Kraken Set the Tone Early, Hold Off Golden Knights in Statement Win
LAS VEGAS - If you’re looking for a turning point in the Kraken’s season, don’t skip past the first 20 minutes of Saturday night’s 3-2 win over the Golden Knights. That opening period wasn’t just good - it was arguably Seattle’s most complete frame of the season. And it came at the perfect time, kicking off a crucial three-game road trip ahead of the Olympic break.
The Kraken came out flying, swarming Vegas with relentless forechecking and responsible backchecking that left the T-Mobile Arena crowd audibly frustrated. Two goals in the first - one from Eeli Tolvanen and another from Jared McCann, the 200th of his career - gave Seattle early control. But it was the way they controlled the pace and dictated the terms that stood out most.
“It’s a big thing how we’re starting,” said Kaapo Kakko, who would later score the game-winner. “I don’t know exactly what’s there, but I think there’s no secret to it. It’s all of us trying to do everything we can to make sure we start well.”
That commitment to fast starts has been a theme during the Kraken’s current four-game win streak. And while Vegas clawed back with a pair of goals in the second - one from Ivan Barbashev and a power-play strike by Mitch Marner in the final seconds of the frame - Seattle never looked rattled.
Tied after two on the road against the Pacific Division leaders? That’s a scenario most teams would take, and the Kraken took full advantage.
Just three minutes into the third, Adam Larsson let a shot fly from the right point. Kakko was in perfect position, pouncing on the rebound and burying it past Vegas goalie Akira Schmid. That would be all the offense Seattle needed.
Joey Daccord took it from there, stopping 27 of 29 shots and standing tall in the final minutes as Vegas pressed hard for the equalizer. His emphatic fist pumps as the final horn sounded said it all - this one mattered.
And it should. The Kraken are now just three points back of first-place Vegas, with the same margin separating them from second-place Edmonton - and they still hold two games in hand on the Oilers. More importantly, they’ve tightened their grip on third place in the Pacific, sitting two points ahead of both Anaheim and Los Angeles, and a point clear of Utah, which currently holds the top Western Conference wild-card spot.
But here’s the thing: this doesn’t feel like a team scrapping for a wild-card berth. Not when they’ve now notched 26 wins - one more than the Golden Knights themselves.
The next two games - Tuesday in Anaheim and Wednesday in L.A. - are massive. They’ll close out the Kraken’s pre-Olympic schedule, with the league set to pause for the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina. When Seattle returns to action in late February, it’ll be a full-speed sprint to the finish.
“I mean, it’s totally different from last year at this time,” Kakko said, reflecting on the stakes and the Kraken’s position in the standings. “That’s what you want. You want to have something to play for.”
Right now, the Kraken have exactly that - and they’re playing like a team that knows it.