What a night for the Seattle Kraken’s first line, which produced nearly all the offense in a 5-1 drubbing of a reeling Washington Capitals team.
Seattle got off on a better foot than it has in recent games, going through the first period tied 0-0, then rode Jared McCann’s impressive night to a convincing victory.
“They had an outstanding game,” coach Lane Lambert said of Seattle’s first line. “And it’s very important to have those guys do that. And we look forward to more of that.”
McCann finished with two goals and two assists, Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle each had a goal and an assist, and Philipp Grubauer was solid again (when he had to be), stopping 19 shots.
Here are Three Takeaways from a 5-1 Kraken win over the Capitals.
Takeaway 1: Better start
After going 10 straight games giving up a goal in the first 10 minutes, it was refreshing to see Seattle get through the opening frame with a 0-0 tie. There were a couple of hairy moments in that first period, including a Jacob Chychrun shot that slid behind Grubauer but missed wide of the far post, and another chance in which Vince Dunn stepped in front of an open net to save a sure goal.
Phew! 😅
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) January 28, 2026
Jakob Chychrun sends it behind Grubauer and out the other side. pic.twitter.com/w5UYPu4ICA
Aside from those two scares, Seattle controlled almost the entire period and came away with a 13-4 shots-on-goal advantage and a clean slate heading to the second.
“We’ve addressed [our starts]. We’ve talked about it many times,” Eberle said. “I mean, obviously we know the stats on giving up the first goal. I mean, just a collective mindset of being ready, and that just means, maybe getting it in deep and trying to establish a forecheck. You’re not going to score the first goal every game, that’s the reality of this league. It’s a good league, other teams are good, but you can try and— especially at home, put your will and establish your game early. So good start tonight and [we’ve got to] keep it going.”
Seattle then got on the board with a power-play goal early in the second period, and things got on the rails quickly.
Takeaway 2: Jared McCann gets robbed of the hat trick
It was McCann who opened the scoring, converting on the power play to make it 1-0 at 1:15 of the second period by one-timing Eberle’s pass from the top of the right circle against the grain and past Logan Thompson.
MCCANN CAN! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) January 28, 2026
Really nifty shot here by Jared McCann, back against the grain on Thompson. Power-play goal.
1-0 #SeaKraken https://t.co/UWsAui9mPI pic.twitter.com/owOFPWWxUR
He followed that up with his second of the game at 10:09, cleaning up a Beniers rebound that landed right on his stick with a yawning cage in front of him.
“On the first one, Ebs found me through the slot there,” McCann said. “I just tried to get it on net as quick as possible, and kind of— I didn’t get all of it, but it was a good-placed shot, I guess. And the second one there, I just tried to battle my way to the net, and it kind of kicked off the pad there, right to me, backdoor.”
From there—once McCann officially landed on hat-trick watch—things started to get weird. First, with a chance at a natural hat trick, he rang a shot hard off the left post, which Eberle swept into the net to make it 3-0 at 17:54 of the second. There went the natty hatty.
O CAPTAIN! 🫡 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) January 28, 2026
How rude of Jordan Eberle to steal the natural hat trick opportunity from Jared McCann.
3-0 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/1NJSlpWXwa
Things got really weird early in the final period, when McCann appeared to score his third goal, making it 4-0 at 1:27. As he celebrated, hats rained down onto the ice. Only after every fan who wanted to throw a hat had done so did the officials make it clear that they were considering wiping the goal off the board.
“The linesman called the high-sticking penalty, and when a linesman sees a high stick, he can’t blow it down right away,” coach Lane Lambert said. “So the play went on for quite a while, obviously, and then they reviewed it, and that was the rule, and that’s the way it goes. So, we couldn’t change it. We just had to buckle down and get through it.”
Replay showed that Matty Beniers had clipped Justin Sourdif nearly a full minute before McCann summoned the barrage of hats from the crowd. The linesman properly reported the penalty at the next stoppage, which just so happened be McCann’s goal.
“I’ve never seen— I didn’t even know that was an option,” Eberle said, dumbfounded. “I’ve never seen that. I mean, obviously, massive momentum swing when you get the fourth and put them away, and they take it away, give you a four-minute penalty.”
Added McCann: “I just feel bad for people who threw their hats on the ice, to be honest.”
The officials ultimately got it right, but it was a bizarre circumstance. Alex Ovechkin capitalized on the four-minute power play with career goal No. 919, briefly giving the Capitals a pulse.
