Tuesday night in Seattle, the Kraken returned to the ice with unfinished business and a perfect home record to protect. After Jordan Eberle’s two-goal surge helped sink the Oilers, Seattle welcomed Montreal for a rematch dripping with tension. The (7-3) Canadiens had edged the Kraken in overtime last time out, but this time, the hosts came armed with a 5-2-2 record and a habit of winning when the scoreboard hits three. With both teams thriving in high-scoring affairs, this one had all the makings of a late-night thriller in Puget Sound.
Fueled by revenge, the Kraken lay await for the Canadiens to repay them for a loss earlier in the season. But the Canadiens had other plans—doling out another beatdown with flair. Just days before Halloween, Seattle conjured a late-game scare, clawing back in the third period before their comeback vanished moments into overtime.
“First-place hockey team coming in here. Talented, fast, skilled. They have defensemen who can drive the play and join the rush,” said coach Lambert about the Canadiens. “They’re playing good hockey. They have a lot of team speed and skill.”
Coach Lambert was complimentary of the Canadiens and what makes them a challenging team to face. Also touching on what they accomplish on thier home ice.
“We’ve done a good job of taking advantage of home ice,” Kraken head coach Lane Lambert said, defending their undefeated (3-0) home record. “I think overall, we had pretty solid performances. Certainly, we had solid performances from our goaltender as well.”
Montreal came out flying, outshooting Seattle 6-2 and landing the first punch with Cole Caufield’s wrist shot goal off a Nick Suzuki setup. Less than three minutes later, Juraj Slafkovský buried a power play snap shot—again sparked by Suzuki and Caufield—to make it 2-0.
Seattle’s Joey Daccord made a sprawling save at the 1:12 mark, but the Canadiens controlled the pace with speed and precision and led in hits 10-8 by the end of the frame. They carried this momentum into the initial intermission.
The Kraken struggled to maintain possession, coughing up five giveaways to just one takeaway while Montreal continued to control the pace. The Canadiens held a steady edge in shots on goal (12-10) and faceoff wins (17-14) by period’s end, and led the penalty tally with three infractions totaling six minutes to Seattle’s single two-minute minor. Despite the imbalance, the Kraken stayed physical, edging Montreal in hits 16-15 and keeping the game within reach through grit and goaltending.
The Canadiens scored on another power play goal early in the third period, to take a commanding 3-0 lead, on Alex Newhook’s wrist shot goal (4), assisted by Kirby Dach (2), and Noah Dobson (6). The Kraken finally scored on their power play opportunity nearly midway through the final period, Brandon Montour Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Berkly Catton (3), Mason Marchment (4).
Montreal went up 3-0, with what Kraken fan thought was a dagger—Alex Newhook’s wrist shot slicing through the third, fed by Kirby Dach and Noah Dobson. But Seattle stood strong and didn’t flinch. Brandon Montour answered midway through the period with a power-play strike of his own, and the tone turned fiery. After a questionable hit on Ben Meyers, Jani Nyman stepped up with a roughing penalty that Coach Lane Lambert praised: “We need to be team tough… we have to stand up for him.”
That scuffle energized the Kraken, and they surged after that. Shane Wright’s slap shot made it 3-2. Then Montour, already on the board, blasted home his second of the night—to tie the game with under two minutes left on the clock. Climate Pledge Arena erupted as this would also be Montour’s 300th career goal, completing the comeback.
Yet, the excitement was short-lived, as just 44 seconds in, Cole Caufield poked home the game-winning shot; his ninth of the season, off a setup from Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson. A comeback built on grit, speed, and team toughness ended in heartbreak.
Montreal hosts Ottawa on Saturday. Seattle will look to channel that fire when they host the 4-5-2 New York Rangers on Saturday, November 1 at the Climate Pledge Arena.
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