After a big 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, the Seattle Kraken had a light day Wednesday, with only Cale Fleury, Josh Mahura, Tye Kartye, Joey Daccord, and Matt Murray taking part in a very optional practice.

Sound Of Hockey took the opportunity to catch up with a couple of players who were not on the ice: defenseman Ryan Lindgren and forward Jacob Melanson.

What happened between Brandon Duhaime and Jacob Melanson?

Apparently, Capitals forward Brandon Duhaime is not a fan of Jacob Melanson’s physical style of play. We all saw Tuesday night that Duhaime did everything he could to get Melanson to drop the gloves, a request to which Melanson finally acquiesced in the closing minutes of the contest, when the score was well out of reach for Washington.

“I don’t know [what I did to him], but I mean, if I got that guy that mad at me, then I must be doing my job the right way,” Melanson said. “So, I mean, obviously, he wanted it the whole night, and he finally got it.”

What we didn’t catch live during the game was that Duhaime—apparently intentionally—stuck the butt end of his stick over the boards from inside Washington’s bench and poked Melanson in the face as Melanson rushed up the ice during the second period.

Wait… this replay is better. What was Duhaime thinking?!

[Shooter McGavin voice]: "Doug, kick him off the tour!" https://t.co/am17AzMOPv pic.twitter.com/jJIqiCu9HM

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) January 28, 2026

Melanson said he didn’t realize during the game that it was Duhaime’s stick that caught him in the face, nor that the poke was apparently intentional.

“I didn’t [know it was him], and I feel like that would have made things a little different, but I mean, it’s just part of the game. He’s trying to get under my skin, and I respect it.”

Melanson got the last laugh several times over, with his team winning the game convincingly and Duhaime taking an extra penalty during the end-of-game melee. Duhaime was also handed a $2,500 fine from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Wednesday morning for unsportsmanlike conduct (the poke from the bench).

“Obviously, it’s a 5-1 hockey game, one minute left, it’s not really the time to have a fight. But I mean, he wouldn’t back down,” Melanson said. “I tried to skate away from it a few times, but I’m also not going to show that I’m just going to skate away every time and that I will answer the bell.”

Checking in with Jacob Melanson to try to understand why Brandon Duhaime was so mad at him last night. #SeaKraken #allcaps pic.twitter.com/9tkijPN3FG

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) January 28, 2026

Battle of the Lindgrens

One storyline that flew under the radar in Tuesday’s game against Washington was that Ryan Lindgren was facing his brother Charlie in the 2026 Lindgren Bowl. Unfortunately, Charlie—a goaltender for the Capitals—did not play, backing up Logan Thompson in this particular contest.

Still, it was a chance for Ryan Lindgren to reflect on how unique it is to face his brother in NHL competition.

“Yeah, it really is the coolest thing,” Ryan said. “It’s something we both dreamed of growing up was playing the NHL, and any time we get to play against each other is… I mean, it’s incredible. Obviously, it’s a little more fun when he’s in net, but, yeah, it’s really special.”

The two teams meeting is always a unique moment for the Lindgren family, which has been known to convene whenever the brothers’ respective teams square off.

“It’s always fun to see [Charlie], and my parents come into town, my grandpa, my other brother,” Ryan said. “And I think more so for them, too, they really, really love it and really enjoy seeing us out there together. So, yeah, it’s incredible.

“We’re both very fortunate that our parents and family supported us through everything, and for them to come out and watch and enjoy it as well is really cool.”

So what did the Lindgren family do when they all gathered in Seattle? Pretty much what any family would do when visiting from out of town.

“We were able to watch the Seahawks game with them and spent a lot of time together. And then Monday, we had breakfast in the morning and then kind of spent the day in Seattle, went to Pike Place, and then got dinner again after. So, we just tried to spend as much time together as we can.”

Of course, this was not the first time the brothers’ teams had faced each other, and in previous matchups, Charlie has even tended goal for the Capitals instead of riding the pine.

In fact, they first faced each other in the AHL, when Ryan was in the Rangers’ farm system playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack and Charlie was in the Canadiens’ system with the Laval Rocket. Most notably, they also squared off in the 2024 playoffs, when Ryan’s Rangers faced Charlie’s Capitals, with Charlie playing the entire series for Washington.

“We were lucky enough to sweep them, too,” Ryan said with a smirk. “So, I kind of got that over him, which is nice. But yeah, like I said, it’s really special just getting to play against him.”

Odds and ends

• Despite the win Tuesday, the Kraken did not gain any ground in the standings and instead just held serve with the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. All three teams remain deadlocked at 57 points, but San Jose currently occupies the final wild-card spot. The target for Seattle has to be the third-place position ahead of the Kings, Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks; the top three spots are the only ones where you’re not also battling desperate teams from the Central Division.
• On Thursday, coach Lane Lambert will face the team for whom he served as an associate head coach last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Seattle is 1-0-0 against the Leafs this season, thanks to Josh Mahura’s dazzling overtime goal in Toronto on Oct. 18.
• With nine goals in January, Matty Beniers is now tied with Jordan Eberle (November 2021) for the most goals in a month by a Kraken player. One more either Thursday or Saturday, and he will set a new record.
• Thanks to the impending Olympic break being bookended by road games, Thursday marks Seattle’s last home game until Feb. 28.