Credit to the Kraken for sticking with it, though, killing off the remainder of that penalty and then adding goals from Beniers and Ryker Evans down the stretch to put the game away.
Takeaway 3: Melanson’s first NHL fight
The legend of Jacob Melanson continued to grow Tuesday. He delivered seven more hits and is now averaging just under five hits per game in his brief NHL career. He also drove hard to the net and was the target of a Ryker Evans pass that caromed in off Tom Wilson.
RYKER STRIKER! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) January 28, 2026
Two straight games with a goal for Ryker Evans, who gets a good bounce of Tom Wilson's skate.
4-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/xhGEFutPHn
But he brought the crowd to its feet one last time late in the game after Brandon Duhaime wrestled him to the ice in the corner and then laid on him. When the two finally got up, Melanson gave Duhaime a shot, and they jostled all the way up the ice. Once Duhaime cross-checked Melanson up high, the gloves finally came off.
FISTICUFFS! 🥊
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) January 28, 2026
Saw that one coming. Jacob Melanson gets his first NHL fight with Brandon Duhaime.
The two were going at it all shift after Duhaime laid on Melanson in the corner. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/HYmoEiLbNJ
It was one of those fights you could see coming from a mile away. What I loved about it is that Melanson is clearly trying to play a physical game at all times without putting his team at a disadvantage. He got some licks in on Duhaime but tried several times to skate away. When he finally accepted the fight, Duhaime ended up with the extra penalty.
How can you not love this kid?
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.
I think we’re 11-5-2 when Melanson plays. Definitely brings something stats may not be able to easily measure.
And a lot of that overlaps with the departure of Marchment. Correlation isn’t causation. That said I’d bet the win rate has more to do with getting rid of a passenger and putting any functional player in that spot in the lineup.
I’m a huge fan of Melanson and I think there’s a permanent spot on this roster for him, but this sounds a lot like the with/without Vince Dunn talk from last season.
I think Melanson has been a huge + to this lineup and definitely fits more than Marchment. That said I think our success as a team has largely hinged on whats appears to be Matty taking steps towards being a legit top liner.
And also McCann scoring at a 40 goal pace.
This seems like it would be worth investigating: https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets/latest-news/jets-have-discussed-move-for-kraken-s-shane-wright-cole-perfetti-involved-in-trade-talks
The only question would be is it 1:1 or does one side insist on a second piece?
boy i hope this isnt the move they make. perfetti is not worth wright and it would be another lateral kraken trade. they need to put a big package together and get a proven 70 plus point player or not bother.
I agree with wrath. I would take Brad Lambert over Perfetti although BL is going to suck in his uncle’s system since he doesn’t play defense.
That is profoundly unexciting. I get how they are comparable–two highly arranged scoring forwards who have each not done a lot of scoring. Maybe it would be one of those mutually beneficial changes of scenery, but that just seems like a roll of the dice.
Darren Dreger of TSN is pretty adamant that this is just speculation in his reporting:
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/insider-trading-jets-focused-on-winning-amid-speculation-on-change/
Not at all. Every single reporter missed the entire point. We don’t WANT to move Shane we want a 25+ goal scorer. Perfetti isn’t what we want and certainly wouldn’t convince us to move Shane.
That article is missing context and doesn’t even site the original source of this “rumor”. I forget where I heard the Winnipeg connection originally discussed but they implied the original source “thought Winnipeg was looking at Shane” and mentioned Cole Perfetti was in the same spot in his development (i.e. plateaued a bit). Then he goes on to say something like “I wonder if there is a fit there.” but they didn’t say that Perfetti would be part of a trade.
Crazy game! There was also the successful challenge on a goal from Winterton that got lost in all of the rest of the madness. He was around the net all night and you just kind of knew something was going to go on at some point. Unfortunate that it ended up not counting.
Wow, the Capitals are bad. The one time a Capitals defenseman does plant himself net front, the puck bounces in off his skate. I felt sorry for Logan Thompson with how often he got left out to dry. Still, the guy was looking good right up until he got hit in the mask by the puck. I don’t know how a concussion test works, but I wonder if it would not have been better if the spotter had pulled Thompson. Then there is Ovechkin. Yeah, the guy still has his shot, but he is a pylon. Opposing players were just zipping by him, and he would have had a breakaway on a turnover if he had any speed whatsoever.
Speaking of which, how fast was Stephenson moving on that breakaway of his? That reminded me of Pavel Bure. Too bad he could not get it into the net, but that was when Thompson was still shut-down.
