You can’t ask for a much better start to the season than what the Seattle Kraken got on Thursday, cruising to a 6-1 win over the Flames in Calgary.
The youngsters, who Seattle is relying upon to take a big step in their development this season, literally led the way. Six different Kraken scored, Jared McCann had three assists, and Joey Daccord was rock solid, despite having his shutout foiled with three minutes left.
Here are Three Takeaways from a dominant 6-1 Kraken win over the Flames on Opening Night.
Takeaway 1: The Kids™️ are alright
I loved what I saw from “The Kids” line of Shane Wright, Berkly Catton, and Ryan Winterton.
After the Flames tilted the ice for the first few minutes, it was that line that flipped things back the other way for Seattle, earning the first sustained zone time of the season and creating the first two shots on goal. A game that initially felt like the Kraken couldn’t get the puck suddenly reversed course, and within minutes, they were off and running.
Jordan Eberle credited that young line with getting the team going. “They had some good shifts, and then we obviously got one on the power play. We found a couple after. Yeah, then we started to roll from there.”
Wright drew the penalty that led to Eberle’s power-play goal at 9:10 of the first period, then had a great shift that ended with a Vince Dunn bomb to make it 2-0 just 32 seconds later.
DUNN DEAL! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 2, 2026
Ryan Winterton goes low-to-high, and Vince Dunn just lets it rip.
2-0 #SeaKraken 10 minutes in. pic.twitter.com/1CoSAKfJUn
On that play, Catton stole the puck and chipped it low for Wright. Wright took a hit below the goal line but kept the play alive to a swinging Winterton, who then banked it up to Dunn at the point. Catton and Wright both went to the front of the net to wreak havoc in front of Dustin Wolf, and Dunn let it rip.
“They were unbelievable, and I think Shane and ‘Wints’ and the guys that we need to get going to win games—they are very committed to create things away from the puck,” Dunn said. “I thought they were pretty good and put themselves in good positions to get the puck back and create a lot of scoring chances… That was a really big team effort, and it’s good to see them get their confidence going right from the start because we’re going to need them throughout the season.”
Aside from those moments of production, the trio looked dynamic and fast throughout the night and played with a ton of confidence. Obviously, it’s just Game 1, but all three players look like they took steps in their development this summer.
“Really encouraging,” coach Lane Lambert said of The Kids. “That’s what we’re counting on. A lot of that trio—we’ll see if ‘Wints’ is on there the whole time or how that works—but certainly, they use their speed, hockey sense, and they’ve got some skill offensively. So they did a really good job, and I really liked their compete level.”
Takeaway 2: Encouraging signs from power play, too
The Kraken got a lot of chances on the power play on this night, with the undisciplined Flames putting themselves shorthanded five times. Eberle buried one early, but Seattle failed to convert on the subsequent four power plays.
“I thought [the power play was] average, at best,” Dunn said. “I think it’s obviously nice when you get one right away. I think from there we got a little complacent and a little slow. I think we can be a little bit more selfish, and I think that’s going to have to be the identity with it this year.”
So, that seems bad. HOWEVER…
Even on the four chances in which they didn’t score, Seattle looked reasonably dynamic. The two units were slinging the puck around with ease at times, and there were a few sequences with four or five shots in quick succession at Wolf, who was equal to the task.
More goals would have been nice, but it was a decent showing by the PP units and an encouraging foundation for Game 1.
Takeaway 3: Solid start for Joey
Joey Daccord (almost) couldn’t have asked for a better start to his season, shutting out the Flames for more than 56 minutes before Ryan Strome finally got one by him at 16:35 of the third.
There were some big saves, too, and at critical times. For example, with Seattle leading 2-0 in the first period, Josh Mahura took the team’s lone penalty of the contest. Matty Beniers laid out for a painful block, and Ryan Lindgren had one as well. Beniers had his knee wrapped in ice after the game.
But Daccord also stood tall during that PK, and Freddy Gaudreau’s dazzling goal at 19:30 of the first put things well on the rails.
