goal in the second period.

Grunge in the place

A game in Seattle inevitably means references to the grunge era, and those in attendance on that chilly Tuesday night were not disappointed. First, the celebrity camera showed us Alice In Chains drummer Sean Kinney. Then, a young group with grunge resonances took care of the entertainment between periods. Finally, as it should be, each Kraken goal is underlined by a few measures of success. Lithium of Nirvana. In addition, the Kraken arena is located a few minutes walk from the offices of Sub-Pop, the legendary Seattle label that gave the world a number of bands of the genre, including Nirvana of course.

They said

Rising

Jake Allen

Another solid performance from the Canadiens goaltender, who made 31 saves.

Falling

Chris Wideman

Another difficult evening for him…

The number of the game

7

Seven seconds passed between goals from Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson in the second period. They are the two fastest goals in club history on the road.