Kyrou, Blues rally past Kraken to win season opener

Kyrou, Blues rally past Kraken to win season opener

Gets 2 goals, Broberg scores in St. Louis debut; Bylsma loses 1st game as Seattle coach

Blues at Kraken | 10/8/24 | Recap

SEATTLE — Jordan Kyrou scored twice, and Philip Broberg got a goal in his debut with the St. Louis Blues to help them rally for 3-2 win against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday.

It was the season opener for both teams.

Justin Faulk had two assists, and Jordan Binnington made 30 saves for the Blues, who have had points in their past six season-opening games (4-0-2).

Vince Dunn and Eeli Tolvanen scored for the Kraken, who have never won a season-opening game (0-3-1). Philipp Grubauer made 22 saves.

It was Dan Bylsma’s first game as Kraken coach. He was hired May 28 to replace Dave Hakstol after coaching Coachella Valley, Seattle’s American Hockey League affiliate, the past two seasons. Bylsma coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for six seasons (2008-14), winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, and coached the Buffalo Sabres for two seasons (2015-17).

St. Louis scored three straight goals in the second period after trailing 2-0.

Kyrou cut it to 2-1 with a power-play goal at 13:42, racing around defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and slipping the puck through Grubauer’s five-hole with a backhand.

Broberg tied it 2-2 at 15:17 of the second with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle past Grubauer’s glove. The 23-year-old defenseman signed a two-year, $9.16 million contract ($4.58 average annual value) with St. Louis on Aug. 20 after the Edmonton Oilers did not match the offer sheet tendered by the Blues one week earlier.

Kyrou scored his second of the game to give St. Louis a 3-2 lead at 15:37, after Alexandre Texier intercepted the puck inside the St. Louis zone and sent Kyrou on a breakaway. Kyrou scored with a snap shot under Grubauer’s glove.

Dunn made it 1-0 at 27 seconds of the second. He picked up a pass from Jordan Eberle near the blue line, skated into the zone and scored on his own rebound by sliding it past Binnington from the top of the crease.

Tolvanen pushed it to 2-0 at 2:20 from below the left circle, tipping a Ryker Evans shot from the point through Binnington.

Eberle was named Kraken captain before the game. The 34-year-old forward is Seattle’s second captain since it joined the NHL for the 2021-22 season. Mark Giordano held the role until he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 20, 2022.