LOS ANGELES — There was a feeling among Kraken players following Saturday night’s opening game that strong work by Yanni Gourde and his new linemates had started swinging momentum their way before the team simply ran out of time.
As if to prove that theory accurate in Monday night’s rematch, Alex Wennberg and Ryan Donato wasted little time combining efforts on the game’s opening goal a team-record 14 seconds after the puck was first dropped. Wennberg’s backhanding home of a rebound off Donato’s wraparound attempt set the tone for a resounding 6-1 victory in which the Kraken took the early initiative and then Gourde’s new line took over.
Adam Larsson also scored in the opening frame after strong forechecking work and possession by Gourde and linemates Victor Rask and Karson Kuhlman gave the Kraken the lead for good. Rask then added some huge insurance later in that second period with his first goal for his new team since last week’s trade from Minnesota.
