That was a killer loss. The Kraken came out hot in the first period and appeared ready to roll to victory over the Nashville Predators. But things fell apart in the second, and a 2-0 lead quickly evaporated and turned into a 3-2 deficit.
While Seattle peppered Juuse Saros with 45 shots in the game, they couldn’t find the equalizer after falling behind and took another damaging ‘L’ as they continue to cling to the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference by the thinnest of margins.
“I thought we came out well, and then… our team hasn’t been in this position [fighting for a playoff spot] for a couple of calendar years,” coach Lane Lambert said. “And we’re showing it a little bit right now. We have to sustain for 60 minutes.”
Here are Three Takeaways after a crushing 4-2 Kraken loss to the Predators.
Takeaway 1: Second period collapse
The Kraken were riding high entering the second period after Kaapo Kakko had scored off a Shane Wright “pass off the pads” play to make it 1-0 at 2:14 and Matty Beniers had sniped from the right circle at 9:46 to make it 2-0.
MATTY MAGIC! 🎯🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 11, 2026
What a snipe. 2-0 #SeaKraken. pic.twitter.com/9kXzoA1qo8
But things unraveled quickly in the second.
It started with a long shift by Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson. Larsson looked like he was about to change, hustling to try to dump the puck into Nashville’s zone and coming to a stop right in front of the Kraken bench. But the puck was out of his reach, so he couldn’t get it deep, and Nashville began transitioning the other way.
Instead of signaling to the next man up to jump on, Larsson noticed Tyson Jost had gotten behind him, so he stayed out and sprinted back to the defensive zone. In doing so, he drifted into a bit of no-man’s land. Meanwhile, Fedor Svechkov faked Vince Dunn out and cut to the middle, finding Jost with plenty of time and space to pick a spot under the bar.
“Yeah. I mean, they came at us in the second,” Larsson said. “We got stuck out there a couple times.”
Moments later, after a Wright goal had been negated because Ryker Evans was tripped and slid into Juuse Saros before the puck arrived, Matthew Wood sliced through the fourth line and set up former Seattle Thunderbird Reid Schaefer for an easy tap-in to tie the game 2-2 at 10:19.
The backbreaker came four minutes later when 21-year-old defenseman Ryan Ufko turned into Cale Makar, walking Ryan Winterton and Ben Meyers before deking back to his right and tucking the puck behind Joey Daccord for one of the prettiest first career goals you’ll ever see.
Connor McDavid? No. Nathan MacKinnon? No. Cale Makar? No.
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 11, 2026
Ryan Ufko scoring his FIRST CAREER GOAL.
Good lord, what a goal. 3-2 Predators. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/fFcXIEdgJn
That was it. Three defensive lapses in a 10-minute stretch, and the Kraken gave away what should have been two standings points.
“I thought we started to lose battles in the second period, and we spent time in our zone,” Lambert said. “Of course, we had a couple of breakdowns, and they ended up scoring. So right now, it just seems like, in a sense—and it’s our responsibility—but in a sense, anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
Takeaway 2: Turning back to Daccord
It was slightly surprising to see Lambert turn right back to Daccord after he gave up seven goals against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. I didn’t mind it. It felt like a vote of confidence from the coaching staff that Daccord could bounce back quickly.
Daccord played fine against Nashville and got hung out to dry by his team during the second period, though he was ultimately outdueled by Juuse Saros, who finished with a whopping 43 saves against a Kraken team that suddenly decided to become a high-shot-volume club.
“I thought Joey was pretty good tonight,” Lambert said. “I felt that he made a number of good saves [against Ottawa], even though he did give up seven goals. It probably could have been 10 or 11, the way we were playing, so we looked at that aspect of it, and that’s the way we went.”
Takeaway 3: Matty Beniers steps up
Aside from Beniers’ beautiful goal in the first period, he also did something nobody in the building expected early in the third.
After Justin Barron laid a bad hit on Jared McCann, Beniers was the closest player to Barron and went right after him. After the two pushed and shoved for a moment, Beniers’ gloves were off and his fists were flying wildly in what turned out to be the first fight of his career.
