The Seattle Kraken and Joey Daccord were focused and determined on Saturday, securing a solid win to sweep the season series against Pittsburgh during Kids Day at Climate Pledge Arena.
Daccord faced 29 shots, including 16 high-quality scoring chances. He did allow a goal from Sidney Crosby, who moved ahead of Joe Sakic to become 10th all-time in road points, but Daccord held strong to earn his fifth win in the last seven games.
Defenseman Vince Dunn, who scored the game-winning goal, praised Daccord for stepping up in key moments: “We can always count on him to make the big saves. It’s on us to find a way to build off his momentum.
When you have a goalie you can trust, it fuels the guys in front of him and makes guys feel confident, not to play safe, to execute and want to make plays in front of him, plus knowing that sometimes things don’t go perfectly and he’s back there to stop the puck.”
Eeli Tolvanen helped the Kraken and the Kids Day crowd relax with a third goal early in the final period, and Matty Beniers sealed the win with a later goal for a 4-1 final score.
Both goals were set up by great assists from teammates. On Tolvanen’s goal, Shane Wright created the scoring chance and passed to McCann in space.
McCann then passed it to Tolvanen for the quick release and goal. On Beniers’ goal, Kakko stole the puck just outside the Pittsburgh zone, patiently handled it, and passed to Beniers for the goal.
While the four goals and Daccord’s strong performance stood out, it was also important to highlight McCann’s two primary assists on the tying and winning goals. In his last 10 games, McCann has racked up nine assists and a goal.
McCann’s theory after the game
“I’m just trying to contribute as much as I can,” McCann said after the game. “I’ve said this time and time again: I’m not a big points guy. I never have been. So penalty killing, I think I do a better job blocking shots and being better defensively.”
Though McCann downplays his role in offense, he showed his playmaking ability, especially during a power play goal where he created confusion among the defense and then retrieved the puck to find Dunn for a long-range shot.
“Dunner and I, we’ve played together for a long time,” McCann said. “He always holds the middle of the ice, which is nice. So I just try to get the puck to him there.”
NHL teams get one timeout per game, and Kraken coach Dan Bylsma used his effectively on Saturday.
After two Penguins players went to the penalty box in quick succession, Bylsma took a timeout with 1:20 of potential 5-on-3 play. He handed strategy to assistant coach Jessica Campbell, who used the whiteboard to set up the next play.
The timeout worked perfectly, as Seattle fired multiple shots on rookie goalie Joel Blomqvist.
After the first flurry, the Kraken regrouped, and Vince Dunn scored with a slapshot off a pass from McCann.
Chandler Stephenson, who had been questionable to play due to an upper-body injury suffered on Thursday, added his second assist of the night, bringing his total to 27 assists for the year.
