Three Takeaways – Kraken take down Flyers, ride four-game streak back into playoff picture
Believe it or not, the Seattle Kraken have stormed their way right back into the playoff picture. While still on the outside, they’ve climbed to within a single point of the final wild-card spot, currently held by the San Jose Sharks, who actually have a lower points percentage than Seattle. The Kraken reached that position thanks to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, stretching their season-long win streak to four games and giving themselves their first named win streak of the season.
By the way, we heard back from the National Win Streak Service, and although I was hopeful we could call it Win Streak Darren, they have informed us that this streak is called Win Streak Caroline. We will explain the thought process of the NWSS on the next Sound Of Hockey Podcast.
In this game, the Kraken once again leaned on outstanding goaltending from Philipp Grubauer, plus the offensive production of their three hottest hands: Jordan Eberle, Chandler Stephenson, and Eeli Tolvanen (who potted not one, but two empty-net goals).
Here are Three Takeaways from a 4-1 Kraken win over the Flyers.
Takeaway 1: Tolvanen, Eberle, and Stephenson are rolling
The lack of offensive production from the Kraken has been maddening for long stretches this season. The last few games haven’t been all that different in this area, but Seattle now has a few players who’ve gotten hot and are creating just enough offense to fuel the winning streak.
Eberle has four goals in his last three games, Tolvanen has points in six straight (3-7=10), and Stephenson has 12 points in 11 games (6-6=12), with his lone scoreless outing coming in Seattle’s 3-1 win at Anaheim on Dec. 22.
Eberle and Stephenson both scored pretty goals Sunday, with Stephenson’s coming directly off an outstanding play by Tolvanen.
On Eberle’s icebreaker at 3:48 of the second period, Matty Beniers—facing a 1-on-3 disadvantage at the blue line—drove low to buy time for Eberle and Kaapo Kakko to catch up. He then dished to Kakko in the right circle, and Kakko lofted a perfect saucer pass into Eberle’s wheelhouse. Eberle once again picked the top right corner.
O, CAPTAIN! 🫡 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 29, 2025
What a setup by Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko, and Jordan Eberle places his shot perfectly inside the post.
1-0 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/zseBdor8v8
“We’re just finding ways to score,” Eberle said. “I think on that goal, Matty did a good job, driving in and finding Kaapo, and then he did a great job finding me.”
Clinging to a 1-0 lead deep into the third period, it felt like the next goal would decide the game—and Tolvanen and Stephenson made sure it did.
After a stretch of back-and-forth in Seattle’s zone, Adam Larsson settled the puck and sent a forehand lob up and over everyone to the far blue line. It was too far for Tolvanen to sprint onto, but he didn’t quit on the play. Dan Vladar misplayed the puck behind his net, and Tolvanen beat Travis Sanheim to it, hit the brakes, one-handed the puck off the back of the net—sending Sanheim crashing into the boards—and found Stephenson streaking down the slot. Stephenson buried it for a 2-0 lead.
STEVIE DOES IT! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 29, 2025
What a play by Eeli Tolvanen to bank the puck off the back of the net to himself, then feed Chandler Stephenson cruising down Lenny Wilkens Way.
2-0 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/zU265dTYJ0
“The biggest thing about the goal for me, and he’s been doing it all year long, is [Tolvanen] got in on the forecheck,” coach Lane Lambert said. “He separated the puck from the man and made a heads-up play to Stephenson in the slot. But he’s moving his feet, and he’s heavy on the forecheck.”
While no Kraken player will sniff the top of the NHL scoring charts, Eberle is now up to 14 goals, Stephenson has 10, and Tolvanen leads the team with 18 assists. Tolvanen also paces the Kraken with 25 points (7-18=25), while Eberle (14-10=24) and Stephenson (10-14=24) are tied for second in scoring.
