Sports

Gourde’s 3-point game powers Kraken to 6-2 over Flyers

The Seattle Kraken put on a show Thursday night, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 6-2 at home. Yanni Gourde was the star of the night, recording two goals and an assist in the victory.

Gourde opened the scoring in the first period, and added another goal in the second. Jared McCann, Justin Schultz, Oliver Björkstrand, and Matty Beniers also scored for Seattle. Philipp Grubauer had 17 saves in the victory.

Travis Konecny scored twice and Noah Cates had two assists for Philadelphia, who have lost three straight games. Carter Hart (15 saves) allowed four goals from 19 shots before giving way to Samuel Ersson (nine saves) in the second half.

Gourde’s performance was a career highlight, and his teammates praised him for his effort. McCann noted that Gourde’s performance was a result of his hard work, and that the team could learn from him. The Kraken also benefitted from a 2-for-3 performance on the power play.

Eli Tolvanen also had a strong performance, scoring nine goals and 14 points since his debut on Jan. 1. The Flyers had no answer for the Kraken’s offense, and coach John Tortorella refused to comment on his team’s performance.

The Kraken will host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, while the Flyers will travel to Vancouver. With the victory, Seattle improved to 8-3-1, good for 17 points and second place in the Pacific Division.