“Well, what a disappointment that road trip ended up being.”
…Is what we would have written if the Kraken had come up short against the high-flying Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. After starting the trip 1-0-2—including an impressive win over the Toronto Maple Leafs—dropping the final three games and returning home 1-3-2 would have really stung.
Instead, the Kraken handed the Jets their first home shutout loss since the middle of the 2023-24 season and brought home a downright solid 2-2-2 record, collecting six points and improving to 4-2-2 on the year.
“I thought our guys did a really good job of responding from the Washington game [on Tuesday] where I don’t think any of us were happy, coaches or players,” head coach Lane Lambert said.
On this night, Joey Daccord pitched a 32-save shutout and had an assist, while Jaden Schwartz notched two goals and an assist.
Here are Three Takeaways from an all-around 3-0 Kraken win over the Jets.
Takeaway #1: Just a solid game
Considering all this team has endured over the past two weeks—visiting six different cities, crossing into Canada twice, jumping time zones, and dealing with as many as six simultaneous absences to key players—it would have been understandable if they’d limped home with an underwhelming result.
(Thankfully, Mason Marchment returned after a one-game hiatus and delivered some high comedy.)
GOT HIM! 😆 pic.twitter.com/mzKwTtTyEj
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 24, 2025
The Kraken refused to let their manpower challenges be an excuse, though, and built off an improved third period in Washington on Tuesday and followed it up with a full 60-minute, all-hands-on-deck effort Thursday. The result was a huge win over what should be one of the top teams in the NHL.
We’ll talk about Joey in the next Takeaway, because he deserves plenty of praise. But it’s worth noting he didn’t need to be spectacular in this one. The Kraken played with structure and discipline, stifling nearly every bit of momentum Winnipeg tried to generate.
Did you ever hear the typically raucous home crowd really get into the game? Maybe for a few minutes in the third, when the Jets strung together a couple of solid shifts in the offensive zone, but otherwise, Seattle made them look disjointed and kept the home fans quiet.
Takeaway #2: Daccord out-duels Hellebuyck
Joey Daccord surely wants to make Team USA for the Olympics, though his inclusion has generally been seen as a long shot. Meanwhile, the presumed starter for that team—Connor Hellebuyck—was in the opposite crease Thursday, fresh off a season in which he won both the Vezina and Hart Trophies and started for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
On Hellebuyck’s home ice, it was Daccord who came away victorious.
Daccord needed a strong outing after a couple of questionable goals in Philadelphia on Monday landed him on the bench for the third period and ultimately took the Kraken out of that game. He responded in a big way.
As noted in Takeaway No. 1, he mostly needed to be steady rather than spectacular, thanks to the defensive effort in front of him. But against an elite team like Winnipeg, any goalie will face chances, and Daccord turned aside every one of them.
The biggest scare came late in the first period, when Mark Scheifele’s point shot deflected up and over Daccord, clanged off the crossbar, and dropped into the crease. Daccord swept it out with his stick, right back to Scheifele, then dove across and gloved Scheifele’s follow-up shot to end the period in chaotic fashion.
WHAT?! 🤯 #SeaKraken #gojetsgo
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 24, 2025
That's how the period ends… 0-0 through 20. pic.twitter.com/SqMMe6Bc4f
Aside from that wild sequence, Daccord was calm, cool, and collected throughout and even chipped in offensively with an assist on Jordan Eberle’s empty-net goal to seal the deal.
I’m pretty sure Joey was thinking about taking the shot himself before he rimmed it around. Good for him for taking the unselfish point.
JORDAN EBERLE EMPTY-NETTER! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 24, 2025
3-0 #SeaKraken… DEF thought Joey was going to shoot this, but he settles for the assist. https://t.co/VqZYjeAQbv pic.twitter.com/6CNwCZWzaY
Takeaway #3: Jaden Schwartz’s big night
Is it me, or does Jaden Schwartz just keep getting better? After posting 26 goals and 23 assists last season, the 33-year-old winger is off to another hot start with eight points (4-4=8) in eight games.