“I liked [Joey’s game],” Lambert said. “He needed to make some saves, and he did. I thought he was square, solid, I thought his puck play was solid. So it’s unfortunate that he didn’t get the zero, but I thought he played very well.”
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All in all, that was about as solid a first outing as you could have hoped for from the Kraken, from top to bottom. Now, it’s on to Edmonton, where they’ll face a team that just went 1-0-1 in a two-game series against the Vancouver Canucks, with the teams combining for 27 goals across the two games.
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.
Lane Lambert is a turd. Not enough young guys are getting the opportunity they deserve. What a joke!
Just kidding! Go Kraken!!!
Ok, seriously. That Stephenson goal? National TV doesn’t stay up late enough to appreciate, and I don’t care. Awesome goal! Frankly, game could have been 9-1. The Catton line? Shane Wrignt on a wing? Wints flying around as a 6’2” power forward peeing in peoples’ Cheerios all night. FYI…he was a center in the CHL. I guess that means he shouldn’t be playing wing. But I digress.
What about Evans? I don’t want to get too excited. But he’s good.
Samoskevich didn’t even play.
Did anyone else think McMann was hounding for a goal big time? He’s pissed he didn’t get one!
Man, if that Stephenson goal is not on Sportscenter, I don’t know what they’re doing over there. That was just sick, like some Harlem Globetrotters styling. It’s a good thing too, because after the preseason everyone was expecting a “Game of the Week” between Seattle and Calgary. To say that the game, apart from the Stephenson goal, fell short of that mark is an understatement. It was just a total destruction of a team that was criminally unprepared to play. All those Calgary fans who stayed in the stands until the sixth goal against deserve their money back.
I felt like there were a couple of times McMann should have drawn a penalty in the 3rd, and the refs let it slide because the game was already well in hand for the Kraken. But McMann was definitely looking pretty hard for a goal. If I bet on sports, I’d place a bet on him getting a goal against Edmonton. 13 goals against across two games against the Canucks, woof.
Stevie’s goal – so good and what a blast to watch on repeat. To coin a baseball phrase – I think Wolf got caught looking! Lots of fun to watch goals tonight.
That wasn’t a LL hockey game he’s letting the team play hockey so far in the preseason and during our first regular season game. They are talking big everywhere from upper management/coaches/player about how they are going to be more aggressive and faster paced… so far they are doing what they said. It’s interesting that it hasn’t been talked about much but if this continues it will be interesting.
The Catton line was by far our best line from start to finish, as a threesome they actually had the lead in ice time!!!! Well deserved but I’m surprised. Wright had a very strong game and showed how good he is on the boards…. Other than that Calgary goal. I’m not sure what he was thinking with that butt check attempt gone wrong.
I was shaking my head about chandler through the first two periods, he looked absolutely awful. Then that goal happened and Calgary stopped playing or he seriously picked it up I’m not sure which…. You know the goal.
Seriously Douglas can’t play hockey, what is he doing in the lineup? He wasn’t even throwing his body in a meaningful way. Would that not be the only reason why he would be in the lineup? This is going to be interesting because coaches often like to keep lineups the same coming off a win but could you imagine Edmonton with the last change putting McDavid against Douglas 😳.
Daccord played a very solid game, too bad he didn’t get the shutout he deserved it.
Go Kraken!!!
Shout out to Curtis Douglas who had just 5:58 of ice time but still impacted the game. The Flames kept themselves in line all night. They didn’t get “scrappy” after going down big early and even after Melanson trucked Coronato in front of their net… nothing.
The Flames certainly are a sportsmanlike bunch–real Lady Byng contenders–when Curtis Douglas is in the lineup on the other side. And what a lovely young gentleman that Martin Pospisil was! If I am being completely honest, they didn’t even commit all the fouls they were called for in the first two persiods before the refs put their whistles away when the game was essentially over. I mean, that tripping call especially was utter bull. Still, the active officiating helped to keep the shenanigans in check all night beyond just Douglas’ deterrence, so good on the zebras.
That tripping call was a makeup call for the missed cross check right in front of the net.
