Seattle left Edmonton with a game that tilted in a few key areas, even if the final numbers weren’t theirs across the board. The Kraken finished with 40 percent of the 5-on-5 shot volume and 40.9 percent of the shot quality, but their best stretch came in the second period, when they controlled play, held a plus-8 edge in shot volume, and accounted for 71.6 percent of all shot quality.
Seattle also did enough in the little battles to keep itself in the game. The Kraken won 51 percent of all puck battles and created eight scoring chances off turnovers while giving up five. Berkly Catton stood out as Seattle’s leader in shot quality, while Matty Beniers paced the team in offensive zone possession time.
The top Seattle lines were once again Chandler Stephenson’s and Berkly Catton’s. Stephenson’s group finished plus-4 in shot volume, owned 61.8 percent of the shot quality, and logged 11:28 of ice time. Catton’s line posted 54.5 percent of the shot volume and 63.7 percent of the shot quality.
Special teams gave the Kraken a lift. After going 0-for-15 against Edmonton’s penalty kill last year, Seattle scored on its first power-play chance and finished 1-for-2.
The penalty kill was sharp too, blanking Edmonton on all three of its power plays. Last season, that unit was successful 70 percent of the time.
Edmonton, though, found more of the prime real estate around the net. The Oilers produced 14 high-danger chances to Seattle’s nine, and Bobby McMann had the most slot chances of anyone in the game with four. McMann, along with Jordan Eberle, Chandler Stephenson, Ben Meyers and Mackie Samoskevich, finished among the top players in Game Score according to hockeystatcards.com.
In net, Philipp Grubauer was credited by Sportlogiq as 0.63 goals above expected based on the shot quality he faced. Eberle also hit a milestone, earning his 450th NHL assist with the primary helper on McMann’s goal.
In Other News...
Kraken Let Another Winnable Night In Edmonton Slip Away
The Kraken had a chance to leave Edmonton with a result after Bobby McMann dragged them level in the second period and Philipp Grubauer kept them in it with 22 saves, including several important stops while killing penalties. For stretches, Seattle did enough to make Rogers Place feel winnable, even against a high-end Oilers team that can punish small openings.
But the night tilted late in the third, and the margin for error vanished in a hurry. Seattle could not find the response after Edmonton seized control again, turning what had been a competitive road game into another reminder that the Kraken are still trying to piece together the kind of finish that turns close nights into points. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Already Face A Pressure Test With Young Forwards Up Front
The Flames have spent the opening stretch of the 2026-27 season trying to find traction while leaning on a younger group up front, a spot made even trickier by the absence of veteran winger Jonathan Huberdeau. Calgary has already dropped its first two games and has had issues closing out shifts defensively, the kind of early-season slippage that can put pressure on a lineup still sorting out its top-six mix under coach Ryan Huska.
Seattle is part of a tough early run for Calgary, which also has Colorado and Anaheim looming on the schedule. The Kraken already have a feel for where the Flames are vulnerable, especially if Calgary cannot clean up its neutral-zone defense and get more reliable execution when games tighten late, and the next few outings will say plenty about how ready the younger forwards are to carry a larger load. [Read more 🡒]
Vince Dunn Landed On A Rare List In Kraken's Opener
Opening night against Calgary gave Vince Dunn another early-season spotlight, even if it came with a small twist. The Kraken defenseman scored Seattles second goal and added two assists in a 6-1 win, reinforcing how central he remains to the blue line whenever the games start to matter.
He also came close to a piece of NHL history that would have stood out even more than the box score, since he nearly became the only defenseman to open three straight seasons by scoring first for his team. Instead, Seattle got its first goal from another skater just before Dunn struck, and the moment now sits as one more reminder that the Krakens opener already had a little bit of everything going. [Read more 🡒]