He got the sluggish Kraken on the board with their lone goal Tuesday, then on Thursday provided all the offense Seattle needed by doing what he does best: going to the front of the net.
Just 2:28 into the second period, Shane Wright made a heady play from the right circle, intentionally shooting into Hellebuyck’s right pad to create a rebound. He placed it perfectly, forcing the big netminder to kick the puck into a dangerous spot.
THE POWER OF THE SCHWARTZ! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 24, 2025
Shane Wright with a pass off the pads, and Jaden Schwartz bangs it home for his second goal in two games.
Note Jani Nyman right in front, creating confusion.
1-0 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/i92jzywGya
Sure enough, Schwartz crashed in from the weak side, found the rebound right on his stick, and buried it into an open net. For good measure, he added an empty-netter at 18:20 of the third, then assisted on Eberle’s ENG 23 seconds later.
Never underestimate the power of the Schwartz.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
1. Look what happens when you give Joey sufficient rest. They really should alternate each game without trying to be tactical about it.
2. So far this season Shane Wright 2 goals. Cutter Gauthier, whom they could have drafted, 5 goals. And the one they let go for nothing, Morgan Geekie, 5 goals.
3. Lambert seems to be relying heavily on his over-30 vets. While it might help this season, is this a winning formula in the long-term (see Montreal, Detroit, Utah, New Jersey, Anaheim, Columbus, San Jose, Chicago, etc.)?
Yes, playing veterans actually is a winning formula long-term. According to an article in the Athletic this week (and backed up by nhl.com/stats), the average age of 10 of last year’s 16 playoff teams are older than Seattle. 3 more are within 0.2 years. Montreal is a a significant outlier, age-wise.
Hey don’t be such a Debbie Downer after a great team effort win over an excellent Jet team.
Go Kraken!!!
Shane Wright has 1 fewer point than Cutter Gauthier while averaging ~4 fewer minutes on ice a game.
Why are you letting straightforward data get in the way of tireless, yet exhausting, obstinance?
Also, we shouldn’t forget how and why Gauthier is a Duck and not a Flyer. It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility that, had Seattle drafted him, he’d still have 5 goals for the Ducks today.
And if you’re going to call out Ones Who Got Away, Ryan Donato also has 5 goals. Donato had nearly twice as many goals as Geekie – 30 vs 16 – when he was with the Kraken, yet is not mourned with the same level of obsession. (and Mason Appleton and Calle Jarnkrok each have 3, which would tie them right now for second on the Kraken, yet I don’t see anyone lamenting their departures 3+ years later).
At least I’m not the only one seeing good in Chuck roll out similar nonsensical drivel every post. The Donato and Geekie comments are also funny because they completely ignore usage. Geekie and Donato were not going to make it on our top two lines. They’re getting that opportunity on their respective teams now.
I thought the goal in NHL hockey is to do whatever you can to win every season, even if that means relying on your good players (?). Can’t believe this is even a discussion. Is this why it costs $300m to build a highway on-ramp in America?
Or yes, you could pay a whole team of 22 year old kids for 7-8 years while they learn to become good hockey players by the time they are 30…and then leave to play for another hockey team. That just sounds great.
What about Vegas, Florida, Dallas, Edmonton, Colorado…are they bad teams because they lean too heavily on their good players who may be pushing 30 or over? Man, their fans must be super disappointed.
Don’t waste money on 8 year contracts! One-year contracts at the league minimum only. And everyone should trade us their top 3 players in exchange for a Microsoft Bob CD-ROM.
The Kraken are a miserable franchise and will always be and it is all Ron Francis’ fault because his daughter turned down Dom Lucacyzin’s invitation to the sixth-grade formal.
To be fair an MS Bob CD is probably a collectors item.
You want a winger over a center and a guy who forced his way out of Philadelphia before ever signing a contract? You probably don’t remember, but the team that picked Gauthier didn’t get him either.
The Kraken get a shutout against a top team on the road while missing five starters and you just can’t help yourself.
