Philipp Grubauer spent the first period and a chunk of the second making sure Seattle had a chance to stay in the game, and the Kraken eventually made the kind of response that can flip a night in a hurry.
By the time the second period was barely underway in Detroit, Grubauer had already swallowed six shots in the opening two minutes alone. The Red Wings had 22 shots by then, and the Kraken goalie kept them from turning that pressure into a runaway. He finished with 38 saves, a busy, sharp night that set the table for Seattle’s offense to wake up in a big way.
Once the Kraken found their rhythm, they buried Detroit. Seattle scored three times in 3:05 in the second period and added four goals in the frame overall, rolling to a 6-3 win at Little Caesar’s Arena.
Freddy Gaudreau led the burst with two goals, while Ben Meyers turned in a three-point period with a goal and two assists. Vince Dunn, Mackie Samoskevich and Berkly Catton also scored for Seattle, and 11 different Kraken players picked up at least one point.
Detroit opened the scoring on the penalty kill when Viktor Arvidsson pushed a puck that slipped through Grubauer over the goal line. Seattle answered in the first period on Catton’s backhand finish off a slick one-touch feed from Kaapo Kakko.
The second period brought the game’s biggest swing. William Wallinder’s 60-foot wrister gave Detroit a 2-1 lead and counted as his first NHL goal, with Grubauer getting a tough break after Matty Beniers got a piece of the shot on the way through.
Seattle answered 39 seconds later, when Gaudreau finished in tight off a Ryan Winterton pass from the corner. Winterton ended up with two assists.
From there, the Kraken kept landing punches. Samoskevich buried a nice feed from Jared McCann from the edge of the crease on Seattle’s eighth shot of the game.
Then Gaudreau struck again with a right-circle shot for his seventh career multi-goal game. After that, Meyers came out of the penalty box and jumped into a 2-on-1 with Shane Wright, then finished it himself to make it 5-2.
At that point, Detroit goalie John Gibson’s night was over at 14:05, with Seattle having scored five times on 14 shots.
Seattle added one more in the third on a 5-on-3 power play, with Dunn firing a shot inside the right post past replacement goalie Daniil Tarasov. Detroit got one back in chaotic fashion when Kakko fought off a scramble at the goal line but knocked the puck off Mahura, leading to Michael Brandsegg-Nygård being credited with his first NHL goal.
There was plenty more going on for Seattle beyond the scorers. Brandon Montour had two assists, Ryker Evans finished plus-3, and Adam Larsson chipped in with two shots, two hits and four blocks. With Ryan Lindgren on injured reserve, both Ville Ottavainen and Josh Mahura were in the lineup; Mahura had an assist, while Ottavainen blocked three shots and finished plus-2.
Dunn’s goal was his second of the season, and the Kraken’s night fit a weird little pattern: they’re now 3-0-0 against Detroit and Calgary, and 0-2-0 against Edmonton and Vegas.
On the special teams front, both clubs went 1-for-3 on the power play.
Seattle heads next to the Nation’s Capital for a Sunday afternoon matchup with Alexander Ovechkin & Co., with puck drop set for 2 pm Pacific.
In Other News...
Kraken Prospects Are Giving Seattle Fans A Reason To Dream Big
The early buzz around the Krakens pipeline has started in the desert, where the Coachella Valley Firebirds have opened the 2026-27 season with a jolt of offense from several of Seattles most intriguing prospects. Jani Nyman, Jagger Firkus and defenseman Tyson Jugnauth have each put themselves on the radar right away, giving the organization a reminder that the next wave may be closer than it looks.
Nyman has been especially noticeable, piling up points fast and flashing the kind of scoring touch that can change the mood of a night in a hurry. Firkus has been right there with him, contributing in multiple ways, while Jugnauth has been turning heads from the back end by helping drive the puck up ice and setting up chances. It is still very early, but for a Kraken fan base always looking for the next homegrown breakthrough, the first two games have offered plenty to follow. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Just Got An Early Boost From A Place Fans Needed
The Seattle Kraken opened the 2026-27 season against Detroit with a result that looked a lot like the kind of reset this team and its fans had been waiting for. Berkly Catton got Seattle on the board first, and the Kraken kept building from there in a 6-2 win that offered an encouraging start after all the uncertainty that usually comes with a new year.
Frederick Gaudreau gave the lineup a timely scoring punch, while Philipp Grubauer steadied things in net and gave Seattle a performance it could lean on early. In a season where every good sign matters, a convincing win, a first goal from Catton and a strong night in goal at least gave the Kraken something to feel good about before the real grind begins. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Lose Jacob Melanson Indefinitely After Alarming Opener Injury
The Kraken are already facing a sobering early-season development with Jacob Melanson, who has been ruled out indefinitely after an injury sustained in the season opener against Calgary. The forward exited the game and was later diagnosed with an anterior mediastinum hematoma with vascular pseudo aneurysm, a condition that immediately shifted the focus from the ice to his recovery.
Melanson has split his time between Seattle and the Coachella Valley Firebirds over parts of two NHL seasons, and the next stretch will be about patience more than production. He is expected to be monitored closely by the Kraken medical staff in Seattle as he works through a gradual return to hockey, leaving the team to navigate his absence while waiting on the recovery process to run its course. [Read more 🡒]