NHL Notebook: L.A. Kings place goaltender Cal Petersen on waivers following 9-8 loss to Seattle Kraken
By Cam Lewis
1 year agoThe early favourite for the wildest game of the 2022-23 NHL season went down on Tuesday night as the Seattle Kraken rolled into Los Angeles and beat the Kings by a score of 9-8 in overtime.
The 17 combined goals between the two teams matched the highest-scoring game of the 21st century and Martin Jones became the first goaltender since 1991 to allow eight goals in a game and still come out with the victory.
On Wednesday, the Kings placed goaltender Cal Petersen on waivers…
Jonathan Quick started the game, allowed five goals on 14 shots, and was pulled in favour of Petersen early in the second period. From there, Petersen allowed four goals on 16 shots and was credited with the loss, as the Kings tied the game in the third period but wound up losing in overtime.
Petersen is in the first season of a three-year, $15 million contract that was signed back in September of 2021 following what appeared to be a breakout performance. He put up a .911 save percentage in 35 games during the pandemic-shortened 2021 season but has struggled since, posting a .890 save percentage over 47 games between 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Given Petersen’s $5 million salary cap hit, it would be shocking if anybody grabbed him on waivers. The Kings will likely bring up veteran third-string goalie Pheonix Copley and give Petersen a chance to figure out what’s wrong while facing weaker competition in the AHL.
The win was Seattle’s sixth in a row, and they’re now in second place in the Western Conference with a 14-5-3 record, behind only the Vegas Golden Knights. Last season, it took the Kraken until late January to pick up their 14th win.
Tuesday night’s chaotic win does a good job of summarizing what the Kraken’s success has looked like this season. Like last year, the team still has a terrible time keeping the puck out of its own net, as Seattle’s goalies have combined for a .889 save percentage through 22 games, but their offence has popped from one of the league’s worst to one of the league’s best.
It’ll be interesting to see if Seattle can keep this up. They improved over the off-season and there was some thought that they could find themselves as a bubble playoff team but nobody saw a flying start like this one.
We’ll get out first look at the Kraken on December 30 when the Oilers head to Seattle. They’ll then play the Oilers twice in January and the two teams will meet up once more in Seattle in March.
Other notes…
- Alex Ovechkin passed one of Wayne Gretzky’s goal records on Tuesday night during the Washington Capitals’ 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Ovechkin scored two goals in the win, which were the 402nd and 403rd goals scored on the road of his NHL career. With seven more goals, Ovechkin will become the third player ever to score 800 goals in NHL history.
- The Coyotes are one step closer to securing a long-term home in Arizona. On Tuesday evening, the Tempe City Council voted 7-0 in favour of the team’s 16,000-seat arena and entertainment district project. The $2.1 billion project would be one of the biggest property developments in Arizona’s history.
- Matthew Tkachuk made his return to Calgary on Tuesday night for the first time since being traded to the Florida Panthers back in July. Tkachuk was given a standing ovation at the start of the game but Flames fans booed him the rest of the way. They also started a “Hubey’s better” chant, referencing that the Flames won the trade. Calgary won the game by a score of 6-2, putting them at 10-9-3 for the season.
- Boston Bruins broadcaster Jack Edwards referred to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon as “fat pat” during Tuesday’s Bruins and Lightning telecast. In response, Maroon made a $2000 donation to Tampa Bay Thrives in Edwards’ name. The initiative supports those in Tampa who are struggling with mental health, bullying, and body image issues.
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