The youth are our future: new dad Geekie, fresh call up Kartye help Kraken take game five over reeling Avalanche
By Charles Hamaker
Denver, CO – In somewhat fitting fashion, the Seattle Kraken marched into Ball Arena to defeat the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 3-2, to take the series lead at 3-2. Considering that the number 32 has a special meaning to Kraken fans, the tight victory in game five of the first round Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup may mean more and provide a good omen for the series that now heads back to the electric building of Climate Pledge Arena. Despite losing their 40-goal scorer Jared McCann in game four, the Kraken have been able to dig deep and get quality contributions from others who have stepped up to fill his shoes, er, skates.
GeekFather, activate
Kraken forward Morgan Geekie, a brand-new father as his wife Emma gave birth to their daughter Gabby on April 24th, may have taken a game delay in activating his new-found dad strength. In his second game as a father, Geekie broke the ice in this game as his second period goal shattered the scoreless tie. Seattle and Colorado had failed to find the back of the net through the first frame and had nothing doing in the first six minutes of the second until the Kraken were able to bring some pressure into the Avalanche zone. Thanks to a great forecheck by Alex Wennberg, Seattle forward Jaden Schwartz was able to fling the puck at Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, who made the initial save but couldn’t ice the puck down.
Geekie kept with the play, immediately racing towards Georgiev from behind the net, and slapped at the puck that had bounced off the Colorado goaltender. It lay in front of the Avalanche crease, Georgiev and defenseman Devon Toews staring at it like it was a piece of art in a museum, as Geekie came in and punched it home under Georgiev’s leg. Seattle, for the fifth game in a row in this series, had opened the scoring and finally gotten their hot start to count. They were able to continue their streak of opening the scoring, just not in the first period despite the Kraken having the attacking advantage and looking like the better team in the first 20 minutes.
Kartye continues that Partye
Seattle forward Tye Kartye, recalled from the AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds once again during this playoff run for the Kraken, had an impressive year building even before tonight. The undrafted free agent that made camp with the Kraken last March was able to impressive enough to sign a contract, heading down to become part of the AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds. As a Firebird, Kartye built an impressive rookie season to win the Dudley “Red” Garrett Memorial award, being named as the AHL’s rookie of the year thanks to a stat line of 28 goals, 29 assists for 57 points which was third best on the team.
Following Morgan Geekie’s goal, the Avalanche were able to answer with an unfortunate goal as Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer tried to clear the puck up the boards and wasn’t able to get it far enough as Colorado brought some heavy pressure. It wouldn’t be long until Kartye was able to pick up the phone and find his own answer, thanks in part to the lack of a play by Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon. In the Seattle zone, MacKinnon and Kraken defenseman Will Borgen got tangled up resulting in both players going down on the ice. Instead of playing through the whistle and continuing play, MacKinnon chose to turn towards the on-ice official and slam his stick on the glass twice as he complained for a call.
Seattle’s skaters did what they’re supposed to do, play until the whistle, and took the loose puck back up the ice. Game four’s hero, Jordan Eberle, carried the puck up through the neutral zone and around the net as he looked for the right opportunity to properly generate pressure. Eberle, coming around the corner and the net, found Kartye sitting with plenty of space on the inner part of the faceoff circle. Kartye ripped a shot, and with teammates Jamie Oleksiak and Matty Beniers net front creating screens, his shot easily scored as Georgiev never even realized that the rookie was shooting. In his first game in the NHL, let alone first playoff game, the young forward had found the back of the net in a huge spot for his team.
Heartbeats rise, but thankfully no heartaches
Although the Kraken had retaken their lead thanks to the Kartye, things remained tight considering that one-goal lead could be wiped away in an instant by this Avalanche team that still has a ton of talent across the board. As this game entered the final frame, it was very much a battle that could change hands at any moment. Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer continued to lock things down between the pipes for Seattle, fighting off Avalanche power plays and pressures as they desperately tried to claw back into the game. The Kraken were able to give themselves a bit of breathing room thanks to a Yanni Gourde tip-in goal off a puck from the blue line by Carson Soucy just under two minutes into the period, but Colorado wasn’t leaving yet.
Pressing late with Georgiev off the ice and an extra skater brought on, the Avalanche were able to pull themselves back within a goal as a slapshot from Colorado’s Evan Rodrigues at the blue line clipped off Alex Wennberg’s stick, flinging itself at Jamie Oleksiak and taking an unfortunate bounce into the Kraken net that Oleksiak was trying to protect. Once again, the Seattle lead been sliced down to one, and the Kraken had to hunker down with a slim lead on the road. Although they brought him back on at first considering the faceoff at center ice, the Avalanche again took Alexandar Georgiev off the ice in favor of the sixth skater. Seattle had numerous opportunities to score the empty-net goal, including one that was just a few inches off the mark and had the entirety of Rough & Tumble Pub in Ballard on their feet and at the top of their lungs, but they wouldn’t end up needing it. The Kraken held strong and closed the victory out to take the 3-2 series lead over the defending champs.
Heading back with a chance to make history
Seattle now heads back home to attempt to make even more history than they have in this incredibly successful second season as a playing franchise. The Kraken have smashed records all year and continued to do so through the early portion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and they’ll have a chance to do even more damage on Friday for game six. It won’t be any sort of easy skate through the rink as surely Nathan MacKinnon and friends will come out angry about being embarrassed in their house for game five, and will have Cale Makar back, so Seattle must remain focused and not let the Avalanche succeed in any after-the-whistle play. After what took place in game four and has throughout the series, it’s a safe bet that Colorado will try to pull some extra-curricular's, but just as they did last time they were at Climate Pledge Arena, the Kraken must let their play speak for them.
Quick notes
Wednesday’s game was Kraken forward Tye Kartye’s first ever NHL game, as well as his first ever NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs game
His goal in the second period was Tye Kartye’s first NHL goal and first Stanley Cup Playoffs goal
Kartye became the eighth player in NHL history to score a goal while making his debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 1927
The last player to do so... Cale Makar, for the Colorado Avalanche in 2019
The Kraken have opened the scoring in each of the five games played this series, according to NHL PR
Seattle is the second team in NHL history to score first in each of their first five Stanley Cup Playoff games, joining the Toronto Arenas who did so in 1918.
What’s next?
The Kraken will head back home tomorrow on a plane to Seattle and will not skate, instead hitting the ice for morning skate ahead of game six. The sixth game of the series will take place back in the Pacific Northwest at Climate Pledge Arena, with a first pitch time of 7PM PST. The Kraken have a chance to make history in their young franchises career, looking to become the first franchise in NHL history to defeat the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in their first-ever playoff series. It won’t be anywhere close to easy, as the Avalanche will surely come out swinging and will get defenseman Cale Makar back after he was suspended for game five for head-hunting Seattle forward Jared McCann.