FISTICUFFS! 🥊 MATTY BENIERS, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 11, 2026
He goes after Justin Barron for a bad hit on Jared McCann and gets his first career fight. Wow. 🤯 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/LzNZKwYH2r
“Canner got hit bad, and we’ve been talking about standing up for teammates, and so I tried to,” Beniers said. “No fights yet [in my hockey career]. That was the first one.”
After seeing that, I’m not convinced Beniers will turn into an enforcer anytime soon, but the willingness to do that showed real leadership from the young assistant captain and should have sparked his team.
Said Larsson: “It’s unbelievable to see. He’s such a big part of this team, and that’s huge.”
And Lambert: “We’re trying to create a culture where guys care about each other, and there’s no question that Matty did that. I’m satisfied whenever somebody does that for a teammate.”
While Beniers sat in the penalty box, several teammates skated over to congratulate him before the door closed. You could tell it meant something to the Kraken, even if it wasn’t enough to push them over the hump in the end.
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.
Ugh!
If you style yourself a fan of the Seattle team, read this: https://pacificnorthhockey.com/seattle/2026/03/08/seattle-kraken-what-hell/
Before you comment, read his bio towards the bottom of the page and check it against your credentials. If yours are not greater, then stay silent and learn something.
His credentials are no more impressive than 90% of the hockey media. His three books include a biography of a referee and two coffee table photo albums. Everything he’s saying is the same half-informed drivel you can find on here after every loss. “They should have traded Eberle…” who has a full no trade. Blah, blah, blah.
Your “credentials” argument seems a bit thin; however, if that’s your take… I’ll have to assume you’ve taken a look at the credentials of the management and staff of the Seattle Kraken and both you and Rob Simpson didn’t need to bother with staying silent or learning something.
Just go back to using your real name Chuck.
That post is certainly pretentious enough to come from Chuck, but it’s still missing the signature self-reference to past vague predictions for me to feel fully confident that it’s Chuckles in disguise.
While I’m not wild about this guy’s take (it’s nothing new and somewhat negative) maybe you should be more specific about what bona fide “credentials” are. Having written a book or coffee table book doesn’t automatically make him unqualified; it just means he’s written a coffee table book. You’ve shared your distaste with at least one other journalist before. Lacking any specifics regarding about what “credentials” really are, your response sounds like just another embittered smear from someone who doesn’t like Simpson’s take. So provide specifics as to who has (and doesn’t have) credentials and why. I’m sure you’re well equipped to answer this question…..
My issue would be that nothing in this guys “credentials” make him uniquely qualified to offer some sort of deep insight into the Kraken. The content is nothing more than the same broad media content that’s rehashed all over the internet. As Turbo stated below, “Anyone who has spent time reading the articles on this site is more informed than this guy.” Curtis, Darren and John… those guys have something more than “credentials”, they have actual credibility. They watch all the games, follow all the players, managers and transactions. To me, those are the type of opinions I value, opinions that have a substance and a reason based on observation rather than speculation. When it comes to the credibility part, that guy lost me at trade Eberle and his view going into the break that this team should be selling while sitting third in the division.
The biggest issue I have in this circumstance is whoever posted that take somehow thought this credentials bit was some sort of “mic drop”… please. I’m fine with Simpsons take as just another version of “tank”. I’ve said it many times, I get it, it’s just not my opinion of the best way forward, and this guys opinion on that isn’t persuasive simply because he’s in the media.
Okay fair enough. Well said
“Before you comment, read his bio towards the bottom of the page and check it against your credentials. If yours are not greater, then stay silent and learn something.”
Ah yes, the classic appeal to authority. Anyone who has spent time reading the articles on this site is more informed than this guy.
lol Rob Simpson is a washed up hack. 0 facts were presented in his article and little logic was considered when he wrote it. its just emotional garbage that belongs in the comments section. simple click bait.
The reality is that making the playoffs is important for team development and culture. Winning breeds more winning. What do UFA want? Like all pros. Money and the opportunity TO WIN. If this team isn’t winning they’re not going to get any UFA. it really is that simple. This is especially true for the NHL because the NHL draft is a total crap shoot. Kakko Kaapo is a prime example. #2 pick. plays on the third line. Whats the point of tanking again????????????
Anyway, here’s the first sentence so you don’t have to waste your time. “Kraken ownership desperately wants this club to make the playoffs this season, to bring some excitement into the building and prove something to the fan base. Although I’m not sure what that something is.”
