ABBOTSFORD, BC – To a man, the Kraken affiliate Firebirds were optimistic about a must-win weekend following a narrow defeat Wednesday night. Every player offered a version of the team playing well, getting quality scoring chances, and staying the course of forechecking hard. Their head coach agreed, and the same for Seattle’s new general manager. Game 4 of the best-of-five series is Friday, with host Abbotsford up 2-1 in games.
“There was a lot to like about our game, the forecheck and how we played in the D-zone,” said veteran center John Hayden. “We were down in a series last spring and came back. This is a resilient group. We’re confident in our game. It’s never a straight line in the playoffs. A lot of ups and downs. We’ve been pretty level mentally through it all. So, short-term memory, like Lax says [head coach Derek Laxdal]. Turn the page and bring a lot of the same for the next game.”
Riding an exercise bike post-game, a common activity for all pro hockey players, Kraken 2021 fifth-rounder Jacob Melanson said firmly, “You have to win three, right? We’ll be ready.” Veteran defenseman Gustav Olafsson was upbeat, same for a half-dozen other players getting the bike and stretch time under the supervision of head strength and conditioning coach Brandon Wickett (whom Melanson praised for preparing the Firebirds for long, hard, consumptive battles such as the Game 1 overtime win).
“We think we played good, I think we played good,” said goal-scorer and Kraken 2021 third-rounder Ryan Winterton about the attitude in the visitors’ dressing room. “All of these games, just a couple of minutes of lapses. It’s hard to get those goals back. But in two days we will be fresh and we’ll get after it.”
First-Period Hops
The Firebirds came out with speed and offensive playmaking, notching the first eight shots on goal here Wednesday before Pacific Division rival Abbotsford notched its first shot with just five minutes left in the period.
Problem is, Abbotsford’s first strike turned out to be a shot batted in mid-air to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Abbotsford added a second goal with 23 seconds left in the first period on a blue-line point shot scored through a net-front screen that Firebirds goalie Nikke Kokko never saw. Kokko finished with 20 saves in a heroic effort matched by 25 saves by Abbotsford goalie and No. 1 Star of the Game Arturs Silovs.
The end result of the first period was a 12-to-5 shot advantage with quality chances by a gaggle of Kraken prospects: Winterton twice, Jani Nyman, and Jagger Firkus. But the scoreboard stats tilted the wrong way.
“I really liked our game tonight. You know what? Right from the start, we had a really good push. Really liked our forecheck, we got after their D a little bit to turn pucks over. We just didn’t capitalize on that. Then obviously we made a couple of mistakes, turned pucks over, and they ended up in our net. That’s playoff hockey. But I can’t fault our guys. We’ve got to pick ourselves up here. Now we’re obviously facing elimination. We’ve got to get ready to play Friday night.”
The Kraken’s new general manager, here with team president Ron Francis and the pro scouting staff (in Seattle for meetings), echoed Laxdal’s positive comments.
“Loved how we played,” said Kraken GM Jason Botterill on-air with Firebirds play-by-play man Evan Pivnick during first intermission. “I loved the forecheck, we were carrying the play. Of course, you don’t like the score, but we keep playing like that and we will be OK in this series.”
Winterton Gets the First One Again
The aforementioned Winterton got another prime chance early third period and this time buried it. Linemate Logan Morrison jumped on a turnover in the Abbotsford slot and quickly sent the puck left about 10 feet out. Winterton one-timed it to cut the lead in half, making a reach-back-before-the-puck-crosses-the-blue-line save to match several he made in a scoreless second period. Winterton missed the first-round series but has scored two goals in the three games against Abbotsford, with both marking his team’s first goal of the game.
