Seattle Kraken will ride a four-game point in their Wednesday match against Minnesota Wild in Saint Paul, Minn.
The Kraken (30-34-5, 65 points) defeated the host Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 on Tuesday and collected from a 2-0 first period deficit to improve to 3-0-1 during the past week.
Shane Wright did twice in Chicago, defender Adam Larsson had a goal and two assists, Matty Beniers added one goal and one assist, and Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann also did. Andre Burakovsky had two assists and Joey Daccord made 27 rescues.
“I think a little during the first period, especially the first five, six, seven minutes, we were stuck in mud a bit,” said the Kraken coach Dan Bylsma. “There were some bouncing, really, that contributed to it, but I think Chicago came pretty hard. We had to weather the storm.”
Larsson made it 2-1 with 2:16 left in the first period and Eberle and McCann did 26 seconds from each other early in the second period to give the Seattle lead for good.
“Having four rows roll over and all parts the responsibility, all parts the load, is when we are at our best,” Bylsma said. “That’s what the game gave, and you see contributions from our entire range as a result.”
The Wild got a positive result in their latest excursion, a 3-1 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Minnesota (38-25-5, 81 points) had gone 1-3-1 in its previous five matches.
Mats Zuccarello’s Power-play goal broke a 1-1 tip with 4:38 left and Marcus Johansson added an empty network goal. Ryan Hartman had a power-play-tally and an assist for nature. Defender Jared Spurgeon had two assists, and Filip Gustavsson made 28 rescues.
“When you fight as hard as we fight here along the route, to be able to get a good win, I just thought (Monday) we looked more like ourselves,” said Wild Coach John Hynes. “I thought we had good energy. We had a great competitiveness for us. I thought our details were good. Special team was a big factor in the game, so it helped … …
“I said the other night, it was as if the earth fell the other night, and I told you,” we have to be ready for another game, “and we got back and run.”
With Minnesota down 1-0 and eight minutes left in the first period, Wild defenders Jon Merrill to get a stick to save in front of an open network and denied Alex Laferriere’s dive shot.
“A bit of a division, we were all kinds of encryption,” Merrill said. “We talked about getting into this game and doing what it takes to win the victory, play desperately, to be there for each other. That’s all I tried to do is to be there for (Gustavsson). And was lucky it hit my stick.”
Wild forward Marcus Foligno was a late scratch on Monday due to an upper body injury. Forward Liam Ohgren, who has a goal and three assists in 23 matches for Minnesota this season, was recalled from Ahl Iowa under emergency conditions on Tuesday.
The team shared their two previous meetings this season. The Kraken won 5-4 in a shootout at Saint Paul on October 12 and The Wild won 4-3 in Seattle on March 4.
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