Weird flex on Wright. He’s as productive as anyone in his draft cohort except for Cooley. The issue is the Kraken don’t use him enough to the detriment of the team (both long and short term). He deserves a sustained run of 17/18 min games because giving the extra mins to Stephenson isn’t a formula for long term success.
Agree on Joey, just sit him every 3rd game. He can’t sustain the heavy workload of a true #1. That’s fine. Backups (just pick one, carrying 3 is idiotic) need to be .500, their stats other than the win/loss don’t matter
There’s zero evidence there’s any detriment to Shane or the team. It is a popular talking point on a specific other podcast and so is the ignorant Stephenson hate. Shane isn’t ready to take important defensive draws. He’ll get there and then you’ll see the time shift.
I had to stop listening to that specific other podcast. I definitely felt they had some good stuff to contribute, but to me, it was overwhelmed by the absolute nonsense. It astounds me to hear folks that coach kids – literally kids – think they know better than actual career professionals who also have the benefit of advanced resources and inside knowledge. One of my favorite things about SOH is the guys are making actual observations and commenting on the organization. They seem – to me – to be good at explaining what’s going on and what the thinking might be rather than second guessing everything. Fans do that way too much and I include myself in that criticism.
Go Kraken!!!
That was beautifully played. Their speed was amazing. I watched it on Winnipeg TSN channel and it was nothing but praise for the Kraken. I was on the edge of my seat in the third period but they prevailed. We have a team, Boys. I goes to show you that Injuries hurt but not too bad. 2 point than I thought they would get on this trip. Maye the Stanely cup rock song I wrote might come true if they keep that up
Hey guess what — I thought Stephenson had a really good game tonight! So there. Here’s to many more. I also REALLY liked Winterton in this game. I’ve liked him all season. They need to keep him in the lineup. A solid effort all around.
Tolvanen maybe looked a little off his game. I have not been terribly impressed with Lindgren. I mean, he’s not a total disaster, but just can’t seem to do much with the puck. He checks and pushes a lot but doesn’t seem to actually generate turnovers much.
Really? Lindgren was the guy I specifically came here to praise for that game. He broke up a bunch of plays in the defensive zone and brought the physicality all night. I also liked Oleksiak laying the wood along the boards, and Dunn made some excellent plays in the neutral zone. Lindgren, though, jumped off the screen to me.
Among the forwards, Catton impressed me. He fought hard for the puck and did a bit of creating in the o-zone. Missing McCann hurts but not as badly as I had expected it to. Marchment also had a good night coming off the injury. Thanks for that clip, Darren. That little schoolyard trick was the highlight of the game apart from Joey entering the Matrix at the end of the first period. Marchemnt has some of that Yanni Gourde pot-stirring talent.
Alison Lukan also praised Lindgren for his defensive play and it’s importance near the end of the post-game show.
Lindgren doesn’t do anything fancy most of the time so I think he gets overlooked a lot by people.
Maybe that’s what it is. I know they say his contributions are subtle and don’t jump out at you. So maybe I’m just not seeing it as a normal fan. I do recall one time I yelled at the TV last night was when Lindgren kept shoving a Jet off the puck in the D zone long after the puck wasn’t there anymore, and the puck was just sitting there behind Lindgren until another Jet picked it up and it led to a scoring chance. That the kind of stuff I see that irks me. Lindgren also seems to be chasing a lot because he’s slow. Sometimes there are slow stay-at-home defensemen whose value consists in checking and shoving guys off the puck, so they get just totally focused on that and it ends up being a net negative because they can’t get get or keep possession. To me, he seems clearly a step below Mahura, who gets paid a lot less.
But hey, we’re not going to have six Vince Dunns (and certainly not six Josh Morrisseys — man that guy was dazzling at times last night). I’m probably just not appreciating the “little things”. And regardless, I’m NOT criticizing the signing. At worst, Lindgren is a cromulent NHL defenseman, and they needed another one to plug in the lineup. There isn’t a clear-cut ready prospect that should have the role instead. I don’t want them to tank, so I fully support just trying to keep the team competent and competitive while the young guys develop.
