Berkly Catton’s breakout fuels Kraken into clash vs. Wild

It's said that a player's first NHL goal is the toughest one to score.

That was definitely the case for Seattle's Berkly Catton.

Catton, the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft, was goalless in his first 27 games for the Kraken before beating Boston's Jeremy Swayman early in the second period Tuesday night.

Catton enjoyed it so much he scored again in the third as the Kraken won 7-4 to extend their point streak to nine consecutive games (8-0-1).

The Kraken will try to push the streak to double-digits when they play host to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.

"A lot of weight off the shoulders for sure," Catton said of his first goal. "I dreamed of that for a long time, so that was awesome. ... I kind of just blacked out there."

Catton, who will turn 20 on Jan. 14, said he wasn't even sure how his first goal ended up in the net. He took a pass from Jared McCann low in the right faceoff circle and fired a slap shot that seemingly surprised Swayman, going in off the inside of the goalie's blocker.

Compared to the first, the second was a work of art, a mini-breakaway during the power play with just over five minutes remaining. Catton's backhand shot deflected off the right post and went under the crossbar.

"I thought it was awesome," Kraken coach Lane Lambert said of Catton's performance. "I've said a few times ... that once he scores, I think he'll score a few. Obviously, he scored another one tonight as well, beautiful goal, by the way, and it's huge. He's a well-liked teammate, he works, he's learning, he's growing. And I've said it many, many times, I love the way he wants the puck."

Kaapo Kakko added two goals and an assist and McCann had one of each for the Kraken. Goaltender Joey Daccord made 32 saves.

"It was kind of a run-and-gun type of game, not something we're used to," McCann said. "We showed that we could score goals, but we know we can be a bit better defensively."

The Wild, displaced by the World Junior Championships in St. Paul, Minn., are wrapping up a seven-game trip on which they're 3-1-2.

The lone regulation defeat came Monday in Los Angeles, 4-2. Jared Spurgeon had a goal and an assist for Minnesota and Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves.

"The guys, they're going to rally around the fact that we're all going to be excited to go home," Wild forward Nico Sturm said. "So, I think we're just going to go pedal to the metal the next game and just leave it all out there."

The Wild embarked on their trip Dec. 27 and had six games in 10 days.

"We got to stick to it here," Wild coach John Hynes said. "We've got a lot of points on this trip so far. But, to me, it's the staying power now, making sure that we reset, refocus and be ready for Seattle. I'm confident we will be."

The Wild have nine wins in 13 meetings against the Kraken since Seattle entered the league in 2021. That includes a 4-1 victory Dec. 8 at Climate Pledge Arena, where the Wild are 6-1.