The Seattle Kraken returned home looking to snap their back-to-back losing streak, but defensive lapses and goaltending struggles led to a 6-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Despite a promising first period, where Seattle outplayed Anaheim and took a 3-2 lead, the Kraken unraveled in the second, allowing three unanswered goals and failing to recover.
Anaheim struck first just 1:23 into the game, as Troy Terry found the net to put the Ducks ahead early. The Kraken responded quickly, with Eeli Tolvanen unleashing a vicious slap shot off a feed from Brandon Montour to tie things up. Momentum stayed with Seattle as Mitchell Stephens scored his first goal as a Kraken on a pure effort play—battling behind the net, circling around, and sneaking one past Lukas Dostal to give Seattle the lead. Though Anaheim answered again, Jaden Schwartz restored the Kraken’s advantage late in the period, finishing a crisp passing sequence from Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers.
Then came the second period, where everything unraveled. Mason McTavish tied the game just over a minute into the frame, and before the period was halfway through, the Ducks had flipped a one-goal deficit into a 5-3 lead with tallies from Robby Fabbri and Jackson LaCombe. The Kraken struggled to generate a response, and while Shane Wright’s power-play goal early in the third brought Seattle back within one, they couldn’t find the equalizer. Frank Vatrano’s empty-net goal in the final minutes sealed the deal.
Philipp Grubauer, making his first start since January 12, struggled mightily, surrendering five goals on just 22 shots (.773 SV%). With Seattle outshooting Anaheim 30-22, it was clear that goaltending made the difference. This game also marked the first time since early December that the Kraken lost a game in which they scored four goals, further emphasizing the team’s ongoing defensive and goaltending concerns.
On the bright side, the Schwartz-Beniers-Kakko line continued to click, and Wright looked sharp on the power play. But until the Kraken find consistency in net and tighten up defensively, these frustrating losses will continue to pile up.