Night Three - 12/23/2023
The third stop on the Kraken’s holiday adventure led them into the heart of Calgary, where the Flames were eager to stoke their fiery reputation. Under a sky as crisp as pine needles, Seattle arrived with a different kind of warmth—festive cheer and steady determination—to prove they could douse the brightest sparks on the ice.
The first period began like a soothing lullaby before a crackling hearth. Just over two minutes in, Kailer Yamamoto chipped in a goal that glimmered like a shiny ornament hung near glowing embers. Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson assisted with a grace that felt like placing fresh kindling to keep the fire burning bright. Though the Flames answered with a power play strike from Nazem Kadri, their blaze never fully took hold, the sparks struggling to leap into roaring flames.
As the second period unfolded, both squads danced around the fire. Chances flickered like tiny sparks drifting upward, but neither side could ignite a true blaze. It was a cautious waltz through a midwinter forest, both teams wary of pouring too much fuel at once.
Then, in the third period, the Kraken delivered a burst of magic that gently smothered Calgary’s hopes. At six minutes in, Alexander Wennberg tucked the puck beneath the crossbar, assisted by Jared McCann and William Borgen, as if carefully adding the final log that would keep Seattle’s glow alive. Suddenly, it was the Flames who were feeling the chill.
Chris Driedger, a calm sentinel in the crease, turned aside 37 of 38 shots. He kept Calgary’s sparks from ever roaring into a bonfire, his net a safe haven against the winter wind and crackling tension.
When the final horn blew, Seattle’s 2 to 1 victory felt like a warm mug of cocoa on a snowy eve. Their holiday spirit had not only survived but thrived in enemy territory, leaving the Flames’ embers to fade quietly into the night.