What? He says “desperately” so convincingly and so often that the reader believes it. Rob Simpson has NO CLUE what ownership is thinking so to state it here is hacky and dangerous. He loses all credibility after the FIRST sentence. Well, technically the second sentence if you want to call the word “Desperation” a sentence.
Now moving on to the acquisition of Bobby McMann, 3 or so paragraphs down, who hasn’t played a single game for this team mind you, this HACK has this to say: “That was actually a desperation move, again, keeping up some kind of appearance for a relatively novice fan base and from a management team that’s backed itself into a corner.”
What? this guys off his meds. How many big name, A+ players moved at the deadline? None. ZERO. Desperation would be selling the farm for Kyrou or similar only to STILL lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Colorado Avalanche. That would happen this year almost for certain. Then what, they get to the second round with an improved team next year and lose? Then what? Keep losing in the playoffs?
It’s just opinionated, illogical thinking.
And for YOU, x90584lb, to say “read his bio towards the bottom of the page and check it against your credentials. If yours are not greater, then stay silent and learn something.” is just stupid. Maybe you need to remind yourself ITS JUST A GAME and log off.
And let me make this very clear as well. Anyone can stay whatever they want, whenever they want, regardless of “credentials”
Knock it off with that nonsense. and what kind of name is x90584lb any way. do you really want to stay anonymous? I don’t get it.
Welcome 🤗
Why are they sitting Gru? I know he will likely play against it Avs but i thought it was weird to play Joey back to back. He hasn’t played since the 4th.
IDK I read through this and agree that we should have traded the RIg and Schwartz, it’s all just an argument about where you see this team going this season and on.
I totally understand why people think we should not be selling but I believe that belief comes from thinking we’re closer than we are. I don’t think we should have sold all the vets but the guys that we are not going to be keeping past this season… why not. I don’t see Schwartz or the Rig sticking around past this season. I also feel that with the signing of McMann Schwartz would not be missed this season and Fleury is not a downgrade for the Rig. To me it would be completely a no brainer for the kraken to sell a little and still be able to fight for the playoffs. Please don’t try to tell me there was no market, we don’t know who was being offered for what amount, all we know is that the kraken said they were not going to sell anybody therefore taking away any possibility.
I think we’re at least three years away from thinking the way a number of posters on here think, not saying we won’t get there but we’re not there yet. It’s basically the chicken and egg thing, I don’t think we can hatch a chicken until evolution has been achieved. Building this environment that will attract higher level players by hanging onto expiring assets is completely BS, these guys walk in the offseason and it’s exactly the same look if anything it maybe just gives players the feeling that they are desperate?
You say that hanging onto expiring assets is the reason the Kraken will not be able to build a winning environment and attract higher level players, correct? So you suggest an alternative of dumping those expiring assets for draft picks instead. You think they have players right now that can replace the expiring assets without the team becoming worse. That’s fine and I can understand why you may want that to happen. I agree with you on that point. They wont necessarily get worse.
But do they get better? I think the easy answer is no, which is a problem for a bubble team. In fact, it could lead to more mediocracy short AND long term.
Maybe they make the playoffs, maybe not, then they pray some of their draft picks they flipped, turn out to not just be NHL players, but good to great NHL players. Seems very high risk to me. The scenario of not making the playoffs i just mentioned may happen anyway, but at least they pushed to make the playoffs happen. And if they do make the playoffs, they position themselves as ready to compete for deeper runs that attract UFA or trade partners.
You say they’re far from being competitive in the playoffs. I agree 100% with that. They need talented players. Freddy Gaudreau in the bumper on last nights PP is not gonna cut it. Dumping UFA for 2nd rounders isn’t gonna do that in the near term and is a risk in the long term. And remember, they have a massive collection of draft picks for the next two years anyway.
So yeah, why not try building a winning culture here as soon as possible. I see them making the playoffs this year or barely missing out and leveraging that experience to pry Alex Tuch away from Buffalo. You’ve got upgrades in Bobby McMann and Alex Tuch, plus improvements from the young players.
They need to choose a path and stick with it. bottom line. 3 coaches in 5 years was a huge mistake.
Seems to me like winning as much as possible with Lane Lambert at the helm is what we got. The moves, or lack of moves when put into that context make sense.