Takeaway 2: McCann and Dunn return
Jared McCann and Vince Dunn both returned to the lineup Sunday after injury-related absences of different lengths. Dunn missed just one game following a high hit by Ross Johnston in Anaheim, while McCann missed seven in his second extended absence of the season. It was only his 12th game of the campaign, which has been derailed by two separate lower-body injuries.
“It’s kind of tough,” McCann said. “Obviously, this is the first time in my career I’ve kind of gone through something like this. Mentally, it’s been tough, but I’ve got great teammates here who’ve been supportive with me, and I’m just trying to make it through a game at this point. So, I’m looking forward to the future.”
I liked McCann’s shooting mentality in this one—any time he found himself in a position to put the puck on net, he didn’t hesitate—but there were also some miscues between him and linemates Shane Wright and Berkly Catton.
“I thought we had some good chances,” McCann said. “Obviously, Cats made some good plays tonight; you can see the offense coming for him. And me and Wrighter are still trying to work with each other and create good offense.”
There were a few noticeable misfires, including a first-period 2-on-1 where Wright got handcuffed and couldn’t get a shot away. If that trio sticks together, expect the execution to improve in the coming games.
“I liked his performance,” Lambert said of McCann. “He adds an element that we need. I think that line becomes that much more dangerous right now. And I thought he did a lot of good things, thought he was good on the walls, made some heads-up plays, had some opportunities. So, obviously, he’s a key player for us, and it’s good to see him back.”
McCann finished with two shots on goal in 13:27 of ice time.
Takeaway 3: The PK (and Grubauer) came up huge
Grubauer earned first-star honors, frustrating Flyers shooters into just one late, largely inconsequential goal that spoiled his bid for his first shutout of the season. He finished with 31 saves on 32 shots and improved to 6-3-1, with a 2.44 goals-against average and .917 save percentage—stellar numbers from a goalie who had never previously topped .900 in a Kraken uniform.
“The numbers are always a reflection of how the team plays,” Grubauer said. “So without the team in front of us, we couldn’t do this, right? The way we played, the way we blocked shots, boxed out, let us see the puck, the way we worked back in our zone as a five-man unit. Without that, it wouldn’t be possible [to have these stats].”
Grubauer was especially impactful during Seattle’s three penalty kills—twice in the opening period and once in the second after Catton jumped on early, and the Kraken were nabbed for too many men.
While Grubauer made a few acrobatic saves during those kills, the penalty killers deserve a ton of credit for eliminating seam passes and applying pressure up top.
I’ve written about it several times now, but the formation change has completely transformed this penalty kill, which bottomed out during Losing Streak Camille. The new diamond setup still stretches when the puck goes high, but it puts two players across the slot instead of one, and those two have worked in tandem to erase passing lanes and force perimeter shots.
By the way, Lambert was not thrilled with that too-many-men penalty, and I ended his presser on a sour note by asking why it bothered him so much.
Here’s why Lane Lambert got so mad about the too-many-men penalty. 😬 #SeaKraken https://t.co/6b5LL6jhhv pic.twitter.com/CO0WZXOSZE
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 29, 2025
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.
Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Flyers – Dec 28th
Down on the Farm – Watching Kraken prospects at the 2026 World Junior Championship
Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week, we have one more slim “holiday” update before returning with more standard columns next week. We’ll have actual updates from the World Junior Championship and a mid-season Kraken prospect ranking as we move into the new year. In the interim, we still have all the Kraken prospect content you’ve come to expect, including news from around the organization, weekly and season-to-date data updates, all-shifts videos, Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, a preview of the week ahead, and more.
If you have a Seattle Kraken prospect–related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey. Happy New Year to all!
When and where to watch Kraken prospects at the 2026 WJC
As is tradition, the hockey world’s attention turns to the World Juniors on this Boxing Day. The tournament has added significance for the United States this year, with the team looking for its third straight title—and this time on home turf in Minnesota. The team will face stiff competition, particularly from Team Canada and Team Sweden, which look like equal or superior contenders for gold. With Team Finland and Team Czechia also serious competitors, there should be plenty of drama.
