Defenseman Brandon Montour notched his first NHL hat trick and Chandler Stephenson, Seattle’s other big offseason free-agent signing, had four assists as the Kraken opened a five-game trip with a 8-2 victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Jaden Schwartz added a goal and two assists for the Kraken, who snapped a three-game winless streak (0-2-1). Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jamie Oleksiak had a goal and an assist apiece, Jared McCann had two helpers and Ryker Evans and Eeli Tolvanen also tallied. Goaltender Joey Daccord made 28 saves.
Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson scored for Montreal, which had a two-game winning streak snapped. Goalie Sam Montembeault was pulled at 1:32 of the second period after allowing five goals on 10 shots. Cayden Primeau went the rest of the way, stopping 10 of 13 shots.
Seattle scored four times in the opening 10:33 to take command.
Oleksiak sparked the Kraken as his wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle deflected off Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson and into the net just 25 seconds into the game.
Evans made it 2-0 at 3:49 as his wrist shot from the left point made it through a screen and past Montembeault.
Seattle extended its lead at 7:27 as Stephenson drove down the left wing and started behind the net before finding a wide-open Schwartz for a one-timer in the slot with the man advantage.
Bjorkstrand made it 4-0 at 10:33 on another one-timer from the slot after Schwartz stole a pass behind the Montreal net.
Caufield got the Canadiens on the board at 16:11 of the first, converting a rebound.
Montour, who also notched an assist to equal his career high for points in a game with four, scored his first on the power play at 1:32 of the second on a wrist shot from just inside the blue line. He lit the lamp again at 8:44, backhanding his own rebound past Primeau.
Montour capped his natural hat trick at 14:12 of the third with the man advantage on a one-timer from the left faceoff dot.
Tolvanen tallied Seattle’s eighth goal at 15:14 of the third on a tap-in following a three-on-two rush. Montreal’s Anderson capped the scoring at 15:28.
–Field Level Media
