On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Seattle Kraken hosted the Vegas Golden Knights for their first matchup of the 2026-27 National Hockey League (NHL) season. This game didn't go in favor of the Kraken, since after two periods, the Golden Knights were up by five goals. Seattle finally got on the board early in the third period, but the Golden Knights still had a major advantage over the Kraken, handing Seattle a 6-2 loss.
Kraken's late effort wasn't enough
By the time the game went into the last period, the Golden Knights already had a major advantage over the Kraken. Vegas and Seattle were relatively even in shots throughout the first two periods, with Vegas taking 21 shots while Seattle had 19. However, it was the Golden Knights who managed to find scoring chances with five while the Kraken were still laying a goose egg.
It wasn't until four minutes into the third period that the Kraken were on the board, thanks to a beautiful pass from Kaapo Kakko to an open Shane Wright that sent the puck straight into the net.
Unfortunately, the Golden Knights were back up by five after Tomas Hertl scored a power-play goal just five minutes later. Jared McCann scored his first goal of the season with five minutes remaining off a Seattle power-play chance, but it was not enough to rally the Kraken to victory.
Despite being down by five goals, the Kraken never gave up. They kept their heart in the game and tried to pull out a win in home ice; the Golden Knights just got the best of them once again.
Kraken special teams needed a little help
While McCann managed to score a power-play goal towards the end of the third period, this was the Kraken's only goal on five extra-man advantages. On top of this, the Kraken allowed Vegas two power play goals and a shorthanded goal.
Last season, the Kraken allowed seven shorthanded goals. These extra-man advantages are easy chances for Seattle to try and make their own comeback, not allow the opposing team to get into the lead. Seattle had a good chance of keeping special teams in check for their first three games, only allowing one power-play goal by the Flames in Seattle's home opener on Sunday. Hopefully, the Kraken can get things back in check for their road trip.
Kraken's defense struggled
Some of the goals that the Golden Knights scored were a direct result of the Kraken's defense. Mark Stone's shorthanded goal was a direct result of Brandon Montour not having his stick. He tried to defend while he was sliding across the ice, but it was no use as Stone took a shot on Joey Daccord's open side.
A large part of why the defense was not on their A-game was due to the fact they had to play more minutes than normal. Ryan Lindgren exited the game early due to an upper-body injury, only logging 3:57 of ice time. He was still being evaluated, and head coach Lane Lambert didn't have an update on his status at the end of the game.
Hopefully Lindgren's injury isn't serious, and the Kraken will be ready to get back in action to kick off their next road trip of the 2026-27 season on Friday. If not, there's a chance the Kraken will need to call up a player from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Add us as a preferred source on Google