Jets edge Kraken late despite strong effort

The Seattle Kraken nearly pulled off another upset against one of the league’s top teams but ultimately fell 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night. For much of the contest, the Kraken looked capable of toppling the powerful Jets—especially in the early going, where Matty Beniers opened the scoring just past the midway mark of the first period. Jaden Schwartz launched a high, looping pass to Kaapo Kakko, who quickly fed Beniers in front of the net. The goal was yet another sign of the blossoming chemistry between Seattle’s young stars, as Beniers has regained his scoring touch in large part thanks to Kakko’s arrival.

Seattle leaned heavily on goaltender Joey Daccord throughout the night, and he delivered in spades. Daccord stopped 34 of 36 shots, posting a .944 save percentage against a high-flying Winnipeg attack led by Kyle Connor. His only blemishes came on a power-play rebound in the second period and a last-minute heartbreaker in the third, when a strange bounce off the glass left the Kraken defense scrambling. Dylan DeMelo seized the opportunity and fired home the winning goal with just 27 seconds remaining, denying Seattle what looked like another overtime thriller against the Jets.

Despite the disappointing finish, there’s plenty for Kraken fans to be optimistic about. Beniers continued his forward momentum, Kakko logged significant ice time and showed how integral he can be to the offense, and Daccord proved once again he can keep his team in games against elite opponents. As Seattle heads home to begin a four-game homestand—starting Saturday against the LA Kings—this resilient performance is exactly what the coaching staff wants to see: a hard-fought battle against a powerhouse, featuring the kind of youthful synergy that could anchor the franchise for years to come.