No I meant that keeping those expiring assets won’t help them attract better talent, not that it will hurt them just that it’s not going to help. Basically a wash if we were to get assets for them now or let them walk. On the plus side of trading them at least we’d have a few more picks, yes we have a lot of picks but more is always better especially if we’re looking to upgrade a position or two in the trade market.
As I said I won’t believe that holding onto Jamie or Schwartz helps us get into the playoffs so what exactly was the point?
Well the point was to try. What you’re describing and correct me if im wrong, is throwing in the towel. They chose not to do that and there’s a reason beyond scapegoating the front office. I tried exploring that by stating winning breeds more winning, essentially. The more you win, the more talent you can acquire, given cap space, which the Kraken have a ton of. but im just an Armchair GM. what do i know.
You’re welcome to disagree with that but I do think there’s something to it.
What do you think is going to entice an UFA to sign with the Kraken? How do they get better? Given the trade environment and salary cap increases. im genuinely curious, because all i know is what i know. and what you’re stating is building through the draft. nothing wrong with that but hard to do.
No not through in the towel I said I believe we have parts just acquired and sitting on the bench that could actually be an upgrade.
Do you honestly think we should be hitting the FA market looking for talent? We’ve already established that we are not a choice destination and would have to pay through the nose. That is not a formula for success. This team needs a few more years of patience, I don’t believe we’re set up for the next level yet.
Definitely hard to build through the draft but much harder to build without the draft. We haven’t built long enough, we haven’t gained enough pieces that can significantly help us.
We got bullied last night. The rest of the league knows the Kraken are a bunch of candy assed pansies. Francis needs to go, we need a complete tear down.
I was thinking last night that it would have been fun to see Karts on the 4th line throwing some hits. LL really seems to not like the physical aspect of the game, Fluery should absolutely be in over the Rig and Karts should have been getting ice time not traded.
Candy assed pansies – I haven’t heard that one in decades. Belongs in the “Questioning your toughness” HOF lol right next to “Your’re half a sissy.”
😉
I’m still baffled that Jamie O had that one amazing game 10 days ago and then poof!….
They came out in the 2nd playing with a lead and thought they had it in the bag. That’s the exciting thing about hockey. It can change in the blink of an eye. The combination of a disallowed goal then 30 sec later Preds score. It’s too much for them to over come.
My seat-neighbor and I had a similar conversation. It was like that one game was a “please don’t trade me” game, only to return to form once the deadline had passed.
Or a please trade me game I’m playing to show value… open for debate. I don’t feel he’s going to resign with us next season. Probably both parties will be happy to part ways.
He looked horrible last night, I don’t like the paring with Evans. I feel like he should have been traded the last few seasons, Fleury isn’t a downgrade and he plays a physical every game not just once every 200 games.
They played way, way better last night and lost anyway, that’s how hockey goes. Yeah there were a couple defensive goofs but I’d say Nashville had more defensive goofs; it’s just didn’t end up in the back of their net as often because of great saves or just puck luck. It just makes the total no-shows against St. Louis and and Ottawa all the more frustrating. You can’t phone it in half the games and then count on winning all the games where you play well.
However, also, it’s easier to look faster and more energetic against a team whose top 5 players are all declining veterans in their mid 30s. While Nashville might be a bit higher in the standings right now, I think they are a weaker team than St. Louis and Ottawa.
I’ll also say that I’d been advocating for Gaudreau to be the guy scratched, but he had a great game last night. I still think scratching Catton is absolutely insane, though.
Gaudreau Played fine but we’re not going to be an above mediocre team with him playing on the second line. I’m really not sure why he is on the power play getting the key bumper shots. He had some great set ups that he literally just shot dead center into the goalies chest. If you like his defense play LL whatever but I don’t think he’s that sniper we want one the PP. he’s a really interesting player to me, fantastic on the shootout but seems to get cold hands in actual gameplay.
Agreed but with McMann entering the lineup, Gaudreau can slot back into the 4th line, and one of the 3 guys who played on the 4th line last night (which actually was the worst line this time) can sit. I think that is what they’ll do. My guess is Winterton is the odd man out.
