SEATTLE (AP) — As time ran out on Nikke Kokko’s first career NHL start, the 22-year-old Seattle goalie flung the puck down the ice.
The Calgary Flames had already pulled their own goalie, Devin Cooley, as they tried to rally from a two-goal deficit in their 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
Kokko’s prospective shot on goal was deflected deep in Seattle’s end by Flames forward Morgan Frost, though, ending any hopes of a storybook ending to the Oulu, Finland, native’s second career NHL game.
“This year, I tried three times, maybe, before that,” Kokko said of his time in the American Hockey League. “... It was good they (didn’t) score there after I tried.”
The Flames struggled to sneak any shots past Kokko, who made 26 saves. Kokko admitted he was “a little bit nervous” before Saturday’s game, but became more comfortable as he went through pregame warmups.
It didn’t hurt to have Victor Ostman, his goalie partner the last two years with the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL, on the scene.
“(We’ve) both had a good year so far,” said Kokko, who made his NHL debut Feb. 25 against the St. Louis Blues and was the youngest goalie to do so at the time. “It was really nice to share that moment with him.”
Of course, Kokko and Ostman were present because Seattle’s three goalies were out for different reasons. Starter Joey Daccord and backup Philipp Grubauer had lower-body injuries, and Matt Murray is away from the team tending to a personal matter.
The trickle-down effect left the Firebirds short-handed, and even more so because Coachella Valley’s expected starter, J ack LaFontaine, is out with an illness. As a result, the Firebirds signed Vince Stalletti — their goalie coach — to an amateur tryout with the intention of having him serve as the team’s backup.
Meanwhile, Kokko reunited with Seattle goaltending coach Colin Zulianello, who served in the same capacity for the Firebirds from 2022-25. Kokko was further put at ease by Zulianello’s presence, as most of his family and friends in Finland watched the game from there because there wasn’t enough time to make it to Seattle.
Kokko’s girlfriend did make it to Climate Pledge Arena in time for the game, though.
“I think he prepared me well,” Kokko said of Zulianello, “and he told me I (need) to play just my game, and what I do. I did that.”
In the process, Kokko impressed both his head coach Lane Lambert and forward Freddy Gaudreau, each of whom cracked a smile when discussing the goalie’s attempted shot on net.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a goalie that almost scored in his first game,” Gaudreau said. “But, that would have been awesome.”
“Well, (if) there’s a time and a place for it, OK,” Lambert said. “Just better not go bad.”
Seattle’s season may not have gone quite as expected. Before their second straight victory, the Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention for a third straight season when the Los Angeles Kings beat the Edmonton Oilers 1-0.
But, Seattle’s top goalie prospect demonstrated he can hold his own at this level — and that he isn’t afraid of taking the occasional risk, too.
“With Nikke coming in and being his first NHL start, I thought our guys did a good job, and made a concerted effort to give him as much help as possible,” Lambert said. “When we needed him, he made some good saves for us.”
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