Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues 5-3
Feb 28, 2023, 5:48 AM | Updated: 8:53 pm
Seattle Kraken's Morgan Geekie (67) shoots a goal against St. Louis Blues' Torey Krug (47) during the first period of an NHL hockey game on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas)
(AP Photo/Michael Thomas)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Morgan Geekie scored twice and the Seattle Kraken snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.
Geekie ended a 10-game scoring drought that dated to Jan. 28 with his first multi-goal game of the season and first since March 11, 2021, as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I think we tried to play below the goal line as much as we could,” Geekie said. “I think we’re a pretty heavy team, we moved the puck well underneath them. I think we stuck to our gameplan.”
Jared McCann, Jamie Oleksiak and Brandon Tanev also scored, and Martin Jones made 22 saves as the Kraken kicked off a four-game trip. Daniel Sprong and Eeli Tolvanen each had two assists.
Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich each had a goal and an assist, and Brandon Saad scored for the scuffling Blues, who lost their sixth straight. Jordan Binnington made 21 saves.
Geekie’s second goal of the game gave the Kraken a 3-2 lead with 6:28 left in the second, and Oleksiak’s goal midway through the third proved to be the winner.
“We had a little bit of a slow start in the first seven, eight minutes,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “After that you know, we played a good road game. We had a response. Each time they scored, you know, we bounced back and score within a couple of minutes to push the momentum back the other way.”
Buchnevich scored with 5:31 left, but the Blues couldn’t get the equalizer before Tanev scored into an empty net with 6.5 seconds left.
“Pretty good game, but I don’t think we were fast enough,” Buchnevich said. “We have to play quicker and I don’t know, like I said, when you lose six in a row … you have to find something positive to build from that and stop this losing streak.”
The Blues started the game with an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal, but trailed on the scoreboard after Geekie beat Binnington with a wrist shot from the left circle midway through the first.
Thomas evened the game for the Blues with a short-handed goal early in the second period, scoring off Jones from nearly the identical spot that Geekie did the previous period.
“Just little patience in the D-zone,” Thomas said. “Sometimes there’s plays to be made and you can get some good looks off the rush.”
McCann put the Kraken up 2-1 a couple minutes later with his team-high 27th goal of the season. It also matched a career-high for a season set last year.
Saad tied the game for St. Louis midway through the second with his first goal since Feb. 11.
WELCOME BACK
Forward Jaden Schwartz made his first appearance at Enterprise Center since signing with the Kraken as a free agent in 2021. Schwartz was a first-round draft pick by the Blues in 2010 and was a part of the 2019 Stanley Cup championship team.
Schwartz received a standing ovation from the crowd after being honored with a video tribute during a break in the first period.
FACE IN THE CROWD
Roman Bürki, the goalkeeper and captain of the Major League Soccer expansion team St. Louis City SC, was in attendance. St. Louis beat Austin 3-2 in its first game on Saturday.
NOTES: RW Kasperi Kapanen made his Blues debut. The 26-year-old was awarded to the Blues through waivers on Saturday. … Kraken D Vince Dunn, a former Blue, played in his 400th career game. … Binnington played in the 209th game of his career, moving him into a tie with Greg Millen for fifth on the Blues’ all-time franchise list.
UP NEXT
Kraken: At Detroit on Thursday night.
Blues: At San Jose on Thursday night.
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