The Seattle Kraken couldn’t find their scoring touch on Thursday night, falling 3-0 to the league-leading Washington Capitals at Climate Pledge Arena. It marked the sixth time this season Seattle has been shut out, and the team struggled to generate consistent offensive pressure until the third period, by which point it was too late.
Things looked concerning early on when Washington appeared to score just four minutes into the game, but a successful offsides challenge wiped the goal off the board. Joey Daccord, making his fifth straight start and playing in his 100th NHL game, stood tall through the rest of the opening frame, turning away every shot that came his way to keep the contest scoreless heading into the second period.
The floodgates opened for the Capitals in the middle frame—albeit with a dash of bad luck for Seattle. Aliaksei Protas broke the ice at 4:36 when his shot deflected off Vince Dunn and ricocheted into the net, with Daccord accidentally swatting the puck in during his attempt to clear. Rookie Ethen Frank doubled the lead at 18:05, converting on his own rebound after Daccord stifled the initial breakaway attempt. A spirited final period from the Kraken’s offense came up empty, and Alex Ovechkin eventually iced the game with an empty-netter at 16:32, moving him one goal closer to the all-time record.
While it was a frustrating night for the Seattle faithful, there was one bright spot beyond Daccord’s determined play: Shane Wright logged a career-high 17:40 of ice time. Though he didn’t register a point, the young forward was often at the heart of Seattle’s few offensive surges, providing a glimpse of the potential the Kraken hope to unlock. Ultimately, however, the more experienced and potent Capitals demonstrated why they sit atop the NHL standings, leaving Seattle to regroup before its next opportunity to get the offense back on track.