Kraken Enter Olympic Break with Gritty Win, Playoff Momentum
LOS ANGELES - The Seattle Kraken couldn’t have asked for a better sendoff into the Olympic break.
With the postseason race tightening and every point carrying weight, the Kraken capped a three-game divisional road swing with a hard-fought 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night. Shane Wright led the way with two goals, including a critical third-period power play tally, as Seattle showed poise and purpose in a playoff-style battle at crypto.com Arena.
This wasn’t just another win. It was a statement - one that positions the Kraken deeper into the playoff picture than they’ve been in nearly three years, with 26 games left to play.
“Get the job done - that was it,” Wright said postgame, summing up the team’s mindset heading into the break. And that’s exactly what they did.
First Period Fireworks
Seattle came out with jump, which was a bit unexpected considering they were on the second night of a back-to-back after a physical tilt in Anaheim. Meanwhile, the Kings were rested and riding high after acquiring Artemi Panarin earlier in the day in a move to bolster their playoff push.
But it was the Kraken who looked like the fresher team early. After falling behind 1-0 on the first of two power play goals by Andrei Kuzmenko, Seattle responded with a three-goal burst in the opening frame.
Wright tied it with a slick forehand-to-backhand move off a behind-the-net feed from Ryan Winterton. Just 58 seconds later, Adam Larsson found the net off a pass from Chandler Stephenson.
Then Vince Dunn added a third, finishing a beautiful backhander in full stride after Jared McCann hit him in transition.
That flurry flipped the game on its head and gave the Kraken a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Holding the Line
Joey Daccord was steady in net, turning aside 25 of 27 shots. His best work came in the second period, when the Kings pressed hard and outshot Seattle 11-4. Kuzmenko’s second power play goal pulled L.A. within one, but Daccord and the Kraken defense held firm.
Seattle’s response in the third period was all about composure. Wright’s second goal of the night came on the power play six minutes into the final frame - a critical insurance marker that gave the Kraken some breathing room. From there, they locked it down.
It was a gritty, gutsy effort from a team that has found its identity - fast, physical, and opportunistic.
Playoff Picture Comes Into Focus
With the win, the Kraken head into the Olympic break tied for third in the Pacific Division, holding the tiebreaker over Anaheim thanks to regulation and overtime wins. The Ducks currently occupy the final Western Conference wild-card spot, and Seattle sits just one point back of second-place Edmonton with two games in hand.
The playoff math is starting to matter, and the Kraken are right in the thick of it. The top three teams in each division get automatic postseason bids, with two more spots awarded to the next-best teams in the conference. As it stands, Seattle is trending in the right direction - and doing it at the right time.
They’ve now won five of their last six games and six of their last eight. Since a pre-Christmas win over San Jose, they’ve gone 15-6-3 - a stretch that’s vaulted them into contention.
Depth Stepping Up
Seattle’s win came despite being short-handed. Jaden Schwartz was out with a lower-body injury suffered the night before, and the team had to call up Oscar Fisker Molgaard from Coachella Valley. Molgaard slotted into the fourth line and will now head off to represent Denmark at the Winter Olympics.
It’s that kind of next-man-up mentality that’s fueled this Kraken surge. Dunn’s goal - a power play strike that came off a neutral zone turnover - was a prime example of Seattle’s opportunistic play. He jumped into the rush, found a seam, and buried a backhander behind Darcy Kuemper.
“It’s just instinctive,” Dunn said. “We didn’t really talk about a lot of set plays. It was more about reading each other and trusting each other to make the right play.”
Dunn’s two-way game has been a consistent asset all season, but this one stood out. He saw an opening, took it, and gave the Kraken the kind of multi-goal lead they’ve protected all year. Seattle is now 21-0-0 when leading by more than one goal at any point in a game.
“When we’re playing well, we’re just foot on the gas,” Dunn added. “Not reckless, but high pressure. That’s where we create turnovers and generate offense.”
Building Something Special
There’s a quiet confidence brewing in this Kraken locker room. Wright, still just 22, has emerged as a key piece in this playoff push - not just with his scoring touch, but with his leadership by example.
“I think we’ve got something special brewing here,” Wright said. “We’ve strung together a bunch of really good games.
Big wins against divisional opponents. We’re just going to keep building.”
Head coach Lane Lambert echoed that sentiment. He’s seen a team come together through a grueling January schedule - an NHL-record 17 games in one month - and come out stronger on the other side.
“They played for each other,” Lambert said. “You could see it on the bench - guys blocking shots, the whole bench up pounding their sticks. They care about each other, and they’re having success.”
Lambert made it clear he wants his players to unplug during the break. No hockey talk, no overthinking. Just rest, recharge, and get ready for the stretch run.
Because when they return to action on February 25, it’s go-time. March brings 15 games, followed by a final sprint in April. The schedule won’t ease up, but neither will the Kraken - not if they keep playing like this.
They’ve earned this break. Now, it’s about coming back with the same fire they’ve shown over the last month.
And if they do? This could be a team nobody wants to face come playoff time.