Frederick Gaudreau supplied two goals as the Seattle Kraken broke open the middle frame and skated out of Little Caesars Arena with a 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Seattle opened its five-game trip with a 3-2-0 record, while Detroit closed an opening four-game homestand at 1-3-0.
Key takeaways
- Gaudreau scored twice during Seattle’s four-goal second period.
- Ben Meyers posted a goal and two assists, while Ryan Winterton and Brandon Montour each had two helpers.
- Philipp Grubauer turned aside 38 Detroit shots in the Kraken crease.
- Detroit rookies William Wallinder and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard registered their first NHL goals.
- John Gibson was pulled after Seattle’s fifth goal, with Daniil Tarasov making his Red Wings debut in relief.
Seattle takes over in the second
Detroit struck first on the power play at 9:19 of the opening period. Lucas Raymond fired from the right face-off circle, and Viktor Arvidsson was at the edge of the crease to nudge the puck across the goal line. It was Arvidsson’s third straight game with a power-play goal.
The Kraken answered before intermission. Berkly Catton collected a Kaapo Kakko feed while driving through the Detroit zone and finished with a backhand at 14:52, tying the game 1-1.
Wallinder restored the Red Wings’ lead four minutes into the second, sending a point shot through traffic for his first NHL marker. The lead did not last. Seattle piled up three goals in a span of 3:05 and seized control of the night.
Gaudreau pulled the Kraken even at 14:39, finishing Ryan Winterton’s pass from in close. Mackie Samoskevich then converted a Jared McCann setup after a Wallinder turnover at 6:59, putting Seattle in front 3-2. Gaudreau struck again at 7:44, snapping Winterton’s second assist of the period past Gibson from the left circle.
Meyers added another blow at 14:05, scoring only 12 seconds after leaving the penalty box to stretch the margin to 5-2. Gibson had stopped nine of 15 shots when Detroit made the change, handing the net to Tarasov.
Rookie goals bookend Detroit’s loss
Tarasov made 10 saves on 11 shots in his first appearance for Detroit, but Vince Dunn scored on a two-man advantage at 11:53 of the third period to make it 6-2. Montour had one of his two assists on the Kraken’s productive night.
Brandsegg-Nygard gave the home side a late response, scoring his first NHL goal at 15:27 to settle the final at 6-3. Detroit generated 41 shots overall, but Grubauer held the crease through sustained Red Wings pressure and Seattle’s second-period surge proved too much to chase.
