The Seattle Kraken didn’t just show up for Sunday night football at Lumen Field. They helped set the tone for it.
Several players were on hand for the Seahawks’ 20-3 win over the previously unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs, and Matty Beniers had the spotlight of the night. The 2023 Calder Trophy winner handled the “12th Man” flag, becoming the first Kraken player ever given that honor. He kept the energy up from there, waving a towel and pumping both arms in the air while wearing a custom Seahawks jersey with his name and Kraken #10, along with a patch that read, “12 Flag Raiser.”
Beniers even brought a little extra style with him. His cap represented Winged Foot Golf Club in suburban New York City, a venue that has hosted several major golf championships.
The Kraken’s appearance also came with a little hometown edge. Unlike the Mariners, who rented out T-Mobile Park for a viewing party of Chiefs fans, Seattle’s hockey team was fully in the building for the home crowd’s big night.
That Seahawks moment came after a reminder that some of the Kraken’s own wins may look better and better as the season goes on.
The Flames have already made those early losses to Seattle sting less by beating the Cup champion Hurricanes and winning five of their last six after twin 6-1 defeats on Oct. 1 and 4. The Flyers, who dropped a game to the Kraken on Oct. 13 and opened the year with nine losses, have since beaten the Avalanche and won three of their last four.
And the Red Wings, after losing to Seattle on Oct. 9, put together a six-game points streak at 3-0-3, which included a shootout loss in Seattle on Oct. 20.
They also beat the Oilers in Edmonton on Monday night.
The problem for Seattle lately has been on the other end of the ice, where the offense has gone quiet at the wrong times.
After Saturday’s listless 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, defenseman Vince Dunn put it plainly: “There’s moments where things go wrong, and then they get worse.”
Dunn, who finished minus-3 in that game, also said after the loss, “We have to be more selfish. I didn’t really see that out of our team tonight.”
He was talking about shot generation, or the lack of it. According to Sportlogiq, Seattle managed just 33 percent of shot volume and 26 percent of shot quality.
The Wild outshot the Kraken 16-1 in the second period, and Seattle didn’t register a shot for the final 19 minutes of that frame.
The previous game wasn’t exactly a model of sharp finishing either, even though the Kraken came away with a 5-3 win over Utah on Thursday. Sportlogiq’s numbers showed Seattle with 40 percent of all shot volume and 27 percent of all shot quality in 5-on-5 play. The Kraken also went through two long stretches without a shot on goal, one lasting 14 minutes and another lasting nine.
In Other News...
Kraken Blue Line Just Powered A Wild Win Over Toronto
Seattle got one of those results that can reshape a road trip mood in a hurry, outlasting Toronto 5-4 in a game that kept tilting back and forth all night. The Kraken leaned on an unusual source of offense, with goals from Josh Mahura and Ryker Evans helping power a win that also featured notable contributions from rookie Gavin McKenna and a busy night for Philipp Grubauer and Sergei Bobrovsky in net.
The penalty kill spent plenty of time under pressure, and the late stages turned into a test of patience as the teams traded momentum and lead changes. In the end, the difference came from the blue line again, with Brandon Montour finishing off the kind of wild finish that can leave a room buzzing long after the final horn. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Finally Closed Out A Wild Home Finish In Regulation
The Krakens homestand ended the way they had been trying to finish a few tense nights at Climate Pledge Arena, with a regulation win and a lead that never slipped away. Brandon Montour provided the late payoff in a game Seattle controlled from the start, helping the club close out its stretch at home with a 3-1 mark and improve to 8-4-1 overall.
Lane Lambert had reason to like the way his group handled the game at 5-on-5, and Philipp Grubauer backed that up by giving up only one even-strength goal. It was the kind of finish Seattle can build on, especially after a homestand that kept testing the teams composure all the way to the closing minutes. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Just Got A Clear Look At Torontos Biggest Problem
The Maple Leafs got a timely boost from Gavin McKenna in their recent game, as he scored twice on the power play and offered a glimpse of how well he can work alongside Auston Matthews. For a team still sorting through its identity early enough in the season, those kinds of flashes matter, especially when the top end of the roster can look dangerous in the kind of structured, special-teams-heavy hockey that travels well.
Even with that wrinkle in their attack, Toronto is still weighing a bigger question in net as it heads toward Vancouver. Sergei Bobrovskys recent play has become part of the conversation, and the staff is considering whether Anthony Stolarz should get another opportunity, a decision that could say plenty about where the Leafs think their steadier option really is right now. [Read more 🡒]