The Seattle Kraken step into a pivotal non‑conference test tonight as the 25-21-7 Washington Capitals arrive at Climate Pledge Arena carrying the memory of a 4–1 win from their first meeting — and the confidence that comes with it. Understanding this, the 23‑19‑9 Kraken brought their fighting spirit as they dominated the Capitals from the opening puck drop to sharpened its home‑ice identity. Washington countered with veteran firepower, led by Alexander Ovechkin and a team that thrives when it controls tempo. On this night, the Kraken flipped the script in front of their home crowd as they were the ones to control the tempo and skate off with a victory.
Seattle controlled the opening period with pace, possession, and a steady climb in shot volume, outshooting Washington 13–4 by the final TV timeout. The Kraken dictated the early flow through strong faceoff work and a more active forecheck, winning 10 of the first 17 draws and doubling Washington in hits as the period wore on. The Capitals struggled to generate sustained pressure, piling up eight giveaways while producing no takeaways through most of the frame. Seattle’s pressure finally forced the first penalty of the night when Ethen Frank was called for high-sticking Brandon Montour, giving the Kraken a late power‑play opportunity and cementing a period defined by their control of tempo and territorial play.
Seattle broke the game open in the second period, riding a surge of possession and shot volume that overwhelmed Washington’s defensive structure. Jared McCann set the tone early, ripping a slap shot for his 13th of the season off feeds from Jordan Eberle and Chandler Stephenson, pushing the Kraken ahead while maintaining a 14–4 shot advantage. The pressure continued as Declan Chisholm’s puck‑over‑glass penalty gave Seattle another window to dictate pace, even as the Capitals slowly closed the faceoff gap and added a bit more physicality.
Midway through the frame, the Kraken extended their lead when McCann struck again — this time with a clean wrist shot set up by Matty Beniers and Ryan Lindgren — capitalizing on Washington’s mounting giveaways and inability to generate sustained zone time. Seattle’s control only deepened as the period wound down, and with the Capitals scrambling, Eberle capped the surge with his 19th of the year, finishing a feed from McCann to make it three goals in the period. By the horn, Seattle held a 21–10 shot edge, a 17–15 faceoff advantage, and a clear grip on momentum heading into the third.
Seattle closed out the night by absorbing Washington’s final push and answering with the kind of composure that has defined their best stretches of hockey this season. The Capitals clawed back in shots and faceoffs and briefly seized momentum when Alex Ovechkin cut into the lead early in the period, but Seattle’s structure held through a parade of penalties on both sides. Even as Washington pushed the shot total to 19 and tightened the physical play, the Kraken countered with timely takeaways and forced giveaways that stalled the Capitals’ surge. A late delay‑of‑game call on Eeli Tolvanen added more tension, but Seattle ultimately slammed the door when Ryan Winterton buried a wrist shot off feeds from Shane Wright and Jacob Melanson—who punctuated the frame with a fight—securing a gritty, disciplined finish to a statement win at home.
Jordan Eberly scored what fans thought was a hat trick, on his third goal of the game, but it was called off, for a Matty Beniers penalty. They both spoke about this unique play’s impact on the game.
“I know it was crappy. I didn’t mean to hit him,” Beniers said about his penalty that took Eberly’s hat trick goal off the board. “It happened two or three minutes before the goal. I didn’t even know what they were looking at that. Then they told me, so.”
“I’ve never seen. I didn’t know that was an option,” Eberly said about the delay in the game prior to his hat trick being taken away. “Massive momentum swing; we get the fourth and we put them away. They take it away and give you a four-minute penalty. We stood in there!”
The Kraken now welcome the Toronto Maples Leafs to the deep for a match up on January 28th, which is also AANHPI heritage night. The Capitals will finish up their road trip against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. These clubs will renew their rivalry twice more this season—March 12 in Seattle and April 16 in Denver—setting the stage for pivotal late-season showdowns.
