SEATTLE – Oliver Bjorkstrand scored a pair of goals to tie the team lead with 11, and Philipp Grubauer had a 33-save performance he desperately needed in a 5-1 Seattle Kraken victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

Jared McCann had a goal and an assist, and Shane Wright added a pair of assists as the Kraken’s strong play continued. 

It’s the second two-goal game for Bjorkstrand in his last three contests for Seattle, which ties him with McCann for best on the team.

“We’ve played some really good teams, and we’ve played some really good hockey, so I think we continue this run, we try to figure it out each game,” Grubauer said.

Grubauer’s .971 save percentage for the night was clearly his best of the year. He’d only had a .900 save percentage in four of his 10 starts made on the year entering Thursday night, with a .917 against New Jersey last week his prior best this season.

It helped that Grubauer was able to play with a lead almost instantly. The most penalized team in the NHL in the Bruins gifted the Kraken the early lead on a silver platter with three penalties in the first three minutes of the game. A double-minor to David Pastrňák for a high-stick that cut open the lip of defenseman Jamie Oleksiak gave Seattle consecutive power plays just 16 seconds into the game.

It took the Kraken just eight seconds to cash in on the advantage for a 1-0 lead. After a face-off win by Chandler Stephenson, Bjorkstrand drove to the net front and posted up in front of Boston defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Bjorkstrand cleanly redirected a hard shot-pass from Matty Beniers through the legs of goaltender Joonas Korpisalo just 24 seconds into the contest.

Zadorov’s efforts on the second penalty kept the Kraken from further extending the lead. Zadorov managed to clear the puck out of the crease after it got behind Korpisalo, thwarting a rebound chance from Jaden Schwartz on a tip-in chance to keep the deficit at one.

But Tyler Johnson took a third penalty by tripping Will Borgen less than a minute later to again send the Kraken to the power play. Schwartz found his goal after all, tossing a backhand chance over the right shoulder of Korpisalo into the top left corner of the net from a tight angle on the goal line for a 2-0 lead just after the penalty expired.

While it wasn’t officially a power play goal, Johnson hadn’t been able to get involved in the play after exiting the box.

“It wasn’t a power play goal, but you know, you’re only going to get so many opportunities in the power play in a game, and I count that one also as a power play goal too even though in being after,” Bylsma said. “But I thought it was huge for the power play to get us two there early on in the game to set the tone.”

Grubauer faced an onslaught of shots the remainder of the period, facing 14 in total as Seattle took a 2-0 lead into the break.

Boston continued its control of play throughout the second period, getting many dangerous chances against Grubauer. A wild sequence led to a Brad Marchand penalty shot that got the Bruins on the board.

A John Beecher shot leaked through Grubauer and came to rest on the goal line against the left post. Brandon Montour dove onto the puck as Marchand chased a tap-in to keep the puck from crossing the line, raking it out of the goal with his glove.

The play was reviewed to ensure the puck didn’t cross the goal line, but it did result in a penalty shot for Boston for covering the puck in the crease. Marchand slipped the puck through Grubauer’s legs on a nifty move to make it a 2-1 game midway through the period.

“Just turned around and saw Monty like Superman dived on the goal and saved my ass,” Grubauer said. “Didn’t make the stop on the Marchand (goal). Really nice move from him.”

“It’s just an example of a guy laying it all out there regardless of the situation, whatever it is. He’s diving, throwing his body in there, diving on the puck and doing it with a smile,” Bylsma added of the effort.

It was the only goal that would get by Grubauer on the night for Seattle. The offensive support also helped as Grubauer had been 0-6 in games he’d allowed three goals or fewer this season prior to Thursday.

“Really solid, really good,” Bylsma said of Grubauer. “A prettier description, probably his best outing of the year I would say. He was challenged a few times the penalty kill for us in particular. There in the first period, the couple one-timers that we know are dangerous from Pastrňák that he is over on real solid and they didn’t look like they had a chance to go in. He was so good on them. So it was really solid, really good game from Grubi. And finally, we got him some run support to make that pay off.”

Vince Dunn extended the lead to 3-1 just three minutes into the third period as he swatted a fluttering puck out of the air behind Korpisalo. That play also required a review to determine if Dunn had played the puck with a high-stick, but the call on the ice stood.

Wright, Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen then combined to deliver a decisive blow. On a hard forecheck against Parker Wotherspoon behind the Boston net, Wright gained control and found Bjorkstrand open for a snap wrist shot from the high slot that rang off the right post into the net for a 4-1 lead.

Wright has 11 points with six goals and five assists over his last 10 games played since returning from a three-game stint as a healthy scratch.

“He’s playing with speed. He’s playing with skill. He’s playing with aggression,” Bylsma said of Wright. He’s on the forecheck, he’s winning pucks, he’s skating with speed in the neutral zone. And you know, with his line, he’s been able to create offense on the rush, offense on the power play, offense in the offensive zone with those other two (Bjorkstrand and Tolvanen). So it’s, you know, I’m not going to say this too loud, but I think we’re seeing the improving version of Shane Wright.”

Korpisalo left for the bench with four minutes left as Boston chased a comeback. Two minutes into the 6-on-5 stretch, McCann and Brandon Tanev cleared the Seattle zone as McCann split Wotherspoon and Jordan Oesterle. McCann was tripped by Oesterle but managed to stick with the puck and sweep it into the net for the final blow.

Bjorkstrand doesn’t have a hat trick in the NHL, but came inches away from potentially having his first against Boston. He also had a shot off the post in the first period.

“It definitely helps getting one early so you build momentum off of it, and start the game off in a good way. So it’s huge. But, I mean, they had a push back. It wasn’t by no means easy tonight. We had to battle for it,” Bjorkstrand said.

