The Seattle Kraken dropped their second game in as many nights, falling 5-1 to the St. Louis Blues.
St. Louis came out firing. The Blues put eight shots on net, rang two shot off the posts and got a goal from Dylan Holloway before Seattle registered a shot. Holloway later added a second-period goal and an empty-netter to complete the hat trick.
After the opening goal, Seattle pushed back. Kaapo Kakko scored the equalizer to make it 1-1. The Kraken then outshot the Blues 10-3 over the next stretch.
That momentum did not carry into the second period. St. Louis scored twice in the first 95 seconds and never looked back. Philipp Grubauer made several strong saves to keep the game close, but the offense never followed.
Here are three takeaways:
Takeaway 1: Top line?
Jared McCann, Matty Beniers and captain Jordan Eberle form Seattle’s top line. You would not have known it in this one.
The trio recorded zero shots at five-on-five despite leading the team in ice time. McCann has 22 points in 2026, Beniers has 14 and Eberle has 13. Still, the line went scoreless for the second straight game.
Pointless nights happen. Generating no memorable chances against a team ranked 31st in the league is more concerning.
Per MoneyPuck, the line produced just 0.131 expected goals, the lowest of Seattle’s four lines. Shane Wright’s line led the way at 0.750. Chandler Stephenson’s group posted 0.488, followed by Ben Meyers’ line at 0.430.
Before the Olympic break, Seattle averaged 3.53 goals per game in 2026. One goal in each of the last two games will not win consistently. The offense needs to get rolling again.
Takeaway 2: Starting slow
For the second straight game, Seattle looked slow out of the gate. The intensity was not there early.
On offense, the Kraken forced passes instead of putting pucks on net. With the Kraken trailing, the situation called for a sustained push and a focus on getting pucks to the net front, but that push never materialized. Instead, Seattle committed 18 turnovers and stalled its own momentum.
The Blues controlled the first eight minutes and scored first. Seattle responded to tie the game, but the second period opened with two quick goals against. St. Louis struck again in the opening minute of the third. Those early goals in each period halted any comeback before it could begin.
Takeaway 3: Powerplay blanked
After going 0-4 on the power play against Dallas, Seattle finished 0-3 against St. Louis. The unit is now 0-7 since the break.
The Kraken generated five shots and just 0.08 expected goals across six minutes of power-play time. Quality chances were nearly nonexistent.
Seattle still converts at 22.4 percent on the season, which ranks 11th in the NHL. This is a two-game sample, but the Kraken powerplay looked slightly out of sync, which made it difficult to connect on one-timers and get pucks on net.
On to the next
St. Louis entered the night ranked 31st in the league, but the Blues gave the Kraken more than they could handle and clearly looked like the better team.
On Saturday, Seattle faces Vancouver, which sits 32nd in the NHL. If there is a lesson from this loss, it is simple. Rankings do not matter if the team is not ready at puck drop.
The Kraken return home looking to reset. Two losses to start the post-Olympic stretch are not ideal, but the Kraken still hold the final wild card spot. The response now matters more than the stumble, especially with a home crowd ready to push them and help fuel that home-ice advantage.
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Blaiz Grubic
Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.
Put a fork in them, they’re done. Trade deadline is in one week. Sell the vets, bring up some hungry kids and start giving them chances to play in situations they need to play in to reach their potential. Not particularly impressed with Lane Lambert’s abiliity to inspire, either.