Final: Kraken 7, Bruins 4 - Kraken score four unanswered goals, Bruins lose last game of road trip

The Boston Bruins lose their final game of the road trip with a 7-4 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

While the Bruins played competitive for the first half of the game, the usual mistakes came back to bite them, which the Kraken took advantage of.

After back and forth chances to start the game, Seattle received the first power play of the game after a Nikita Zadorov penalty. Eight seconds into the man advantage, Jeremy Swayman received a tripping penalty to give the Kraken a lengthy five-on-three power play.

Seattle waisted no time and scored the first goal of the game as Jordan Eberle, the same player Swayman tripped, tapped the puck into an open net.

The Bruins recovered quickly and tied the game. David Pastrnak received a stretch pass in Seattle's zone, and the right winger sniped an awkward-angle shot past Joey Daccord making it 1-1. 

Early into the second period, Seattle retook the lead on a poor turnover by Boston. Jonathan Aspirot couldn't handle a bouncing puck at the blue line, and a two-on-one by the Kraken resulted in Berkly Catton's first NHL goal off a one-timer.

The Bruins still kept up with the Kraken and tied the game once again. A break out lead by Charlie McAvoy lead to Pastrnak's second goal of the game, as McAvoy found Pastrnak for a one-timer across the crease.

All signs pointed towards this game being tied going into another intermission, as Swayman made key stops down the stretch. However, two goals scored in the final two minutes of the period gave Seattle a 4-2 lead.

In the third period, the momentum didn't stop for Seattle, as they added two more goals to kill any chance of a Boston comeback. Kappo Kakko scored on a cross crease chance in transition, and Catton scored his second career goal on the power play.

The Bruins did score two late goals by Lohrei and Viktor Arvidsson, but it was too late for them to complete any sort of comeback. Kakko scored an empty net goal to seal the game for Seattle and send the Bruins home with a loss.

Boston's flaws continue to show throughout these losses. Poor turnovers, poor defense in transition, and unnecessary penalties became key factors in this loss. 

The Kraken played better on special teams. As one of the worst teams in the NHL on the penalty kill, they limited Boston to one power play goal on three chances. On the flip side, Boston allowed two power play goals themselves. 

Swayman didn't play a good game tonight either. Despite turnovers allowed by Boston, Swayman committed an unnecessary penalty which cost the Bruins a goal, along with a couple goals that could've been handled better.

Boston will now travel back home to take on the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Puck drop will be at 7 p.m.

__________________

WHO: Bruins (22-18-2) at Kraken (19-14-7)
WHEN: 10 p.m.
WHERE: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
TV: NESN
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

PROJECTED LINES

Boston

Steeves - E. Lindholm - Geekie

Khusnutdinov - Minten - Pastrnak

Mittelstadt - Zacha - Arvidsson

Eyssimont - Kuraly - Kastelic

Zadorov - McAvoy

Jokiharju - Aspirot

Lohrei - Peeke

Swayman

Korpisalo

Seattle

Kakko - Beniers - Eberle

Tolvanen - Stephenson - Gaudreau

Catton - Wright - McCann

Winterton - Meyers - Melanson

Dunn - Larsson

Lindgren - Fleury

Evans - Oleksiak

Daccord

Grubauer

PREGAME NOTES

The Boston Bruins wrap up their five-game road trip with a stop in Seattle.

Dans Locmelis was named to Latvia’s Olympic hockey team. The Bruins selected the forward in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Locmelis spent two seasons at UMass where he put up 15 goals and 32 assists.

Hampus Lindholm is out for "a little bit" with an undisclosed injury in Vancouver. “It’s not going to be a day-to-day thing.,” Marco Sturm said. “Hopefully not too long. He’s definitely going to be out for a little bit. We have to do more testing when we’re back in Boston.”

Henri Jokiharju was added to the active roster and will play tonight, Sturm said. It's his first game since Nov. 28 after suffering an injury. Tanner Jeannot is also returning to the lineup from injury.