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Kraken score 4 unanswered goals in 3rd period and send Predators to 3rd straight loss 7-3

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Kraken score 4 unanswered goals in 3rd period and send Predators to 3rd straight loss 7-3
Sport

Sport

Kraken score 4 unanswered goals in 3rd period and send Predators to 3rd straight loss 7-3

2024-10-16 11:02 Last Updated At:11:10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann and Adam Larsson each had a goal and an assist to lead Seattle Kraken to a 7-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Brandon Tanev, Ryker Evans and Jordan Eberle also scored, and Chandler Stephenson added two assists for Seattle. Joey Daccord made 31 saves.

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Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) blocks a shot on goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) blocks a shot on goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Seattle Kraken right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) passes the puck past Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) and center Colton Sissons (10) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Seattle Kraken right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) passes the puck past Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) and center Colton Sissons (10) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators defenseman Brady Skjei (76) skates the puck past Seattle Kraken left wing Jared McCann (19) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators defenseman Brady Skjei (76) skates the puck past Seattle Kraken left wing Jared McCann (19) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) and right wing Michael McCarron (47) block a shot on goal by Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) and right wing Michael McCarron (47) block a shot on goal by Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle, center, celebrates his goal with center Shane Wright (51) and defenseman Brandon Montour (62) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle, center, celebrates his goal with center Shane Wright (51) and defenseman Brandon Montour (62) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Seattle broke open a tied game early in the third period when Schwartz and Eberle scored 1:21 apart. The Kraken went on to score four unanswered goals in the period.

Michael McCarron, Tommy Novak and Brady Skjei scored and Juuse Saros made 29 saves for the Predators, who dropped their third straight game to open the season.

McCarron and Novak scored in a 2:13 span in the first period to rally Nashville from a two-goal deficit.

Kraken: The victory gave Seattle a split of its four-game early season trip. The Kraken head to Seattle for a five-game homestand. Eberle, Seattle’s newly named captain, has three goals in four games and had the shootout winner at Minnesota Oct. 12.

Predators: The Predators are winless after adding high-priced free agents like Skjei, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault in the offseason. The Predators have not had a lead in any of their three games and the revamped roster has failed to find chemistry.

After Skjei’s goal with 2:43 remaining in the second, Schwarz and Eberle’s scored goals 1:21 apart before the period was three minutes old.

After going 0-2 on the power play Tuesday night, the Predators have one power-play goal in 11 opportunities in three games.

The Kraken host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, while the Predators host the defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers, also on Thursday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) blocks a shot on goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) blocks a shot on goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Seattle Kraken right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) passes the puck past Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) and center Colton Sissons (10) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Seattle Kraken right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) passes the puck past Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) and center Colton Sissons (10) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators defenseman Brady Skjei (76) skates the puck past Seattle Kraken left wing Jared McCann (19) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators defenseman Brady Skjei (76) skates the puck past Seattle Kraken left wing Jared McCann (19) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) and right wing Michael McCarron (47) block a shot on goal by Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) and right wing Michael McCarron (47) block a shot on goal by Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle, center, celebrates his goal with center Shane Wright (51) and defenseman Brandon Montour (62) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle, center, celebrates his goal with center Shane Wright (51) and defenseman Brandon Montour (62) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

NEW YORK (AP) — The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer likely left New York City on a bus soon after the brazen ambush that has shaken corporate America, police officials said. But he left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park.

Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still did not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. Investigators were looking at whether the shooter may have been a disgruntled employee or client of the insurer, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters.

The FBI announced Friday night it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Video of the gunman fleeing Wednesday’s shooting showed him riding a bicycle into Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal that offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C, according to Kenny.

Police have video of the man entering the bus station but no video of him exiting, leading them to believe he left the city, Kenny said.

Investigators on Friday found a backpack in the park that had been worn by the gunman during the shooting, police said, following a massive sweep to find it in a vast area with lakes and ponds, meadows, playgrounds and woods.

Police didn’t immediately reveal what, if anything, it contained but said it would be analyzed for clues.

The gunman made sure to conceal his identity with a mask during almost all of his time in the city, including during the attack and while he ate, yet left a trail of evidence in view of the nation’s biggest city and its network of security cameras.

The gunman arrived in New York City on Nov. 24 and shot Thompson 10 days later outside his company’s annual investor conference at a hotel just blocks from Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center.

The gunman got off a bus that originated in Atlanta and made several stops along the way, Kenny said. Police have not determined where he got on the bus. Investigators have a list of passengers, but none of them would have had to provide an ID when they climbed aboard, Kenny said.

Investigators believe the suspect used a fake identification card and paid cash, Kenny said, when he checked in at the hostel, which has a café along with shared and private rooms and is blocks from Columbia University.

