The New York Rangers will open a four-game Western swing Saturday in Seattle.
But that’s nothing compared to the trip on which the Kraken are about to embark. Following the game, the Kraken will board a flight to Helsinki, Finland, where they’ll face the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in games Thursday and next Saturday.
“We’ve obviously got a bit of a light schedule here before Finland, and I think we’ve just got to try to bank as many wins as we can and build that confidence into a trip that’s going to be a really fun one,” Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord said. “It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime type of trip. … Hopefully, we keep it going this weekend, and then we can feel good and kind of enjoy that trip and try to get some points over there.”
Daccord made 25 saves in a 2-1 overtime victory Wednesday against the visiting Calgary Flames, with Matty Beniers scoring the deciding goal on a breakaway 55 seconds into the extra session.
It was Daccord’s first victory in four starts since Oct. 11.
“It’s really important — above all else, important for his confidence,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “You know, he’s no different than any other player. A player who has to work to gain confidence. He’s done a great job here over the last little bit of working. And Colin Zulianello, our goalie coach, just spent a lot of time with him and he responded …
“He had an outstanding game. We gave them a couple of opportunities, certainly in the third period on a couple of breakaways where we had breakdowns. Didn’t love those, but certainly loved the fact he made the saves when he had to.”
Berkly Catton also scored for Seattle, extending his point streak to seven games (three goals, five assists). Catton, in his second NHL season, is tied for the team lead with Chandler Stephenson and former Rangers first-round draft pick Kaapo Kakko at 12 points. Seven Kraken players have 10 points or more.
The Rangers have won two in a row, defeating the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Tuesday and the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 Thursday, both on home ice.
Former Kraken forward Tye Kartye scored the go-ahead goal in the third period for New York on Thursday.
Kartye has five goals in 17 games, matching the total he had in 24 games last season for the Rangers after being claimed off waivers from Seattle.
“He competes hard,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said of Kartye. “He works at his game every day. He’s a relentless worker. He’s just a great teammate. Ever since we’ve picked him up and he joined our team, he’s just fit in with our group. … He brings so many intangibles. He’s good on the penalty kill, his puck pursuit game, he skates, he hunts pucks, and he’s conscientious defensively. He’s been a great fit for our group. He thrives in the game that we’re trying to play.”
Gabe Perreault and Pavel Dorofeyev also scored, and Adam Fox added two helpers to give him a team-leading 21 points (two goals, 19 assists).
The Rangers won when trailing after two periods for the first time this season in seven tries. Goalie Dylan Garand, playing in a 12th consecutive game (10 starts, two relief appearances), made 23 saves.
“I don’t think we had our best stuff (Thursday) in the first and second (periods),” Rangers captain J.T. Miller told reporters. “I thought we got off to a decent start, and after that I don’t think we had our best. That being said, third periods have been our best periods this year so far, and I thought that being down a goal going into the third, I thought we deserved to win going into that period.”