I’ve been impressed with Cale Fluery. He is playing a good game and has been consistent from pre-season. He has become a part of this team with little praise but a lot of hard work. I’m impressed with his development. He has become a very reliable player for this team and I hope his play is being recognized.
Morrissey’s turnover on the blueline led to the empty netter for Schwartz. Shows how even top D guys still make mistakes and it can cost you. I can handle Lindgren being a bit slow if he doesn’t try to dangle behind the net and make bad no look passes that get turned over.
It can also be difficult to catch subtlety when you’re restricted to the television shot angles and selections. I think even more so for defensive plays that happen during transitions in play direction.
At games in person, I’ll often pick a player and follow them for a period, including on the bench. You see a lot that you’re not going to see on camera. And it’s often most helpful for players that the armchair analysts moan and complain about. Or the ones that Edzo seemingly out of nowhere starts ranting or raving about during the broadcasts. He’s not only looking at what is showing up on TV – he’s trailing the plays, looking at changeovers, watching the bench, etc and seeing those little things that the cameras just don’t pick up.
Two things. I feel like Lindgren is the defensive version of Wennberg, lots of solid smart play that doesn’t show up on the scoreboard. Second, I think people hyper fixate on players and that makes them way more aware and aggravated when they make a mistake. I’ve been guilty of this too. You see it with Stephenson and Gru as well. On the flip side, you don’t see people complaining about every single mistake Catton makes and I notice he makes a lot more than most.
One of the best Kraken performances I’ve ever seen.
Hey Kraken fans. You could have the elite players of Tampa Bay and be 1-4-2. That would be awesome.
But hopefully they tank on purpose and engage in the “tear down and rebuild” that has become the obvious recipe of success because we have their 1st round draft picks the next two seasons…wooo!
I’ve been eyeing their results and hearing lots if chatter about their backend being cooked. The price of those picks is on the rise.
A perfect scenario would be for Tampa to keep losing all year and end up with the #4 pick. Probably too much talent on that team for them to play this badly all season but we can hope!
The 2026 pick is top ten protected. If it ends up being in the top ten it instead becomes an unprotected 2028 first AND a 2028 third.
Oh man that would be awesome, Tampa will be close to tanking by then
The 2027 first is the same deal except if the 2026 has already slid to 2028 then it becomes a 2029 first and third.
TB can tank, but not too much. Both picks are top 10 protected..
Per Daryl W I stand corrected.
It really feels like Tampa Bay could be in a bit of a pickle here. They are in good shape with the cap having pretty much everyone already signed for next year and $25m in cap space… but
If this team isn’t getting it done, who are they trading, and who are they trading for? Because of the Seattle deals, their next four firsts are all encumbered so they’re off the board. That kinda seems to leave free agency, but with the cap going up, rather than players going UFA, they’re resigning. Carolina was in a similar situation with tons of cap set aside to make a splash in a big free agent market. They did get the top UFA, but it was Ehlers rather than Marner or Rantanen.
It’s early, Nick Paul has been out, they’ve still got Vasilevskiy… but just maybe they’re running out of rope.
Great game! Pleasantly surprised by this team so far. I was really expecting a very flat performance and a loss. With all the injuries, end of a long road trip, facing a very good team and coming off two pretty forgettable losses, I just didn’t expect much.
Wow, the total opposite. They fought hard for that result!
They are still very inconsistent period to period especially on offense. Need to get done players back.
Let’s hope for more of the same.
Considering the injuries and absences, I’ll count going .500 in the points on a road trip a success, and great to see them cap it off with a nice win. Understanding there isn’t a ton of info out there and there is privacy regarding the matter, but is there any inkling of when Montour is expected to be back in the lineup?
“Chandler Stephenson’s line had the primary responsibility of shutting down the Jets’ powerful top line of Mark Schiefele, Kyle Connor, and Gabe Vilardi and they succeeded. 11:36 of Stephenson’s line’s 13:46 was spent in that match, and the Kraken trio still ended up with a plus-1 shot attempt advantage and 66.3 percent of all shot quality.”