From a Kraken prospects perspective, the team will have four players participating: Kim Saarinen and Julius Miettinen for Finland, Loke Krantz for Sweden, and Jakub Fibigr for Czechia. As we noted last week, Jake O’Brien was one of the last cuts from Team Canada camp. Likewise, when Team USA announced its final cuts on Wednesday, Dec. 24, defenseman Blake Fiddler was among them. Berkly Catton returned from injury this past week, but the Kraken opted not to loan him to Canada for the tournament.
All of this clears the road for Kraken fans to be low-key, unofficial Team Finland fans yet again. (This feels like an annual tradition dating back to Nikke Kokko and Jani Nyman’s time at the tournament.)
The United States and Sweden headline pool play Group A. Canada, Czechia, and Finland are in Group B. Play starts at 10:00 am PT on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, when Sweden takes on Slovakia. A full schedule, with team games involving Kraken prospects highlighted, can be found below. Almost every game can be found on NHL Network in the United States and on TSN in Canada.
For the U.S. cord cutters out there, NHL Network is a frustrating channel to access because it is only available through online cable bundles. The most cost-effective method I’ve found to get NHL Network for the World Juniors is to sign up for a month of Sling’s “Select” plan and then add the sports package. The total comes out to about $35.00 for the month in the Seattle area, though it can vary slightly in other markets.
Anyone have predictions? I suspect this may be the year Canada breaks its “skid” and reclaims gold.
Notes on four more Kraken prospects
Jakub Fibigr | D | Team Czechia (WJC)
Former Thunderbird Radim Mrtka suffered an apparent injury in the first period of Czechia’s first pre-tournament game and did not return. Now, Mrtka was left off the list of players Czechia registered for the tournament. While most teams list eight defensemen, Czechia listed only six. I suspect the team will add another blueliner at some point, but the path is clear for Fibigr to play heavy top-four minutes at the WJC. A big opportunity awaits him.
Maxim Agafonov | D | Tolpar Ufa (MHL)
After getting a game of KHL action early in the season and playing most of the year at the second professional tier (VHL), 2025 fifth-rounder Maxim Agafonov has been moved down to the Russian junior league (MHL) in recent weeks. Agafonov is a skilled, puck-moving defenseman, but the offensive production has not been there this season against professionals. Whether he was overmatched or simply not getting the necessary opportunities to develop and deploy his offensive assets, a (temporary) move down may be for the best—even if it is a disappointment to the player.
Tyson Jugnauth | D | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Tyson Jugnauth has had a tale of two seasons so far. The Firebirds have relied on him to drive offense, and he has delivered. His 21 points are the most in the AHL among rookie blueliners—three more than the player with the second most. Defensively, the acclimation process has been difficult. His instincts and physicality both need to take significant steps for him to be a viable option for promotion.
In other news on the Firebirds blue line, Gustav Olofsson sounds primed to return this week after missing more than two months with an injury.
Jagger Firkus | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Jagger Firkus, 21, continues to be the essential offensive spark for the Firebirds. With two goals and three assists in two games last week, Firkus is your Sound Of Hockey Player of the Week. (This puts him alone in the lead for the “coveted” season-long honor, with three such weeks.)
Firkus leads the team and is tied for sixth in the AHL in total scoring points. That total is the most by any player 23 years old or younger. While there have been quiet games mixed in, it is now commonplace for Firkus to generate three or four high-danger looks for himself or a linemate each game. While there is still more that could be done, his board work has improved, particularly his ability to extract the puck and win one-on-one puck battles. His frame is, and will always be, slender, but he is finding a way to make it work for him—much like Matty Beniers has done at the NHL level. It’s starting to look more and more like a sheltered offensive winger role is in his future.
Kraken prospects data update
Loke Krantz did not play any club games in the last week because he was participating in Team Sweden camp ahead of the WJC, but even so, he was a strong contender for an unconventional Player of the Week. A relatively obscure and underaged player to begin the year, he was not on my radar for Team Sweden. Earning a role as an 18-year-old on a team with gold medal aspirations is one of the more impressive achievements by any player in the Kraken organization this year.
