Seattle’s numbers told a pretty clear story in the 5-on-5 game against Vegas: the Kraken spent more time driving play than the final flow might suggest. They finished with 38.6 percent of all shot volume and 40.7 percent of all shot quality, with their biggest edge coming in the first and third periods. The middle 20 minutes, though, were a different matter, as Vegas managed to hem them in.
One of the biggest bright spots came from the Berkly Catton line. Skating with Shane Wright and Kaapo Kakko, that trio was together for 9:01 and finished plus-6 in shot attempts while generating 68.8 percent of the game’s shot quality. Matty Beniers’ line, with Jared McCann and Mackie Samoskevich, also helped Seattle lean the right way, going plus-1 in shot attempts and coming just short of breaking even in shot quality.
Individually, Shane Wright, Bobby McMann and Mackie Samoskevich stood out as Seattle’s leaders in shot quality. Wright and McCann were the two most active shooters from the slot, with four each, and Wright also led the game with three rush chances.
Beniers made his mark in transition, leading all skaters with 12 controlled exits and also tying for the lead in entries with six. He shared that entry mark with Berkly Catton, Jordan Eberle and Jack Eichel.
There were a couple of notable milestones for Eberle as well. His assist on McCann’s goal marked the 41st time he has set up McCann for a score, and it was also the 17th primary assist he has delivered to a teammate from below the goal line as a Kraken. That helper also extended Eberle’s point streak to four games, matching the franchise record for the longest point streak to begin a season, set by Andre Burakovsky in 2022-23.
Among Seattle skaters, Wright and Kakko finished with the highest Game Score.
In Other News...
Kraken Fans Will Be Arguing About This Vegas Loss All Night
Victor Olofsson did plenty of damage against Seattle on a night when the Kraken never quite found their footing, scoring twice in Vegas 6-2 win. The Kraken had chances early on the power play, but they spent too much of the game chasing a mix of penalties and bad puck luck that kept swinging momentum back toward the Golden Knights.
The frustration boiled over as the game got choppier, and Seattles bench had plenty to sort through afterward. Ben Meyers was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct, while the physical edge escalated even further in a contest that already felt like it was slipping away from the Kraken long before the final horn. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Exposed At Home By A Problem Fans Already Feared
The Krakens night at Climate Pledge Arena unraveled early and never really settled into anything resembling home-ice control, as Vegas rolled to a 6-2 win behind huge performances from Tomas Hertl and Jack Eichel. Seattle got goals from Shane Wright and Jared McCann, but the Golden Knights were cleaner, faster and far more dangerous in the moments that decided the game, with Victor Olofsson adding two goals before leaving the ice after a hard collision.
For Seattle, the more worrying part was how quickly the game got away in front of a crowd that had already been bracing for defensive trouble. Joey Daccord was chased in the third period after giving up five goals on 21 shots, with Philipp Grubauer taking over late, and the Kraken never found a way to steady things long enough to make the finish interesting. Meanwhile, the sequence that knocked Olofsson out of the game added another layer of agitation to a matchup that had already tilted sharply in Vegas favor. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Suddenly Face A Blue Line Concern After Physical Loss
A physical night in Vegas ended with the Kraken dealing with an early scare on the blue line, as Ryan Lindgren exited after taking a hard hit and never returned. Seattle has leaned on its defense to stay organized in tight games, so any injury on the back end immediately raises questions about how the group will hold up if a regular is forced out for any length of time.
Lindgrens departure came in a game already marked by a couple of injury situations elsewhere around the league, underscoring how quickly a heavy matchup can change a teams outlook. For Seattle, the immediate concern is less about the final score than whether Lindgren will be available moving forward, and the team now has to wait for more clarity before knowing how much this one affects its rotation on defense. [Read more 🡒]