Tyler Johnson scored the go-ahead goal as Chicago defeated the visiting Seattle Kraken 4-3 on Tuesday, ending a dramatic day for the Blackhawks.
Before the game, the Blackhawks placed Corey Perry on unconditional waivers, with general manager Kyle Davidson saying the forward engaged in “unacceptable” conduct on a recent road trip. Davidson did not elaborate on Perry’s actions.
Boris Katchouk, Jason Dickinson and MacKenzie Entwistle also scored for the Blackhawks, who had lost six of their previous seven games. Joey Anderson added two assists and goaltender Petr Mrazek made 33 saves.
Matty Beniers had a goal and an assist and Alex Wennberg and Tye Kartye also tallied for Seattle, which took its second consecutive defeat. Philipp Grubauer stopped 19 of 23 shots in the opener of the Kraken’s four-game trip.
With the score tied at 2-2 early in the second period, Johnson took a cross-ice pass from Taylor Raddysh at the right faceoff dot and lifted a shot over Grubauer’s shoulder and into the near upper corner of the net at 4:22. It was the third goal in five career games against the Kraken for Johnson, a native of Spokane, Wash.
The Blackhawks made it 4-2 at 10:43 of the second. Anderson wrapped around the back of the net and fired a pass across the crease to Entwistle down low on the left wing. Entwistle knocked the puck into the open side of the net.
Kartye scored for the Kraken on the rush at 6:51 of the third, beating Mrazek with a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle, but Seattle was unable to get the equalizer.
The score was 2-2 after a first period in which the Blackhawks built a two-goal lead before the Kraken rallied.
Katchouk opened the scoring at 8:54, pouncing on a rebound after Ryan Donato tipped Seth Jones’ shot from the left point.
Dickinson made it 2-0 at 10:23, getting a slap shot from the high slot past a screened Grubauer.
Beniers got the Kraken on the board at 14:43 following a Chicago turnover. Jared McCann left a drop pass for Beniers, whose initial shot went off a skate of a defenseman before he beat Mrazek low to the far post on a second attempt.
Wennberg tied the score on a short-handed, two-on-one rush with 36.4 seconds left in the period after a stretch pass from Adam Larsson. Wennberg carried the puck over the blue line along the right-wing boards and cut across the slot before he skated around Mrazek and slipped the puck into a vacated net.
–Field Level Media
