Jordan Eberle's two goals, assist in first period carries Kraken to 4-2 win over Blue Jackets
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 28: Jordan Eberle #7 of the Seattle Kraken celebrates his goal during the first period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Climate Pledge Arena on January 28, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty
SEATTLE - Jordan Eberle scored a pair of goals and added an assist in the first period, Jared McCann added his 20th goal of the season, and the Seattle Kraken withstood a frenzied third period rally for a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night.
Brandon Tanev's empty net goal with 13 seconds left to play finally sealed the win for Seattle.
Columbus out-shot Seattle by an 18-8 margin in the third period with Yegor Chinakov scoring a pair of goals against Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord to get the Blue Jackets back in the game. However, Yanni Gourde delivered a key shot back with 25 seconds left to play that cleared the offensive zone, and Tanev stole the puck on Columbus' re-entry attempt and found the empty net for Seattle.
"We have to learn from the last 30 minutes of his hockey game," head coach Dave Hakstol said. It's two nights in a row where we've let another team in. It cost us a point the other night. Tonight, we have to dig in and grind through the last four minutes of this hockey game when it shouldn't be that way. We should be able to keep our foot on the gas. We have the depth to do that. … That, for me, is the takeaway from this. It's a great two points, awesome start, take the learning lesson out of it."
Eberle and McCann have the only two hat tricks in franchise history. Eberle's came in the team's debut season against the Buffalo Sabres while McCann earned his last January against the Chicago Blackhawks. Eberle had over 40 minutes to find the team's third ever hat trick, but had to settle for his three-point night instead.
"We've needed that. That offensive spark and production that he's providing for us," Hakstol said. "You'd love to have it, you know, a couple of months ago, but we're real happy to have it right now from him."
With Dmitri Voronkov in the box for a holding penalty, the Kraken's power play delivered to give Seattle a 1-0 lead. Eberle was able to redirect a blocked Oliver Bjorkstrand shot just inside the post behind Daniil Tarasov for his eighth goal of the season. Bjorkstrand's shot went off the stick of Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski and was heading wide of the net, but Eberle's touch was just enough for the lead.
Just over three minutes later, Seattle struck again. Tomáš Tatar beat Columbus defenseman Damon Severson at the top of the Seattle zone to start a 3-on-1 break chance for the Kraken. Eberle found McCann behind Ivan Provorov and he snapped a wrist shot inside the right post for a 2-0 Kraken lead.
Before the end of the period, another power play chance ended with Eberle's second goal of the night. Just 14 seconds after Boone Jenner was called for a hooking penalty against Jaden Schwartz, Eberle was able to collect a McCann rebound directly in front of the net and beat Tarasov with a backhand finish for a 3-0 advantage.
"We found a way to get [the puck] back and created some movement and made a play to Canner and then found a secondary puck, which we haven't done a lot of that this year," Eberle said. "We've had a lot of shots from the sides and then burying it that way, so it's nice to find different ways to put them in."
Eberle had a slow start to the season for Seattle with just four goals and 14 assists over the first 37 games of the season. However, in his last eight games played, Eberle has five goals and five assists as his production has taken off while paired with McCann and Tatar.
"I've been in this league long enough. You're going to have ebbs and flows and it's just how it works," Eberle said. "You're going to be hot one day, and you're going to be cold the next. You just try to be as consistent as you can and consistently create chances and things tend to even out in the end."
Columbus then saw their top draft pick - No. 2 overall selection Adam Fantilli – leave the game with over 13 minutes left to play in the second period. Fantilli delivered a hit to McCann along the glass near the Blue Jackets' bench and immediately realized he had an injury to his left foot. Fantilli lifted the leg into the air as he tried to return to the bench and immediately retreated to the Columbus locker room.
Replays appeared to show McCann's skate blade catching the back of Fantilli's left leg above his skate. He was officially ruled out with a lower body injury.
Even with Fantilli out, the Blue Jackets managed to level out the play in the second period before making a significant pushback in the final period.
Seattle had a stretch pass from Vince Dunn up ice intercepted and the Blue Jackets came rushing back into the Kraken zone. Chinakov ripped a wrist shot inside the left post over the pad of Daccord to get Columbus on the board with 12:48 left to play.
Then, with just over four minutes left to play, the Blue Jackets won a face-off just outside the Seattle zone with Chinakov finding the puck firing another wrist shot by the blocker side of Daccord to make it a one-goal game.
"Not just the third [period], but with the second too, I just thought we got a little sloppy," Eberle said. "We started to give them pucks in the middle, and they started transitioning on us with great speed. That's a good hockey team over there. I know that obviously everyone looks at the record, but they've got some healthy guys who've had injury problems all year, and they got some guys back and they're rolling. And we gave them an opportunity to get back in this game."
Columbus pulled Tarasov with 2:30 left to play and the Blue Jackets got three shots on goal with three more blocked by Seattle defenders before Tanev's goal sealed away the win.
"We kind of let the game slip away a bit," McCann said. "We got on our heels and kind of let them take control of the game. We can't do that. Yanni made a great play, obviously, to block that shot and he's been doing that for a long time. So he does the little things right."
Daccord finished with 28 saves on 30 shots on the night for the Kraken in earning his 15th victory of the year.
The victory keeps Seattle just two points outside of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference in a crowded fight with the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes and Calgary Flames.