3 Takeaways From the Kraken’s 4-3 Shootout Victory Over the Blues

The Seattle Kraken hosted the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, April 12. Seattle held the lead as the second came to a close, but third-period scoring changes for both teams resulted in a tie game. The game needed overtime and, ultimately, a shootout, and the Kraken took the victory 4-3.

Schwartz Kicked Off Scoring

The first period started slowly, with neither team taking many shot attempts. Seattle only took five shots on the net for the duration of the first 20 minutes, two more than St. Louis took. Early into the second period, Seattle managed to get on the board. 

The Blues took a shot on the net, which was blocked by Philipp Grubauer. Jordan Eberle picked up the rebound and passed it to Jaden Schwartz in the Blues’ offensive zone. He skated to the Kraken’s offensive zone and took a shot, which Jordan Binnington saved. Schwartz picked up the rebound and with a second shot, the puck flew past Binnington. 

Schwartz has had a solid season with Seattle, leading the team in goals scored with 25 total. This is also his best season with the Kraken; he put up 21 goals in 2022-23 and only 13 goals in 2023-24. He has been rewarded for his performance, playing left wing on the first line. Based on his performance this season, Schwartz deserves a spot in the top six. 

Kraken Held Their Own in the Third

The third period was a back-and-forth battle with goals scored. Radek Faksa got the Blues on the board in the first minute of the third period. Michael Eyssimont scored a goal to give the Kraken the lead five minutes later. Colton Parayko tied the game less than a minute after Eyssimont’s goal, and 16 seconds after his, Nick Leddy gave the Blues the lead. Just two minutes later, Jamie Oleksiak’s shot bounced off of Shane Wright’s skate to tie the game again, keeping the Kraken alive. 

Although both teams started slowly, they both came out with a vengeance in the third. Seattle only took five shots on net in the third compared to St. Louis’ 11, but the quality of the shots mattered more here. Two of those five shots resulted in goals for Seattle. The Kraken made the most of their chances and found success. 

Grubauer Had a Solid Game

In his last game of the season, Philipp Grubauer‘s performance was solid. He stopped 20 of the 23 shots taken on net, earning him a save percentage (SV%) of .870. On top of this, he made five of seven saves in the shootout, resulting in the victory for the Kraken.