Tye Kartye scored in his NHL debut on Wednesday to help the Seattle Kraken beat reigning Stanley Cup champions the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in Game 5.
New father Morgan Geekie got things rolling for playoff newcomers Seattle, who moved a win away from clinching their first post-season series.
The Kraken take a 3-2 lead in the first-round series back home to Seattle.
Photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY
“It’s the spot you want to be, but at the end of the day, the fourth one’s the toughest to get,” said Kraken forward Yanni Gourde, who scored a pivotal goal early in the third period to make it 3-1. “We know that.”
Geekie added a goal for the Kraken, who have scored first in all five games.
It has been quite a whirlwind of emotions for Geekie, who missed Game 3 to be with his wife for the birth of their daughter.
Photo: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY
Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer stopped 26 shots against his former team.
Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and assisted on Evan Rodrigues’ goal for the Avs that made it 3-2 with 3 minutes, 37 seconds remaining.
The Avalanche could not tie it up with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev pulled for an extra skater. Georgiev — who had 26 stops — was on the bench for Rodrigues’ goal.
“It was stressful,” Geekie said of Colorado’s late flurry. “I wasn’t even out there. It’s harder to watch, honestly.”
“Nothing to lose now,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of his team’s mindset. “You don’t win, you go home.”
Kartye became the eighth player since 1927 to notch a goal while making his NHL debut in the playoffs, NHL Stats data showed.
The goal by Kartye gave the Kraken a 2-1 lead in the second period and came moments after MacKinnon clipped skates with Will Borgen.
MacKinnon was livid, too, and banged his stick on the glass as the Kraken headed down the ice.
Jordan Eberle delivered a pinpoint pass to Kartye, who made it a memorable night.
His parents arrived at the arena from Ontario just in time, too.
“This was my wildest dream,” said Kartye, who turns 22 on Sunday. “So this day has been pretty special.”
In Boston, Matthew Tkachuk scored six minutes into overtime to help the Florida Panthers beat the Bruins 4-3, forcing the teams back to Florida for a sixth game with the series at 3-2 to Boston.
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