Pair of bad breaks for Seattle Kraken lead to 3-2 loss to Devils

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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 06: Jonas Siegenthaler #71 of the New Jersey Devils tries to get the puck past Philipp Grubauer #31 of the Seattle Kraken during the second period at Prudential Center on December 06, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Elsa / Getty Images)

Two bad bounces of the puck found their way into the net with Timo Meier’s third period goal the difference in a 3-2 Seattle Kraken loss to the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

André Burakovsky scored in his return to the lineup, Shane Wright added a power goal, and Philipp Grubauer had a solid bounce back effort in net after allowing seven goals in his previous start for Seattle.

Grubauer made 35 saves on 38 shots for the Kraken, with two of the goals finding their way into the net off Seattle defenders.

Leading 2-1 in the second period, Grubauer saved a Jesper Bratt shot only for the deflected puck to rebound off the backside of defenseman Adam Larsson and into the net.

Grubauer delivered a key save on a Jack Hughes breakaway only for another bad break to give the Devils the lead.

Brendan Dillon's shot was blocked in front of the net with defenseman Vince Dunn attempting to pick up the loose puck. However, Dunn couldn’t cleanly handle the loose puck and failed to get it around the goal post as it deflected back into the crease behind Grubauer for a tap-in by Meier for a 3-2 lead.

Brandon Montour had Seattle’s best chance for a tying goal. Off a Jaden Schwartz pass, Montour sliced to the front of the net. Markstrom caught just a touch of the puck and Montour’s backhand chance on an open net sailed wide through the goal crease.

The Kraken got three shots on goal in the final minute with Grubauer on the bench for an extra skater, but weren’t able to send the game to overtime.

Grubauer had allowed seven goals on 26 shots in his last outing against the San Jose Sharks a week ago. At least two of the goals shouldn't have found their way into the net, with a couple more at least were stops Grubauer could make. Per NaturalStatTrick.com, the Sharks' expected goals for the game was just 1.75 with seven actual goals scored against Grubauer (with an empty net tally as well) in an 8-5 San Jose win.

This performance was much better in that regard, finishing 0.83 goals saved above expected.

In his return to the lineup after two games as a healthy scratch, Burakovsky flashed his terrific skill that showed his high ceiling as an offensive player is still there. Burakovsky sliced through the Devils defense and raced by Luke Hughes before snapping a shot into the net past Jacob Markstrom for a 1-0 Kraken lead.

While it’s his second goal of the season, it was truly the first Burakovsky has scored with the puck on his stick. His first goal came against Anaheim last week when goaltender Lukas Dostal’s clearance attempt of a Jared McCann pass caromed off Burakovsky and into the net. This goal was a truly strong finish from a player who should be a top scoring threat.

Just over two minutes later, the Devils got on the board to tie the game. Seattle got stuck in their own zone and Jack Hughes found his brother, Luke, who snapped a shot into the top corner of the net past the helmet of Philipp Grubauer to make it a 1-1 game.

Shane Wright delivered on the power play to restore the advantage for the Kraken in the second period. Wright found space in front of the New Jersey net as Eeli Tolvanen delivered a pass from the corner for a finish on Markstrom for a 2-1 advantage.

Like Burakovsky, Wright also had a stint as a healthy scratch and has seen his offensive game explode since returning to the lineup. In seven games played since his three-game absence, Wright has seven points on five goals and two assists. Four of those goals have come on the power play as Wright leads the team in the category.

The loss comes on the heels of Thursday night's win over the New York Islanders. They face the New York Rangers on Sunday morning to conclude the four-game road trip.