The Seattle Kraken kicked off their season with a clutch 3-2 road win against the Philadelphia Flyers, showing that early-season form we’ve been waiting for. It’s only October, but that’s the kind of grit we love to see our team bring. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins dropped their opener 5-3 to the Blackhawks last night, and watching them on the power play was just… rough.
Chicago’s Bedard Shines as Pens PP Fails Hard
Chicago came out absolutely flying, putting one past Sergei Murashov just 28 seconds in thanks to a bad bounce off Declan Carlile and a quick finish by Teuvo Teravainen. Wild start for the Blackhawks’ home opener, right? But then Sidney Crosby, because he’s Sidney Crosby, got his first goal of the year, blasting one past Spencer Knight after Bryan Rust forced a turnover and Erik Karlsson set him up perfectly. It was a classic Crosby move, looking off the pass and calling his own number on a two-on-one rush to tie it up.
But here’s where things went sideways for the Pens. Kris Letang took the first penalty for Pittsburgh, and the Blackhawks immediately capitalized. Their new captain, Conor Bedard, making his season debut, showed off his touch with a sweet pass to Roman Kantserov, who fired it right past Murashov. Blackhawks up 2-1. And the Penguins? They had *two* power plays in the first period, and they were, quote, “awful.” We’re talking “odious.” They barely held possession on the first, and then the second one generated nothing but six Erik Karlsson shots either wide, blocked, or redirected wide. You know it’s bad when that’s considered an *improvement*. The difference maker in the first 20 minutes was clearly the power plays; Chicago looked clinical, Pittsburgh looked lost.
Kantserov Piles On As Pens Can’t Get It Together
The second period didn’t get any better for Pittsburgh. That short carryover power play they had? Nothing came of it. Then Nick Robertson drew them another penalty, and while they spent time in the offensive zone, it still didn’t generate a goal. It was just more of Karlsson firing shots that couldn’t find the net.
And then Roman Kantserov scored his second goal of the night. It was a complete breakdown defensively for the Penguins, with Carlile skating away from the net marking Patrick Kane, and Ville Koivunen not sticking with Artyom Levshunov at the point. That left Ben Kindel basically alone in front to defend, and Kantserov was strong enough to fight him off and get the incoming pass into the net. It was a mess, honestly. The Blackhawks were making their power plays count, looking sharp, while the Penguins just couldn’t convert. Dropping the opener 5-3, with that kind of power play performance, has to be a real kick in the gut for them early in the season.
Kraken Start Strong, Looking Ahead
So while some teams are still figuring things out across the league, our boys in green and blue already snagged a huge win on the road! The Kraken’s 3-2 victory over the Flyers is exactly the kind of early statement we need. It’s only October, but those kind of gritty wins are what build momentum and set the tone. With a strong start like this, the Kraken are showing they’re ready to make some noise. Keep that energy going, Emerald City! Let’s see what they bring to the ice next!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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