Shall I remind you that Douglas was in that preseason Calgary game that got out of control. They aren’t afraid of Douglas, games take a path it had nothing to do with him playing or not playing. Roster spots are too valuable to waste on goons, it just doesn’t happen in the NHL anymore.
Yeah, and they punked out and tried to skate away from him. The difference between this past game and the preseason game in question is that Douglas, Ottavainen, and others made the statement that hiding behind the refs is not going to save them from facing the music anymore. That actually works as a deterrent where just fighting willing participants does not. You saw what happened when John Hayden let Othmann off after a few swings: Othmann just came back and did the exact same thing again in the next game. I get that everyone wants the era of the goon to be over and for good reason, but until the era of Pospisil-types is over, there is just no other way to deal with them. What else would you have a team do when guys are actively trying to give them concussions with cheap shots?
Exactly!
No the goon era is dead, teams definitely need team toughness but not goons that can’t play hockey. When you find those guys that play tough and can actually play hockey those are the ones that you put in your lineup.
This is an interesting debate, it seems to not be whether Douglas can play hockey at an NHL level it’s just about whether it’s ok to have a player like that in your lineup.
That in itself tells you everything you need to know.
There were a number of times where his inability to play hockey gave Calgary some good scoring opportunities. This was against a Calgary team that not only isn’t good but also was not even playing well for their own standards. Think about this playing 90 percent of the other teams in the league… when you aren’t playing the bottom feeders.
Now seriously tell me you think he’s worth a roster spot. Sure you could say that he’s going to be living in the rafters until we play Calgary again… but it feels pointless to have a player with that limited of usage there, you know there are going to be late injuries etc that force use to play him and that could seriously impact the ability for the Kraken to win the game if it’s against real competition. Especially on the road where we get last change.
Well, they won 6-1 in an away game with him in the lineup. So far the data set points to him being a benefit when on the roster.
Yeah, like you said, it is not a question about whether Douglas is a better hockey player than, say, Oscar Fisker Molgaard. Molgaard is better at hockey hands down and without qualification. It is a question of whether or not you need to have someone on the team who is a threat to beat the living hell out of rats like Martin Pospisil should he engage in his usual modus operandi of going out to injure people and then hiding. To that point, you talk about Douglas’ lesser skill than Molgaard possibly causing the Kraken to lose a game or two at some point. I will conceed that, but I will retort that, by not having a guy like Douglas around previously, the Kraken have already lost numerous games after the team’s best players–Jared McCann, Matty Beniers, and Vince Dunn–have been knocked out for long stretches by intentionally dirty plays. Also, when it is time to start thinking about a new contract like Jared and Vince are about to do now, how much consideration do you think they give to having some measure of protection around them should they sign a new deal here? I know I would think twice about signing up to play for a team where I can expect punks will constantly be taking runs at me. You know, when Artemi Panerin said that he chose to go to L.A. because he wanted to play with “guys,” I wonder if that meant “guys who will stick up for me.”
If the Kraken can commit to D first, stay selfish with the puck and push people around when it’s called for, maybe they surprise some of the “experts” and make the playoffs. We can dream, no?
Just a great opening game of the year team effort. Well done!
Stevenson goal was a thing of beauty yet there are those that after every game will still find a reason to criticize his play. I guess maybe I am the lone observer that just doesn’t get it…
Go Kraken!!!
This morning even Stephenson’s biggest detractors are offering respect or at least saying nothing at all. When that man really wants it bad he’s a human highlight reel. If the Kraken do manage to secure a playoff berth at the end of the season, I will be excited to see what playoffs Chandler Stephenson looks like away from Las Vegas.
Why doesn’t he want it bad all the time?
You know, that’s the big issue with Stephenson. He is fantastic when he is on, but he is not always on for whatever reason. It’s just a guess on my part, but I think it may be a business decision where he wants to keep himself from getting too beat up so he can play for longer. If that is the case, maybe it will pay off when he is thirty-six and at the end of this contract and still playing well.