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King County and the city of Seattle are among two of several plaintiffs to file a joint lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the newly passed initiative on natural gas.

Initiative 2066 prohibits state and local governments from restricting or “discouraging” Washingtonians’ use of natural gas in their homes and businesses. It was one of four initiatives on November’s general election ballot and it was the only one to pass — by about 3.4%.

Now, it’s set to amend state rules on which kinds of energy buildings should use, reverting a push by state legislators to make heating powered through electricity over natural gas.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court, asks a judge to block the implementation of I-2066, which its attorneys said misled voters “about its actual provisions” and violated Washington’s single-subject law.

“This initiative, the way that it’s written, it covers multiple different subjects, not just issues related to natural gas — which is what the initiative supporters focused on and suggested all that was at issue,” Paul Lawrence, an attorney for the plaintiffs and partner with Pacifica Law Group, said. “This has much broader impact on a number of other laws … including energy efficiency, to avoid the disproportionate negative health impacts from air pollution, and these other issues that go far beyond the issue of natural gas.”

Gas clash: Who’s accused of being a ‘pompus turd’ in I-2066 legal threat

The suit claims I-2066 is unconstitutional, citing Article II, Section 9, of the Washington Constitution, which reads, “No bill shall embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title.”

VP of External Affairs for Building Industry Association of WA comments

Jan Himebaugh, Vice President of External Affairs for the Building Industry Association of Washington called the claims “bogus”

“I think it’s just really sad that, once again, activists who think that they know what’s best for the people of Washington are trying to sort of undermine democracy,” she told “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio Thursday. “The people of Washington spoke and Seattle and King County think they know better, so they’re going to tell the rest of Washington, ‘No, we think you got this wrong’ and that ‘You’re too dumb to know what you’re talking about.’”

While Governor Jay Inslee is not signed as one of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, he raised the same legal argument just one day after the election, telling the press, “I think there is a very good chance the court will find that it was defective by violating the single-subject rule.”

When asked by KIRO Newsradio whether Inslee or his office had any direct or indirect involvement in the lawsuit, a spokesperson responded over email, “I think you’ll find many have voiced that argument. The governor is not party to the lawsuit.”

Founder of Let’s Go Washington releases statement

Brian Heywood, founder of the political action committee Let’s Go Washington — which heavily supported all four ballot initiatives — released a statement in response to the lawsuit, describing the city of Seattle and King County’s participation as shameful.

“Washington voters made their position clear: they want to protect natural gas and energy choice. Instead of spending time and money suing corporations, perhaps the (Attorney General Bob Ferguson), Seattle and King County should focus on enforcing the law and protecting the will of the people,” Heywood’s statement reads in part.

Despite Ferguson being named multiple times in Heywood’s statement, Ferguson’s office has not taken action to challenge the initiative and, in fact, declined a request to do so from the group bringing the lawsuit. In a letter sent Dec. 6 through their attorneys with Pacifica Law Group, the plaintiffs asked Ferguson’s office to “investigate and promptly institute legal proceedings” on I-2066’s constitutionality. Ferguson’s office replied three days later, rejecting the request and stating that initiatives have a “presumption of constitutionality.”

I-2117 goes down: Washington voters uphold landmark climate law against challenge

Lawrence told KIRO Newsradio the request to Ferguson’s office was merely a procedural necessity to guarantee the plaintiffs had legal standing for such a lawsuit.

“There are dozens, if not more, cases of initiatives that have been declared unconstitutional — like this one,” Lawrence said. “There is a lot of precedence for that, and in fact, we’ll be citing in our brief on the merits a number of Washington state cases that involve this problem of wrongfully combining multiple subjects in the same initiative.”

At the time of publication, no hearing on the lawsuit is currently scheduled. While I-2066 went into effect on Dec. 5, the future of its implementation is uncertain.

Below is Heywood’s statement in full:

Let’s Go Washington is focused on the fairness and accountability of government organizations – the Governor-elect and Governor Inslee have the highest responsibility to side with the people. Washingtonians have voted to protect natural gas from being banned, now it’s time for AG Ferguson and other statewide organizations to enforce this law. If the SBCC won’t follow the law, the governor should demand their resignations.

Meanwhile, as citizens struggle to afford housing and pay their energy bills, shamefully, the City of Seattle and King County are leading the charge to eliminate energy choice and make living more expensive. Washington voters made their position clear: they want to protect natural gas and energy choice. Instead of spending time and money suing corporations, perhaps the AG, Seattle, and King County should focus on enforcing the law and protecting the will of the people.”

Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on X, or email him here.

Follow @https://twitter.com/HeySamCampbell

Several buildings in Seattle’s Capitol Hill were evacuated Thursday morning after a backpack was found on the front steps of the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

No chemicals or no explosives were found, KIRO Newsradio reported around 9:45 a.m. Thursday. Officials have given the “all clear.”

12th Ave. & E. Pine St.: Crews conducted multiple tests to determine the area is safe. We are turning the scene over to Seattle Police for them to reopen the area after our crews return to service.

— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) December 12, 2024

At 7:45 a.m., a call came in reporting the suspicious backpack. At East Pine Street and 12th Avenue, four buildings were evacuated as the bomb squad was called to the scene.

According to police, a white powder was found on the backpack. The bomb squad later determined the powder was not explosive, however the hazardous team was working to determine what the white powder was.

Streets around the area were also closed to traffic.

No suspect is in custody, however police tell KIRO 7 that police are looking for a man that may have left the backpack.

There were no reported injuries.

KIRO Newsradio remains on the scene and will provide updates on this developing story.

Hazmat and bomb squad here in #seattle – suspicious pkg left outside the #SPD precinct pic.twitter.com/XiB2sUcdcH

— Luke Duecy (@KIROLukeD) December 12, 2024