Have you ever seen a weaker goaltender interference call than the one on Melanson? Man, the refs were doing their absolute best to keep the Capitals in the game.
The Beniers line just feasted on the Wilson line. Who saw that coming? It looked like a complete mismatch.
Kudos to Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson for some terrific defensive plays and heads-up puck moving. It looked like they were being matched with the Stephenson line, and that seemed effective here, although pretty much everything did. The defensive pairing matching that particular forward line may have been more the effect of both of them routinely taking tougher draws than it is a plan to match their skill sets, but I like it all the same.
Jacob Melanson’s first NHL fight was low-event, but it was a clear win. Not too shabby considering he was up against a pretty tough customer in Brandon Duhaime. I did like that it was a fight that both guys saw coming and that it was not decided by some cheap shot opening. It was just two guys who had valid beef with one another settling things like men. Good on both of them.
In my mind the interference on Melanson was pretty clear – he got Thompson’s stick between he feet while in the blue paint and when he moved he pulled his blocker hand and that’s where the puck went into the net. If that happened to Joey/Gru I would expect that call 100% to go our way too. The fact they only took like 10 seconds made it clear they thought it was pretty textbook.
Both goals coming back kinda stung but both were the right call. I think they still gave us momentum and hurt the Caps, so even though they didn’t show up on the scoresheet they still impacted the game.
And we find out today that this apparently stated much earlier in the game when Duhaime poked Melanson from the bench with his stick. Nothing called in the game but fined by the league this morning 🤣
Duhaime was the guy who did that? Yeah, that really explains everything.
Some truly embarrassingly bad reffing in that game. There’s a good reason linesmen almost never report calls after the fact like that. Call it right away, ref, or all of you just let it go. McCann should not be the one to apologize for my lost hat. And that goalie interference challenge was absurd. So tired of this “they got it right” stuff. The special thing about sports, especially nowadays, is that it exists live and in the moment. Abolish all reviews!
On the good side, I can’t remember the last time they completely dominated a game like that.
They should have a Jared McCann hat trick night, where the first 10,000 fans get a hat. A repayment 🙂
There were probably less than 100 hats tossed out. Far fewer than you see for a hatty at a Silvertips game. On the other hand, it’s a regular occurrence for tips fan and a very rare occasion for Kraken fans.
Would you look at that.
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/kraken/seattle-kraken-offer-to-replace-wasted-headware-after-hat-trick-rescinded/
I got the email earlier today, around 4:00.
Abolish all reviews? Do you not remember Vinny Testaverde’s helmet? I do not miss the old days before instant replay was a thing.
But yeah, it was refreshing to see a decisive win where the Kraken were clearly the superior team. Did you see how big Jared McCann was smiling after the game? It was heartwarming. The poor guy seldom has reason to smile like that.
I really just meant offsides and goaltender interference reviews.
Apparently it was a lineman who made the delayed call. They don’t have a whistle, but for crying out loud there are multiple penalties in every game that aren’t called.
Another thing no time was added back on the clock after the long delay. McCann was denied a hat trick and handled it all with class by addressing the crowd for losing their (in some cases) expensive hats. Very nice win!
Go Kraken!!!
The linesmen don’t have a whistle, but isn’t this why they usually raise an arm?
In honor of Monty Python day, maybe these refs had no arms?
I do believe there was a lot of time added back to the clock.
This Shane Wright noise irritates me. The kid has been working his butt off. Learning the game at the pro level takes time. The Kraken have brought him along in a system that has been supportive for his success and now you stand him on the edge of a cliff for trade bait? Management has failed him at this point and I think Lambert has also. This kid is a good set up guy and makes good plays in every game. I feel the team should be concentrating on moving Oleksiak , advancing Cale Flury, and and finding Melanson a permanent spot on this team. Giving up on Wright isn’t going going to make this team better or stimulate the fan base.
Neither is boxing these kids into a system that doesn’t have the creative mind set to let them do what they are good at until they are as good at defense as the defenseman. Which brings me to
the question, why is Oleksiak being allowed to rush the puck to the net. He’s mostly loosing the puck but sometimes just taking a bad shot. In the meantime while the other team gets the.puck and takes off for their net, he’s following behind with no chance of catching up, while a foward has to play his position and the other team ends
up with a 5 on 4 advantage. Montour and Dunn, no problem, but Oleksiak no.
What kind of coaching strategy is that? Stop dangling Wright and play hockey coach.
You seem to have fallen for rage bait and don’t understand the situation. I highly recommend listening to the latest pod with the mailbag. It will clear things up.