Maybe it has to do with something Dom Luszczyszyn said about him:
“Stephenson plays some of the toughest minutes in hockey…”
@DarylW: That too. Stephenson is always stuck doing the dirtiest of dirty work. If the Catton line really is about to be what it looked like in the opener, maybe it will give Stevie a break and take some of those brutal defensive zone draws against top opponents. I really want to see him get a chance to just cut loose like he did in Vegas. …Did I just agree with Dom Luszczyszyn? What a weird feeling.
Who the hell invented that last name, anyway? Someone thought that was a good idea. That’s all we need to know about humans.
Seattle G, that seems like the premise for a bit in that TV show 1670. I imagine Jan-Pawel accidentally created the name while messing around with a prototype movable type machine and then granted the paper to a peasant to be his new last name as if he totally meant to do that.
How bad is Calgary though. Home opener in the soon to be retired Saddledome. I cant remember one instance of sustained pressure. Not to take anything away from the Kraken but lets see how they fair against Edmonton. It was a bit of a weird game to be honest. It should have been much closer, despite how pedestrian Calgary was. Should have been 4-2. They need to clean up a few mistakes to be really competitive and not let teams back into it like they did last year. That second period was nerveracking.
Its a long road ahead. Strap in for a bumpy ride.
Fair point. Calgary was really, really bad–just godawful–and this was the only first game of the season following a ridiculously short pre-season. The Flames were out there tripping over each other, getting sweep checked in the neutral zone, and spinning around like the Washington Generals after the play flew past them. They were an undisciplined mess. We can chalk it up to the short preseason, but when we do we have to acknowledge that Lambert at least had his team ready to play a hockey game whereas Huska absolutely did not.
Check out the post game presser from Huska… it was one of the more interesting ones I’ve seen.
What was said?
Link?
https://invidious.nerdvpn.de/watch?v=lBH7UdqdrLw
Here is an Invidious link, because screw Google. Try different backends if it does not load immediately. He never mentions names, but it is very clear who he was calling out. Choice quotes include at ~1:50 in “There’s certain guys who didn’t deserve to be on the ice, regular penalty kill aside.” and ~2:10 “We need more from other guys who are non-penalty kill forwards.” and ~3:04 “Certain people are stubborn…” I gotta be honest, I don’t like this sort of thing from a coach. It reminds me of Jim Mora Jr. pinning the blame for a loss on Olindo Mare. If there is anyone to blame for the Flames being generally unprepared to play hockey, it is him. As the Hollywood saying goes, “When an actor can’t act, it’s the actor’s fault. When nobody can act, it’s the director’s fault.”
That’s brutal. Geeze. Sometimes you gotta call a spade a spade and some don’t like it but these are NHL pros. They’re big boys. That performance warranted it.
So yeah. Kudos to the kraken for the win but Calgary is the definition of a dumpster fire.
Super encouraging start! I know we were up 3-0 by the end but the 1st period was pretty ragged. The next two were excellent! Catton was outstanding! Give it up to Stephenson, that was a beauty.
We’re only 1.2% through the season and that was a terrible effort on the other side. Edmonton should tell us a bit more.
The kid line was buzzing – they definite were a step faster no matter who was on the ice for the Flames. Catton and Winterton used their speed to out raced them to the puck multiple times, and Wright was hard on the forecheck and it stood out how hard he was working to get to the front of the net. If they play like that and start to click together that line will be earning a ton of ice time.
The game plan vs Edmonton better be get bodies to front of the net and shoot as much as possible from everywhere. The Oilers’ goaltending was horrible in both games against the Canucks and their D was doing them no favors. If Mackie is still out, hopefully they slot Meyers in there instead of Douglas – I get he was in the lineup against the Flame to provide some toughness and security, but we are gonna need speed.
Agree. I think there are certain opponents (and not all that many) where Douglas is a fit but probably not Edmonton. I think the Flames got a good idea of what it means when he’s in the lineup during preseason and responded accordingly.
I know this isn’t the right thread, but i think the Kraken should take a swing at Dylan Larkin. Thougjts?
There’s no way he’d approve a trade to Seattle. I said it when this whole thing started, there’s no team more like Detroit than Seattle.