The Seattle Kraken made the wrong kind of history on Tuesday night.
With a 7-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club, the Kraken became just the second team in NHL history to not record a point on the second night of a back-to-back across an entire season. Their 0-12 record in those situations now sits beside the 1992–93 San Jose Sharks—an expansion team that won just 11 games all year.
This isn’t just a trivia note. It’s a flashing red light for a team that prides itself on effort and grit. For a franchise in its fourth full season, failing to earn even a single point in any of these matchups is a brutal marker of inconsistency, fatigue, and roster depth that wasn’t up to the challenge.
A must-win that was anything but
Coming off a gritty 2-1 win in Los Angeles just 24 hours earlier, this game was circled. This was supposed to be the one. The Kraken had won three straight, were playing a Utah team they’d already beaten twice, and the game carried the narrative weight of potential redemption.
Instead, it became a disaster.
Philip Grubauer was expected to start, but an illness kept him out of the lineup. That forced Joey Daccord to return to the crease just a day after posting another standout performance. He was left exposed early and often. Utah outshot Seattle 41–19 and capitalized on undisciplined Kraken play with a barrage of power play chances. By the time the second period ended, it was 7-0.
A glimmer of hope in the chaos
With the game already out of hand, Seattle turned to 24-year-old emergency backup Victor Ostman. The Swedish netminder made his NHL debut under impossible circumstances—but impressed nonetheless. He stopped all 12 shots he faced in the third period, showing calm, positioning, and poise.
Ostman recently recorded his first AHL shutout with Coachella Valley and could now be a dark horse contender for the Kraken’s backup role next season, especially with questions swirling around Grubauer’s long-term future.
It’s not the first time the Kraken have dropped a young goalie into the fire this season—Nikke Kokko faced a similar trial months earlier—but Ostman looked more than ready.
The numbers say it all
Seattle allowed three power play goals, got just one of their own on a Jared McCann tally, and were simply outworked in all three zones. The Kraken's inability to generate sustained pressure, defend the crease, or stay out of the box sealed their fate early.
This wasn’t just a loss. It was the kind that reveals structural cracks that need addressing. Whether it’s better goalie management, utilizing more forward depth, or adjusting the travel and rest approach—this cannot be repeated next season.
Three games left, but the message is clear
With just three games remaining—all against playoff-caliber opponents—the Kraken have one last chance to reclaim some pride. Two of those games come at home. A strong finish won’t erase what happened in Salt Lake City, but it could help refocus the offseason narrative around promise instead of pain.