Yanni Gourde eager to play for Kraken after serving two-game suspension
EDMONTON, CANADA - JANUARY 18: Mattias Ekholm #14 of the Edmonton Oilers skates during the game against Yanni Gourde #37 of the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Place on January 18, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Ima
SEATTLE - Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde is eager to return to the lineup after missing the last two games due to a suspension for a charging penalty last week against the Edmonton Oilers.
Gourde has been able to practice with the team throughout the last several days, but was forced to miss the team's games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks due to his shot at Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm.
"It felt good. It was good to be back with the boys and skate around and compete again," Gourde said.
Gourde leapt into a blow to Ekholm against the boards that saw Gourde’s shoulder catch Ekholm in the face as they collided with the glass. Gourde ended up at the bottom of a pile in front of the Oilers net as every Edmonton player on the ice came to Ekholm’s defense. Gourde was assessed a five-minute major for boarding that was changed to charging after video review.
"It was a high hit and they made a decision and that's what it is and I'm ready to get back out there and play hockey," Gourde said.
Asked about his thoughts on the punishment, Gourde avoiding saying anything critical of the decision.
"I mean, it's not my place to... like they decided that was a two-game and it is two games and this is how it's going to be and I'm ready now," Gourde said. "This is in the past. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm ready to go and move forward and go from there and help my team win. At the end of the day, I wish I was there to play the last two games. I wasn't. And now I'm ready to go and help my team win."
Gourde's return to the lineup Friday night against the St. Louis Blues could come with additional reinforcements as well.
Center Matty Beniers was a full participant at practice on Thursday as he works back from an injury that's kept him out of the lineup the last five games. John Hayden was reassigned back to AHL Coachella Valley, which serves as an indication that Beniers is nearly a return to action as well.
"You want to be as close to healthy as you can as often as you can and that hasn't been the case over the past 10-12 days for us, so we'll be a lot closer tomorrow," head coach Dave Hakstol said.
Beniers has missed five games, Gourde was out two, Vince Dunn missed four games with an injury as well before returning against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Additionally, Adam Larsson and several other players on the roster were affected by a flu-like illness that hammered the locker room on the team's east coast road trip.
"We did have a lot of guys that were sick and didn't feel good at all when they were playing," forward André Burakovsky said. "And I mean, it's hard. I mean, you know how it is when you have fever and everything, you just lay in bed and just go out and play with that is extremely, extremely tough and the energy level is low. And then, obviously, we had injuries as well. So I mean, it is tough and we had guys (that) stepped in and did a really good job. And we're also playing some really good teams within a lot of sickness and injury. So I mean, I think the guys did a hell of a job battling through."
Whether the team has a full lineup is still uncertain. Beniers may be held out another game as he works to recover, and Jaden Schwartz and Eeli Tolvanen each sat out of practice on Thursday.
"We'll see where they're at tomorrow," Hakstol said. "It was a maintenance day today. But, you know, obviously there's reasons they stayed off the ice, so we will see where they're at tomorrow. And that's where the ebbs and flows of injuries come in. We've got a couple of guys that are healthy and it's great to have them back out there, but we'll see where those two guys are at tomorrow morning once we get to the rink."
Schwartz had a shot from Vince Dunn hit him in the left ankle late in the second period, which kept him from putting weight on his leg immediately afterward. Schwartz retreated to the locker room, but returned to the lineup for the start of the third period and finished the game.
"He got nicked up a couple of times last night and was able to come back each time. So that was a real positive," Hakstol said.