Coming off three straight wins—all against Pacific Division rivals—the Kraken are rolling. It started with a commanding 5-0 shutout in Vancouver, where Joey Daccord was unbeatable between the pipes. They followed that up with a 5-1 win in San Jose that featured eight different Kraken skaters tallying points, including a three-point night from Jared McCann, who’s surging late in the season. With that effort, McCann pulled into a tie with Chandler Stephenson for the team lead in assists and moved within striking distance of Jaden Schwartz for the club’s goal-scoring crown.
Then came perhaps their most impressive win of the stretch: a 2-1 grind-it-out victory over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Kings. After falling behind early, the Kraken responded with two quick goals late in the first—one from Matty Beniers and another from Brandon Montour in the final 30 seconds of the period. The rest of the night belonged to Daccord, who turned away 28 shots to help Seattle secure the season series lead against L.A. with one more meeting left on the schedule.
The back-to-back bug and one final chance to beat it
And yet, for all the momentum Seattle has built, tonight offers a daunting challenge: the second half of a back-to-back. It’s a scenario that has haunted the Kraken all year long. Seattle is 0-11 in the back half of these games, and tonight in Utah is their final chance to avoid going winless in this specific (but telling) stat.
The matchup, at least on paper, is favorable. Seattle has already beaten the Utah Hockey Club (formerly the Arizona Coyotes) twice this season, and they’ll be facing a team still trying to find its identity in a transitional year. Utah is playing with pride and building toward the future—but so are the Kraken.
Grubauer’s turn to shine
Philip Grubauer is expected to get the start in net, and it could be an important one for the veteran. After a season of ups and downs—including a stint in the AHL—Grubauer has a chance to finish strong. Joey Daccord has clearly emerged as the team’s go-to goaltender, but with prospects like
Niklas Kokko and Victor Ostman rising, Grubauer’s future with Seattle could be up in the air. A solid showing tonight would go a long way toward reinforcing his value, whether to Seattle or another team this offseason.
Playing for more than just pride
With the playoffs out of reach, the Kraken are skating for pride—and maybe a little bit of chaos. Their late-season surge has included strong performances from the young core: Beniers is heating up again, Shane Wright has settled into a consistent third-line role, and Kaapo Kakko continues to impress after setting a new career high in points earlier this week. There’s also the added motivation of catching fire at the right time, building chemistry, and heading into the offseason with something to build on.
Seattle has a chance tonight to match its season-long win streak of four games—and finally put an end to one of the strangest stats of the season. Puck drops at 6 p.m. PT in Salt Lake City.