Investigators have tested a discarded water bottle and protein bar wrapper in a hunt for his DNA. They also were trying to obtain additional information from a cellphone found along the gunman’s escape route.

Photos of the suspected shooter that were taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side appear to from the only time he removed his mask, Kenny said. The images, showing a man smiling in the lobby of the HI New York City hostel. They are among a collection of photos and video circulated since the shooting — including footage of the attack, as well as images of the suspected gunman at a Starbucks beforehand.

“From every indication we have from witnesses, from the Starbucks, from the hostel, he kept his mask on at all times except for the one instance where we have him photographed with the mask off,” Kenny said.

His roommates at the hostel also said he didn’t speak to them. Nothing of investigative value was found in a search of the suspected shooter’s hotel room.

Asked how close he felt police were to making an arrest, Kenny said, “This isn’t ‘Blue Bloods.’ We’re not going to solve this in 60 minutes. We’re painstakingly going through every bit of evidence that we can come across. Eventually, when an apprehension is made, we will have to present all of these facts to a judge and jury, so we’re taking our time, doing it right and making sure we’re going to get justice for this victim and closure for his family.”

Security video of the shooting shows the killer approaching Thompson from behind, firing several shots with a gun equipped with a silencer, barely pausing to clear a jam while the executive fell to the sidewalk.

Police were looking into the possibility that the weapon was a veterinary pistol, which is a weapon commonly used on farms and ranches if an animal has to be euthanized quietly, Kenny said — though he stressed that hadn’t been confirmed.

The words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, one word on each of three bullets, Kenny said. A law enforcement official previously told The Associated Press the words were “deny,” “defend” and “depose.” The messages mirror the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which is commonly used by lawyers and critics about insurers that delay payments, deny claims and defend their actions.

Thompson, a father of two sons who lived in a Minneapolis suburb, had been with Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years.

The insurer’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was holding its annual meeting in New York for investors. The company abruptly ended the conference after Thompson’s death.

UnitedHealth Group said it was focused on supporting Thompson’s family, ensuring the safety of employees and assisting investigators. “While our hearts are broken, we have been touched by the huge outpouring,” the company said.

UnitedHealthcare provides coverage for more than 49 million Americans. It manages health insurance coverage for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs.

In October, UnitedHealthcare was named along with Humana and CVS in a Senate report detailing how its denial rate for prior authorizations for some Medicare Advantage patients has surged in recent years.

The shooting has rocked the health insurance industry in particular, causing companies to reevaluate security plans and delete photos of executives from their websites. A different Minnesota-based health care company said Friday it was temporarily closing its offices out of an abundance of caution, telling employees to work from home.

Balsamo reported from Washington. Jake Offenhartz, Cedar Attanasio and Karen Matthews in New York, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed to this story.

Members of the media line a sidewalk outside the HI New York City hostel, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in New York, where police say the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have stayed. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Members of the media line a sidewalk outside the HI New York City hostel, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in New York, where police say the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have stayed. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

This image provided by the New York City Police Department shows a man wanted for questioning in connection to the investigation of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP)

This image provided by the New York City Police Department shows a man wanted for questioning in connection to the investigation of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP)

Traffic rolls past the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, near where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Traffic rolls past the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, near where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Pedestrian walk outside George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Pedestrian walk outside George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Traffic rolls past the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Traffic rolls past the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Pedestrians cross the road outside George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Pedestrians cross the road outside George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Commuters wait for buses at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Commuters wait for buses at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Commuters wait inside the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Commuters wait inside the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A New York City Police officer walks through brush and foliage in Central Park near 64th Street and Central Park West, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York, while searching for a backpack police believe was dropped in the park by the person suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

A New York City Police officer walks through brush and foliage in Central Park near 64th Street and Central Park West, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York, while searching for a backpack police believe was dropped in the park by the person suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

This still image from surveillance video obtained by the Associated Press shows the suspect, left, sought in the the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, center, outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding an investor conference, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

This still image from surveillance video obtained by the Associated Press shows the suspect, left, sought in the the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, center, outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding an investor conference, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

This image provided by the New York City Police Department shows a man wanted for questioning in connection to the investigation of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP)

This image provided by the New York City Police Department shows a man wanted for questioning in connection to the investigation of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP)

A New York City Police officer walks through brush and foliage in Central Park near 64th Street and Central Park West, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York, while searching for a backpack police believe was dropped in the park by the person suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

A New York City Police officer walks through brush and foliage in Central Park near 64th Street and Central Park West, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York, while searching for a backpack police believe was dropped in the park by the person suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

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