Nathan Villeneuve proved last year that he could physically control a junior game, and this year he’s proving he can dominate offensively as well. He is fifth in the OHL in points per game, an all-the-more impressive achievement on a subpar Sudbury team that has only two players—Villeneuve and Kieron Walton—in the top 90 in scoring rate.
Semyon Vyazovoi is earning the starter’s share of games for his KHL team and continues to deliver solid results. He has done everything he can to earn an NHL contract and a timeshare in Coachella Valley next season.
Beyond the stats, Nikke Kokko has a knack for winning—often making his best saves at the most important moments. He is 6-1-2 in his last nine starts.
Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
3: Jagger Firkus
2: Julius Miettinen, Kim Saarinen
1: Barrett Hall, Ollie Josephson, Tyson Jugnauth, Nikke Kokko, Jake O’Brien, Nathan Villeneuve, Semyon Vyazovoi, Zaccharya Wisdom
Previewing the week ahead
We’ll give our Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week to the WJC matchup between Miettinen and Saarinen’s Team Finland and Fibigr’s Team Czechia at 12:30 pm PT on Monday, Dec. 29.
Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: William Håkansson
William Håkansson is a big-framed defenseman with shutdown, play-killing ability and a ton of pro experience for a draft-eligible player—having played parts of two seasons in Sweden’s top professional league (SHL) already. Corey Pronman of The Athletic had a mid-first-round grade on Håkansson in his most recent prospect ranking. Håkansson will represent Sweden at the WJC.
Recent prospect updates
December 20, 2025: Resetting Seattle Kraken draft capital after the Mason Marchment trade
December 13, 2025: Ryan Jankowski talks Kraken prospects
December 5, 2025: World Juniors Announcements, Kokko saving the day for the Firebirds
November 29, 2025: Projecting Kraken prospects to the 2026 World Junior Championship
November 21, 2025: Blake Fiddler brings intriguing tools
November 15, 2025: Firkus steps forward for Firebirds
November 7, 2025: Caden Price looks the part in pro debut
October 31, 2025: College hockey seasons under way for Kraken prospects
October 25, 2005: Mølgaard is an all-situations contributor as an AHL rookie
October 17, 2025: Tyson Jugnauth earns important role with the Firebirds
October 10, 2025: Firebirds drop the puck on the 2025-26 season
October 3, 2025: Catton makes his case for the NHL Roster
September 26, 2025: Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in
Curtis Isacke
Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.
Three Takeaways – California dreaming for the Seattle Kraken
The Kraken closed out their four‑game road trip through Calgary and California with the kind of gritty, resilient win that was a staple of this team in the early stages of the season, edging the Kings 3–2 to complete the first three-game Golden State sweep in franchise history.
All three victories came in regulation against teams sitting above Seattle in the standings, a detail that matters a lot more than it sounds. And on top of that, the Kraken finally snapped their long‑running curse on the second half of back‑to‑backs, a streak that stretched all the way back to March 5, 2024. It wasn’t always pretty, and there were long stretches spent absorbing pressure, but Seattle’s structure held, their depth delivered, and they flew home for the holiday break with six massive points in their pocket.
Takeaway 1: No Dunn, no Montour, no problem
The Kraken walked into Los Angeles missing their top two defensemen and still found a way to clamp things down when it mattered. Vince Dunn’s late injury in Anaheim forced him out Tuesday, and with Brandon Montour already sidelined, Seattle needed someone to step into the void. Enter Ryker Evans.
Evans logged a season high 21:36 and carried 82 percent of the team’s power-play minutes. Evans always looks comfortable when taking an expanded role, and no game was probably bigger than Tuesday night. The team needed him to step up, and he delivered.
