The Seattle Kraken’s struggles in back-to-back games continued as they fell 4-0 to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night, undone by a disastrous opening five minutes that saw them surrender three quick goals.
A nightmare start
Before the Kraken could settle into the game, Minnesota struck with three goals in the first 4:29, marking the fastest three-goal start by any team in the NHL this season. Ryan Hartman opened the scoring just under three minutes into the game, Matt Boldy doubled the lead moments later with an unassisted goal, and rookie Liam Ohgren capitalized on a 2-on-1 rush to give the Wild a commanding 3-0 lead before the first five minutes had passed.
It was a brutal opening stretch for Seattle, which had been strong in first periods recently but was completely overwhelmed by Minnesota’s relentless pressure. The Wild had not scored a first-period goal since they last played Seattle seven games ago, but they made up for it in a big way against the Kraken last night.
No answers for Gustavsson
Despite the early deficit, Seattle didn’t roll over. They outshot Minnesota 34-28 for the game and had several quality chances, but Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson was perfect, stopping all 34 shots for his fifth shutout of the season. The Kraken had their best opportunity to get back into the game in the second period, generating sustained offensive zone pressure, but Gustavsson remained steady in net.
Philipp Grubauer, who was making his third start since returning from the AHL, settled in after the disastrous start and turned away the next 24 shots he faced. While he fully to blame for the early breakdowns, his .889 save percentage on the night was reflective of the tough task he faced after being put in an early hole.
Back-to-back woes continue
Seattle’s struggles in the second game of back-to-backs have now become a glaring issue. The Kraken are 0-11 this season when playing on consecutive nights, a concerning trend that speaks to both their inconsistent play and the challenges of managing their goaltending workload.
While Seattle has shown flashes of competitiveness against playoff-caliber teams, games like this highlight the work still needed to improve consistency, particularly when facing adversity early.
Looking Ahead
The Kraken will have a much-needed day off before continuing their road trip to take on the Edmonton Oilers this weekend. With just a handful of games left in the season and the playoffs looking out of reach, Seattle will need to focus on finding stability and getting strong performances from their younger players as they finish out the year.