Seattle’s final game of the season ended the same way too many others did this year—just short. Despite a late push and an explosive third period, the Kraken fell 6-5 to the Los Angeles Kings at Climate Pledge Arena, closing the book on a disappointing campaign with one final gut punch.
A furious comeback falls short
After falling behind 6-2 early in the third period, the Kraken surged back with three straight goals from Jaden Schwartz, Matty Beniers, and Eeli Tolvanen. Schwartz's goal marked his 26th of the season, securing the title of Seattle’s top goal scorer and ending Jared McCann’s three-year run atop the leaderboard. Tolvanen’s tally with just 30 seconds remaining was his 23rd of the year—nudging him past McCann as well.
Beniers, with his 20th of the season, capped off a challenging sophomore campaign with a satisfying milestone and a reminder of the promise that still lies ahead. It was a valiant effort, but the hole was simply too deep to climb out of.
Special teams spark and stumble
There were moments of brilliance throughout the game. Tye Kartye opened the Kraken’s scoring with a shorthanded goal in the second period, his sixth of the season. Brandon Montour added a power-play tally just eight minutes later, making it a 2-2 game and briefly reigniting the home crowd.
But defensive lapses and penalty trouble haunted Seattle once again. Los Angeles responded with four unanswered goals—two of them within a 72-second span late in the second period—and took control of the game before the final frame even began.
McCann's sssist puts him on top
Though he missed out on the goal-scoring crown, Jared McCann did finish the season as the team’s assists leader, recording his 39th of the year on Beniers’ power-play goal. He edged out Chandler Stephenson by just one, thanks to a late-season surge that saw him climb back into form after a midseason slump.
Another tough home record and an uncertain offseason ahead
For the second year in a row, the Kraken finished with fewer than 20 home wins and a goal differential of at least minus-15. The 2023–24 season ends with Seattle holding the fourth-worst record in the Western Conference and the fifth-worst in the NHL.
With that, attention now shifts to the NHL Draft Lottery, where the Kraken will be hoping for a bit of luck to help reshape a team that took a clear step backward this season. The road ahead is uncertain, but between the emergence of young stars and the lessons of a difficult year, the foundation is still being laid.