Seattle also got Berkly Catton back in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 6. He didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he flashed the skill that makes him such an intriguing piece of the future. The little shake-and-go moves, the space creation, the confidence. Yes, there were turnovers. Yes, there was a penalty. But for a player jumping back in cold, it was an encouraging return.
And the fourth line? They were outstanding again. Tye Kartye, Ben Meyers, and Jacob Melanson continue to give Seattle honest, heavy minutes. Meyers’ goal stood up as the game winner, and he’s quietly become a reliable penalty-killing option. That line is earning every shift it gets.
Ben Meyers gets in on the party. Kraken 3-0…but LA would add a response goal…now 3-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/sijgHhouRa
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 24, 2025
Takeaway 2: Special teams is back
Two weeks ago, the Kraken’s penalty kill was in freefall, giving up seven goals on eight opportunities over a brutal three-game stretch. Since then, the turnaround has been dramatic. Seattle has posted kill rates of 83.3 percent over the last eight games and 88.9 percent during the California swing, driven by a structural adjustment the team made earlier this month.
The power play has been just as impressive. With nine goals on their last 28 opportunities, Seattle is converting at 32.1 percent since Dec. 7, the third best mark in the NHL over that span.
O' captain my captain. Eberle gets the #SeaKraken on the board first. Kraken up 1-0 early in the second period. pic.twitter.com/8V86z5Io9k
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 24, 2025
Special teams were sinking this team earlier in the month. Now they’re helping to drag it back into relevance.
Takeaway 3: Just when we thought we were out, they pull us back in
Let’s be clear: the Kraken still have a long climb ahead if they want to be taken seriously as a playoff contender. But sweeping the California teams — all in regulation, all above Seattle in the standings — is a massive step in the right direction.
The underlying numbers won’t blow anyone away. The Kings carried long stretches of play, and Seattle spent plenty of time weathering pressure. But the Kraken defended the interior, kept L.A. to the outside, and found timely goals despite missing four key players.
Help is coming, too. Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz are inching closer to returns, and their presence should give this team a much needed offensive jolt.
Three straight regulation wins against division opponents is enough to make things interesting again.
Odds and Ends
- Seattle scored first in all three games and trailed for just 1:19 across the entire 180 minute trip.
- Tuesday marked the Kraken’s 27th one-goal game of the season (excluding empty netters), second only to the Kings.
- Eeli Tolvanen extended his points streak to five games, equaling a career best he set back in 2022-23.
- Jamie Oleksiak might have had his best game of the season. His defensive play led directly to the Ben Meyers goals, and he was stellar defensively.
- Goaltending has been outstanding for the Kraken lately. Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord have really carried them through these three games.
- And a quick nod to the Seattle Torrent, who held on for a tense one-goal win of their own against Montreal. For those of us running dual screens, those final 10 minutes were… not relaxing.
The Current: Torrent up and down since the international break
The Torrent recorded the franchise’s first win in exciting fashion, beating the New York Sirens 2-1 on Dec. 17. Following the game, many of Seattle’s stars were absent from practice, joining their countries for the international break. Most of them went to Edmonton and played in the final two games of the Rivalry Series. The remaining players stayed put and kept practicing hard. Coach Steve O’Rourke specifically called out the Torrent’s first-round draft pick Jenna Buglioni as having taken some steps given the extended practice opportunity.
Torrent vs. Charge Game Recap – 12.17
The team’s first game back after the break was a bottom-of-the-table clash, the seventh place Torrent taking on the eighth place Ottawa Charge. The Charge came to Seattle on a back-to-back after a 2-1 loss to Vancouver the day prior.
O’Rourke called both teams “snake bitten” at the pre-game press conference, saying that they both have the ability to score more, and haven’t shown it yet.
This was the first game back from injury for former Charge defender Aneta Tejralová, who was in Czechia playing with her national team during the break. O’Rourke said having her back in the lineup gave the locker room confidence and that she brought energy and fun to the ice every day.
Wanting to get rookie goalie Hannah Murphy more experience, O’Rourke tapped her as the starter for the second time. The Charge also started their rookie goalie, Sanni Ahola, for the first time.
