The (32-34-11) Seattle Kraken begin their final home stand of the season against the (36-26-16) Las Vegas Golden Knights, who bring their four-game win streak into the deep. It’s been a busy day in the Kraken as they announced the departure of the only General Manager that the Seattle Kraken have known. These changes seemed to be the inspiration the players needed to come out hot to break their six-game losing streak.
“We built excellence in our training center. I believe our training center is absolutely one of the finest in the entire National Hockey League,” Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said of the Kraken’s growth. “Samantha Holloway is an incredible owner. She’s committed to our success, committed to the hockey team, and she and our investors have given us the resources to do some amazing things.”
“Three seasons later, this team is still a work in progress. It’s an unfulfilled promise, and no one in the organization is satisfied. We do have pieces in place,” Leiweke added, “We have capable veterans; We have rising stars; We have four first‑round picks in the next two years, and it looks like we’re going to get a high pick this year. But no one is satisfied. We have not delivered on the promise of this team.
The Kraken returned to Climate Pledge Arena, aiming to steady their season and close out their final homestand with urgency. Several milestones were within reach — Kaapo Kakko it sitting one point shy of 200 career points, Matty Beniers in on the verge of recording another 20‑goal season, while Cale Fleury is approaching his 100th NHL game.
The opening frame tilted early toward Vegas, with the Golden Knights striking first behind Mark Stone’s wrist‑shot finish off feeds from Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin. The Kraken struggled to generate offense out of the gate, going without a shot midway through the period. Despite the slow start, the Kraken held their own physically and at the faceoff dot, winning 12 draws to Vegas’ 9 and matching the Knights in takeaways. A late push flipped the shot totals to 10–9 in Seattle’s favor, but a minor penalty in the final minute stalled their momentum as they headed into the intermission trailing 1–0.
The Golden Knights doubled its lead early in the second when Mark Stone struck again, this time finishing a backhand set up by Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl. The Kraken pushed back as the period unfolded, tightening the shot gap and continuing to control the faceoff circle, but frequent trips to the penalty box stalled their momentum. The Kraken finally broke through late in the frame after Eichel was called for hooking, with Jared McCann blasting home his 20th of the season off feeds from Vince Dunn and Chandler Stephenson to pull the Kraken within one. Despite being out‑hit and out‑shot 22–18 by period’s end, the Kraken’s improved puck pressure and six takeaways kept them within striking distance heading into the third.
“I thought we battled back. I thought we battled hard. We got a fortuitous bounce, obviously, which helped — we’ve had a lot of goals and things like that go against us lately — so it was nice to finally get a break,” Kraken head coach Lane Lambert said. “Then we gained some momentum, and it was a hard period. I thought our goalie played very, very well.”
The third period turned into a back‑and‑forth sprint, beginning with Brett Howden’s deflection that nudged Vegas ahead before Berkly Catton answered minutes later, wiring home his seventh of the season to pull Seattle even. The Kraken briefly grabbed momentum with stronger puck pressure and a growing edge in takeaways, but Bobby McMann’s unassisted strike at 10:44 restored the Knights’ lead despite the Kraken’s continuing to close the shot gap and control the faceoff circle. After both teams traded early makes and a string of clutch saves from Joey Daccord, Catton delivered again—burying Seattle’s second tally—before Daccord sealed it with one final stop on Pavel Dorofeyev to secure the shootout win.
“We just kind of go along as the shooters before him go. You’ve got to get a guy ready mentally. It was long overdue, and good for him,” Lambert said of Berkley Catton’s game winning goal in the shootout. “Yeah, it’s been a hard grind. A lot of disappointment, you could say. So, to get one like that, and to do it in comeback fashion — that’s big.”
“I remember talking to Fred and he said to just feel the puck out at the start — that gives you a little confidence when you come in,” Catton said about his thoughts as he approached his game winning goal. “So, I tried that, and it actually felt pretty good. Then I just tried to shoulder‑fake a couple times to see if I could get him to bite.”
Catton’s final goal secured the win for the Kraken and broke their three-game losing streak on their home ice. The Golden Knights will take their seven-game win streak to Colorado to face the Avalanche in their final road game of the regular season. The Kraken will welcome the Calgary Flames and the Los Angeles Kings to downtown Seattle in Saturday night, before they go on the road for two games to finish out their season. With the news of a new GM, the Kraken went from playing for a playoff spot to the fans, players, and front office pondering all aspects of the team’s future.
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