Kraken clinch first playoff berth, beat Coyotes 4-2

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken clinched the primary playoff berth in franchise historical past and set an NHL file for victories in an enlargement group’s second season by beating the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Thursday night time.

Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Matty Beniers and Vince Dunn scored for the Kraken, who earned their forty fourth win — essentially the most by a second-year NHL group for the reason that Authentic Six period, which led to 1968. It’s a giant turnaround for Seattle, which was 27-49-6 in its first season and completed final within the Pacific Division.

“It feels nice,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol mentioned of his group’s playoff berth. “Day One, that’s the place you need to work towards and be a part of. The group within the room there earned it, they earned it from Day One.”

Philipp Grubauer had 27 saves for Seattle, which received its third straight recreation.

“We’ve bought a particular group right here,” Eberle mentioned. “From Day One, I feel lots of people have written us off. To get up to now is clearly an accomplishment, however I feel this group feels we’re not carried out.”

Barrett Hayton and Laurent Dauphin scored for Arizona, which has dropped 9 in a row. Karel Vejmelka stopped 29 pictures.

“We made a step in the appropriate route right this moment, and we need to end sturdy,” coach André Tourigny mentioned. “We’ve got three video games in entrance of our followers.”

McCann, who additionally had two assists, scored his team-high thirty eighth purpose at 19:36 within the first interval to place the Kraken forward. Dunn adopted that up with a purpose 28 seconds into the second interval. Eberle sneaked one previous Vejmelka at 5:52 to make it 3-0.

Hayton scored Arizona’s first purpose on the 12-minute mark of the second, and Dauphin scored his purpose at 19:21 within the third. Beniers made it 4-1 at 16:09 of the third interval along with his twenty third purpose of the season.

Eberle had the second of his two assists on the purpose, making it an eight-point night time for the road of McCann, Beniers, and Eberle.

Beniers, a rookie, shall be making his first playoff look, however doesn’t appear to be too nervous about what is bound to be an intense environment.

“I do know it’s going to be more durable, quicker, extra bodily,” Beniers mentioned. “However I feel we’ve bought a group that performs the appropriate means on a regular basis. That’s how we bought to this place. I feel if we maintain doing much more of the identical, we’ll be simply nice within the playoffs.”

Hakstol gave Seattle followers who’ve but to expertise playoff hockey an thought of what to anticipate.

“I can’t describe it, it’s an entire totally different degree,” Hakstol mentioned. “I seen that our followers tonight have been unbelievable as soon as once more. Proper from the drop of the puck, you possibly can really feel that pleasure, and you possibly can really feel among the depth as the sport went on. They’ll comprehend it after they stroll within the constructing for that first recreation.

“They’ll really feel it when the puck drops after which all people will know what it appears like.”

NOTES: Eberle’s purpose gave him scores in three straight video games, his longest scoring streak since November 2021. … Seattle’s win was its second dwelling victory over the Coyotes in 4 days. The Kraken additionally defeated Arizona 8-1 on Monday. … The Kraken and Coyotes will play once more Monday in Arizona — their third assembly within the span of every week.

UP NEXT

Coyotes: Host Anaheim on Saturday.

Kraken: Host Chicago on Saturday night time.

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