Period 1
Murphy was put to the test early but stayed solid. Her team helped her out by making some good blocks. The Charge had most of the momentum in the first, but the Torrent had moments of good possession. Despite Ottawa’s 13 shots on goal to Seattle’s seven, the Torrent ended the period up 1-0. Julia Gosling netted a power-play goal on a beautiful cross-ice pass in the last 30 seconds.
Period 2
The Torrent came out strong in the second period and scored on an early power play. Alex Carpenter put up both of the period’s goals by providing a strong net-front presence. Momentum shifted as the period went on, though, and Seattle was lucky not to concede on a few dangerous chances at the end of the second.
Period 3
Lots of penalties came early in the third, with Seattle’s PK being tested often. The game stayed physical from start to finish, and Hannah Bilka scored her first ever goal in a Torrent jersey on the empty net. In the last minute of the game, Rebecca Leslie scored for the Charge, ruining Hannah Murphy’s clean sheet.
Post-Game Thoughts
Overall, the team seemed to be jelling in this one, making fewer mistakes and missed passes than in previous games.
Bottom-six center Mikyla Grant-Mentis stood out to me this game, making several shot blocks and playing hard against the boards. Second-line center Danielle Serdachny also stood out, coming up with some clutch shot blocks and drawing penalties throughout.
Torrent vs. Fleet Game Recap – 12.11
Boston came into Seattle with a single loss on their record. O’Rourke complimented their elite level of play, and emphasized that Seattle would have to work on keeping them away from the net front. He said they had been putting an emphasis on a strong box out and getting under sticks.
O’Rourke called out Lexie Adzija before the game, saying: “I make sure she’s our first penalty killer.” He said he thinks she has developed an identity here, and wasn’t sure she had that in Boston.
Hannah Bilka came into this one with her first ever back-to-back multi-point games in the PWHL. Coach pointed to her time with USA Hockey as a reason for her increased confidence. He said, “She is an elite winger picking up pucks off the wall,” and he said teams should fear when that line starts scoring.
When asked if the plan for the goalie situation was a 1A/1B with Schroeder and Murphy, he agreed. But he was also quick to put his trust in third goaltender CJ Jackson, saying he would be comfortable with them starting. O’Rourke said all three were amazing, and brought different skill sets, and gave credit to CJ “[they are] starting to make improvements…holding onto pucks.”
Period 1
The game started with early chances on both ends. Boston struck first with a goal directly from a face-off. The Torrent had good possession at the start of the period and set a physical and scrappy tone. Seattle killed one penalty and then went to the power play twice. The Fleet also had the first jailbreak goal at CPA. Despite ending the period down 2-0, goalie Corinne Schroeder made some great saves for the Torrent, and the first ever Schroeder chants came after a huge stop on a Fleet shorthanded breakaway.
Period 2
Boston started the second period with momentum. The Torrent had some good chances, but Boston had better ones, and forced Schroeder to make multiple point-blank saves. Jenna Buglioni was checked into the boards and was down on the ice. Seattle’s continued issues clearing the zone worsened in the second.
Period 3
Schroeder continued to stand on her head for Seattle. The third was relatively sedate without many chances. Hilary Knight got the crowd on their feet when she sat down a Fleet skater in open ice, but Boston capitalized on the resulting power play. The fans, at least, had one thing to cheer for, as a late goal for the Torrent came from a beauty of a tip by Jessie Eldridge off a shot from Tejralová.
Postgame Thoughts
I think this game was the Torrent’s worst effort so far, with the only bright spot for Seattle being Schroeder’s performance. Despite the result, after the game she claimed to be having fun and was “in a flow state.” Hannah Bilka also stood out as playing tough and scrappy against her former team.
After the game the players praised the huge turnout (over 11,000) and the fans for giving them energy throughout the game, despite the poor performance.
The Torrent look to turn things around quickly with a game Tuesday against the second place Montreal Victoire.