Literally no one is giving up on Wright.
Unfortunately many of the independent coverage sites not named Soundofhockey.com have heavily resorted to rage bait on this topic so I get why people are jumping into the comments section heated. Regardless, the latest pod makes it very clear that giving Shane more minutes essentially just means giving him more defensive responsibility which he isn’t ready for yet, and that’s fine given that it’s only his second full year in the NHL. He’ll get there.
But it’s not like they’re playing a defensive savant in D-zone situations instead. They’re usually putting out the Stephenson line, the most caved-in line in the NHL. I just don’t see the downside.
PHR elaborated today. Not sure what the source is for Pagnotta:
“1/29/2026: A little over a week after the initial reports emerged that the Kraken were considering trading Wright to acquire a dynamic top-six scoring winger, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta issued an update on Wright’s situation.
According to Pagnotta, not only are the Kraken seriously considering dealing Wright, but now “word has spread” that Wright himself may also be seeking a change of scenery, and that the relationship between the player and club in this case “may be on the ropes.””
And then it goes on about how Lambert doesn’t play him enough, etc.
And I get that the Kraken are trying to put him in a place to succeed, but they’re also playing the most caved-in forward in the league in D-zone situations instead (Stevey). So why not give Wright a shot? It’s hard for me to understand the downside, especially now that it may be affecting his confidence, happiness, and potentially his development.
If he goes somewhere else and becomes a 30-goal 2C, then everybody would deserve to get fired. Between him, Geekie, and Donato, it would be clear that they either can’t develop offensive talent, evaluate it effectively, or both.
“As last week’s news that the Seattle Kraken had made Shane Wright available for trade as they try to package him for a top-six forward, WORD STARTED TO SPREAD that Wright wants a change of scenery.” – Pagnotta on the Fourth Period
No source, just a report that “word started to spread”. I think folks will take that to mean what they want. To me, he’s not reporting A rumor, he’s reporting there are rumors. This is right there with the report of “fork found in kitchen”. I didn’t need Dave Pagnotta to tell me this.
For what it’s worth… in the very same 32 Thoughts segment where Friedman said “that’s real”, he also said his first thought was is this an agent rattling cages – meaning the player is driving this – and he said he was told “no”.
TBD
By far Ryker Evan’s best game of the year! Why? He played physical and made at least 6 heavy checks in the defensive zone!👏🏻 This is what it is going to take for this team’s continued success! Let’s call it the “Melanson Effect”. It opens up the ice for guys like Matty to work their magic. I’m convinced this is what we need from our D-men. LGK!!
No comments on how the Caps are pathetic losers? That forced end of game fight is the dumbest shit. Lose like a professional hockey team. I get their team is struggling this year, but man that was sad to watch. Also is this the last year of Ovi? Sure feels like he can’t really play anymore or do they bring him back again for ticket sales?
Thank you Koist I came here just for that. The caps are little b!tches, no idea why they wanted to extend a game where they got absolutely speed bagged. So proud of the Kraken for beating the crap out of such an embarrassing franchise. Should have been a 9-1 final.
Trying to not be too biased by what may have potentially been a favorable match up for the 1st line all night, but Matty is looking like a completely different player since mid-December. Planting himself in high danger areas, way more confident handling and moving the puck in close. Add in McCann looking like his old 35+ goal self and Eberle continuing to be solid/reliable skilled vet, and that line is looking awesome at times. I have been shocked at how good the PP has been considering we don’t have an elite pair like most of the top PP’s seem to have.
Curious to get everyone’s thoughts on extending Eberle even if we fall out of contention and could get a decent haul for him. I am the mind that with the likely injection of more youth into the lineup over the next few years he brings some things to the team that we would desperately miss if he is moved. He has bounced back from his injury very well and has been pretty durable during his career, so renewing him for another year or two doesn’t seem too risky even if it expires when he would be almost 38. He would give the young guys time to grow into their roles while not being much of a blocker. If we trade him I still hope we bring him back. He also seems like the kind of guy who will end up in a front office someday if he wants to be.
Yeah the team is definitely going to miss Jordan Eberle if and when he leaves. The proof is in the pudding. He is still the team’s best right wing. If he has a couple more years in him, I hope that he plays them here. Ryan Winterton, Jani Nyman, and Jagger Firkus would not be hurt by another season playing against lesser opponents. But, boy, blocking them for two years may not be a good idea. I don’t know, but I would miss Ebs if he were to leave.
I could honestly not tell if Kraken had a better start – or if the Caps made us look good!