– Alison Lukan
Hey, I never bothered checking, but my eye test was right! he did have a really good game! Of course, where is Allison after the many games when no. 9 is underwater at like 38% of shot quality? Here’s hoping it’s a moot point, and Stephenson is rejuvenated.
I think part of what Alison points out here is Stephenson’s line is used against the opposition’s toughest matchups… which is going to lead to being “underwater” in a lot of circumstances.
Good point.
Lambert also seems to be pretty high on what Stevenson overall contributes to the team.
The team as a whole also seems bought in to the Lambert and company style of play. So far resulting in success. Which is a very good thing.
Isn’t that weird? All the analytics people despise Chandler Stephenson, but every coach he has ever had has absolutely loved him judging by how much ice time they gave him. It makes me wonder what the disconnect is. What do coaches see that the numbers do not? I will say that, my casual know-nothing eyes see forechecking–especially high in the defensive zone–that is way the hell better than his analytics describe. He has a way of trapping defensemen into making undesirable passes and then making explosive transition plays if they fail to properly respect his stick work. I honestly do not know how those moves do not translate into numbers. Maybe the best I can do is to say that he plays differently than other centermen, but I do not have the hockey knowledge to explain how.
So this is part of the problem with people using data that don’t really understand that data has context. Chandler gets a lot of time against top lines and in the defensive zone. He’s inherently going to have an uphill battle on a whole slew of stats.
…if only someone would have mentioned this sooner.
I think my favorite moment in the game was in the second period and I think it was Stanley gave Marchment a little jab to the face after the whistle. You could see Marchment saying something to the ref, then throwing a fake punch and laughing at Stanley for flinching.
This was a fantastic game. Way to rally after a couple of stalls during the week. Things seem to be clicking into place just like we all have been hoping for. It’s funny to me how people like to pick on players. Stephenson will never get a fair shake in this forum. I enjoy watching y’all go back and forth, loving and hating him. Sometimes you gotta lean in – it doesn’t always look like you expect it too.
*to!
I think the advanced stats really struggle to quantify the contributions of “game manager” types of players such as Stephenson, Wennberg, etc. The ones that keep things moving and work to get the team through the challenging matchups with minimal damage. Kind of like quarterbacks who take their teams deep into the playoffs via handoffs and screen passes or pitchers with mediocre fastballs who rack up wins via ground balls and popups.
What I find a bit frustrating is folks like Luszczyszyn who simply lean into their model rather than questioning the results. His model hated Moritz Seider and it took years of complaining by Detroit fans for him to actually take a look and see that he wasn’t valuing the players actual usage. On Stephenson, he had this to say when his model once again had him as one of the worst contracts in the NHL:
“Stephenson scored 51 points last year and was second on the team in scoring. He was the team’s top faceoff man, led all forwards in ice-time playing nearly 20 minutes per game and took on some of the team’s toughest matchups. On the surface, Stephenson seems like a fine player.”
Of course his model says he’s terrible, so rather than questioning the model he sorts through the numbers and finds that too many of his points are secondary assists and his xGF% is exceptionally low. To me, complaining about his assists is just a recognition that Dom doesn’t understand his role. On his expected goals numbers, he has been historically low on his xGF% versus actual goal for percentage. Given his usage, his mid-40s actual GF% shouldn’t be all that surprising… especially for a guy who – and this is gonna surprise some folks – is only making $6.25m.
According to Dom, at $6.25m he should be a capable second line center for the next six years. Now, I know he wrote this way back in July, but does anyone seriously think that a capable second line center is signing for anything close to 6 x $6.25m? I’ve said it before, the fans and the media’s salary expectations trail the market.
I think a lot of folks – me included – have planted their flags on this one so I don’t expect many opinions to change, but to me it’s only year two and I’ve yet to see Stephenson actually dragging this team down either on the ice or on the cap. I’m sure the retail analytics will continue to hate him so I’m sure those folks will also continue to defend their models.