Meanwhile, on the East coast, the Rangers are 4-1-1 since claiming Tye Kartye, who is putting up legitimate minutes on the third line and PK, has a 3-game 4-point scoring streak, leads the team in hits and has established some sort of freaky psychic connection to Noah Laba that looks like they’ve been playing together for months, not just 2 weeks. And has gotten the Broadway hat twice.
Very much looking forward to my trip to NYC next weekend.
Underused player that is sure to be our next Geekie head shaker. There was absolutely no reason he should have not been getting regular 4th line minutes. If you could create the perfect 4th line player it wouldn’t be far off from Karts.
Kartye always looked out of this world amazing godlike for a run of 5-6 games, then he became the Invisible Man. That was his problem with the Kraken.
Kinda like our entire roster…. I don’t think Karts was the problem. I still believe it’s our system that makes it hard for players to get into games.
For once, I have to actually agree with Nino that system is a probable culprit here. Sullivan is currently deploying a straightline north-south strategy that is very similar to what Hakstol used. It’s a simpler system that is fairly easy to execute, but comes with the risk of being predictable and easy to defend. Fortunately for the Rangers, they’ve been playing mostly against other teams who are also outside of the playoff picture.
That said, while the goal was a tip-in that probably would have scored regardless, all three of the assists were totally legit, really well executed and involved both speed and precision. Also, despite being a rookie, Laba has been solid at center with an over 50% FO win percentage, which is certainly helping.
I was impressed with their third line last night. They played really well in the first period, providing the initial goal but they had too many ill advised passes as the game went on. It seems like they deffer to other players sometimes instead of confidently taking control of the puck.
And where is McCann? 0 goals since returning to action. Its going to be hard to win games if your goal scores don’t score goals. For a team that relies on all three lines, well, all three lines need to be working to some extent to win and we just haven’t been seeing that recently.
Great point, McCann has not looked 100%. Will we ever get full-power McCann back for an extended period of time? It’s a shame.
MaCann has looked like he’s almost mailing it in, I wonder about the comments LL made about players that want to be here?
Shane was rumored to want out I wonder if that bugs going around the room? If I was an offensive player I’d want out of town on the next train with the system the kraken are running.
McCann has been here since day 1, signed an extension and has always been a high-effort player. I think injuries are way more likely an explanation.
I do wonder about Wrights fit in Lambert’s system. Its very much defense first. Look at Catton as well. I would think as a pro in the NHL, the system wouldn’t matter and you give it everything every night. But i could be wrong
Either way, this is an example of always drafting the best available player. You can always flip them for players that fit better. The issue with trading wright is the lack of center depth in the NHL. If he improves defensively and on the forecheck, i see teams struggling to compete with them for 60 minutes, as long as all three lines are firing.
I’d say that generally, players coming out of the CHL, which would include Wright and Catton, are underprepared for the NHL when it comes to defense.
Players coming out of the NCAA, US NTDP and several of the European leagues are more balanced when it comes to offensive vs defensive skill sets.
Macklin Celebrini (NCAA) and Connor Bedard (CHL) are a really good comparative example.
This is a very cobbled together team still. Many players are aging. A lot of young kids. No core of young players reaching their peak. Overall, it is not a very good team and even if the players are pros that want to compete, they also know that the team is limited.
In this situation it is only natural that the players are not very settled. There was unrest last season too as a few players wanted out. Team spirit improved after Gourde, Tanev and Bjorkstrand were traded (not saying they were cancers or anything like that).
I have just one word for that game. BOOOOOOOOO! 4th line sucked I wonder which one will sit for McMann
This was a “signature Kraken win”, for the Predators. They got badly outplayed and outshot but won due to excellent goaltending. Sound familiar? Hockey giveth and hockey taketh away.
To be fair we didn’t have a lot of quality chances it was a more like shoot for anywhere anytime game. Games played with that mindset don’t usually result in a lot of goals just shots.
Considering the Kraken usually have half the number of shots with similar low quality, I’d say this is an improvement.
Point taken 😂
I’m not sure about this take – the Kraken hit a number of posts and had some extremely high danger chances, especially on the power play. The Deserve-to-Win O’Meter put the Kraken at 90%, and had them at nearly 5 expected goals. Kraken just got Juuse’d.
Also, the Predators were asleep through the first period then finally woke up in the second, also a familiar Kraken trait.