The Seattle Kraken fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game that followed a familiar pattern of early-period struggles. The Leafs got on the board in the first period and never looked back, capitalizing on a porous defensive start that has become all too common for Seattle.
Toronto broke the ice at 7:23 into the game when Philippe Myers fired a shot from the blue line that tipped off Matty Beniers’ stick and snuck past Joey Daccord, who was making his third straight start. The Leafs extended their lead just minutes later when Bobby McCann redirected a power-play shot from Morgan Riley, putting Toronto up 2-0 by the end of the opening frame.
The Kraken tried to mount pressure in the second period, but instead of lighting the lamp, Toronto added another goal. Matthew Knies scored at 12:37, his tally coming on a well-executed power play with assists from Jake McCabe and Auston Matthews. Despite having five power-play opportunities—none of which produced a goal for Seattle—the Maple Leafs managed to neutralize all attempts, underscoring the Kraken’s ongoing struggles in special teams play.
It wasn’t until a few minutes into the third period that the Kraken finally broke through. Eeli Tolvanen, showing the kind of offensive spark that has been a rare bright spot this season, scored to prevent the shutout and bring the game within reach at 3-1. Tolvanen’s goal was a bittersweet moment, as it nearly pushed him to his career high but ultimately couldn’t spark a full-scale comeback.
While Joey Daccord posted a solid performance by stopping 27 of 30 shots, the game once again highlighted Seattle’s recurring issues with conceding early. On a positive note, the Kraken’s new top line of Jaden Schwartz, Kaapo Kakko, and Matty Beniers all logged over 20 minutes of ice time, demonstrating promising chemistry even if the production wasn’t there when it mattered most.
Ultimately, Toronto’s clinical play in the opening period proved too much for the Kraken to overcome, leaving Seattle to regroup before their next challenge.