The Seattle Kraken closed out their road slate in perfectly acceptable fashion, bouncing back from a dud 7-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday with a more competitive outing against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
But, as has happened many times before (Seattle has been largely owned by Vegas over its franchise history, now sitting just 3-10-1 all-time against the Golden Knights), Seattle battled hard and ultimately came up short with a 2-1 loss.
Here are Three Takeaways from the latest Kraken loss to the Golden Knights.
Takeaway #1: Missed opportunities
Seattle had some golden opportunities in this game that found different ways to stay out of the net. Twice in the second period, the Kraken appeared destined to get themselves on the board. Had either of those gone in, Jared McCann’s tap-in goal at 17:21 of the second would have leveled the score heading into the third, instead of just getting Seattle back in the game after falling behind 2-0.
Early in the middle frame, Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers showed good chemistry when Kakko found himself with the puck and minimal room to stickhandle deep in the Vegas zone. He made a couple of nifty moves to nutmeg William Karlsson and find Beniers in the slot. Beniers then made a nifty move of his own, fired it toward Adin Hill, got his own rebound, and took a second shot that rang off the crossbar.
Wow. Some dazzling stickhandling by Kaapo Kakko to set up Matty Beniers, who gets his own rebound and rings one off the crossbar. #SeaKrakenpic.twitter.com/Uenw4VOHcB
Karlsson scored with a missile over Joey Daccord’s shoulder soon after that to give Vegas some insurance and make it 2-0.
John Hayden also had a great chance later in the period when Josh Mahura found him streaking unmarked down the slot. Hayden got a good shot off, but Hill got just enough of it with his blocker to redirect it past the outside of the cage.
The nail in Seattle’s coffin came during a feverish push with Daccord off for an extra attacker. With the 6-on-5 advantage and the Kraken doing everything they could to find an equalizer, Jaden Schwartz whacked at a loose puck and sent it into the crease. Brandon Montour was there and had a wide-open net, but he completely fanned on his attempt to push it into the yawning cage.
🤦♂️
Brandon Montour gets a chance at an open net with 20 seconds left but fans on it. #SeaKraken lose 2-1.
That chance came with 20 seconds left in the game and surely would have sent it to overtime.
Takeaway #2: A bounceback for Joey Daccord
Joey Daccord has seen heavy usage in the second half of this season, and with it, his stats have slipped a bit. He had largely found his game again with three excellent starts in a row before he was forced into playing both games of a back-to-back with travel, after Philipp Grubauer came down with the bug that’s been floating through the Kraken locker room on this road trip.
In the second of those games, Daccord got lit up for seven goals on 29 shots before mercifully giving way to Victor Ostman, who made his NHL debut with 12 stops in relief.
In this one, Daccord didn’t face massive volume—only 25 shots in total—but there were some good testers in there. He came up with a couple of timely saves that felt like the kind that could propel the Kraken to tie the game. Most notably, Daccord came up large just seconds after McCann got Seattle on the board, and he absolutely robbed Nicolas Roy on a point-blank shot in the middle of the third that allowed Seattle to make its late-game push.
So, it was good to see Daccord recover from a rough night when he was set up for failure in Utah. But in the end, Adin Hill was just a little better at the other end and got some lucky breaks to give Vegas the 2-1 win.
Takeaway #3: Draft watch
At this stage in the season—with just two more games to play—it’s easy to wonder where Seattle will land in the NHL Draft Lottery. As of Friday morning, the Kraken have one more point in the standings (74) than the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins, who each have 73. The Bruins have played the same number of games as the Kraken, whereas the Flyers still have four to play.
I’m still in the mindset of hoping for positive outcomes in games—because it’s just more fun—but it would probably behoove the Kraken to drop these last two to the recently red-hot (but just lost their last two) St. Louis Blues and the playoff-bound Los Angeles Kings.
If the Kraken can drop behind Boston and Philadelphia in the standings, they would finish four spots from the bottom. That would give them a 9.5 percent chance of winning the lottery and the No. 1 overall pick, though they’d most likely stick in the position that landed them Shane Wright in the 2022 draft.
Tanking stinks. Buuuuuuuuuut… Seattle might as well lose these last two.
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.
When the Seattle Kraken traded Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde to the Tampa Bay Lightning for two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and depth forward Mikey Eyssimont, our immediate reaction to Eyssimont’s inclusion in the deal was that he was some sort of throw-in from the Lightning. We figured it was akin to Daniel Sprong coming back from the Washington Capitals when Seattle traded Marcus Johansson at the 2021-22 trade deadline, when general manager Ron Francis called Sprong a player that Washington wanted the Kraken to take.
After all, Eyssimont arrived in Seattle on an expiring contract, had been in and out of the lineup in Tampa Bay, and was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks as recently as January, 2023, before being traded to the Lightning at the 2022-23 deadline and then subsequently signing a two-year deal, which the Kraken inherited.
But Francis’ tone when speaking about Eyssimont’s acquisition was different from when he discussed Sprong’s arrival. Rather than Eyssimont being a player Tampa Bay wanted Seattle to take, Francis made it sound like the Kraken were going to give Eyssimont a good look to determine if there could be a future for him in the Pacific Northwest.
Embracing his role with the Kraken
In watching him since the deadline, we at Sound Of Hockey are sold that Eyssimont should be back next season, and he seems to want to be here as well.
“I’ve been loving it here,” Eyssimont said. “I love the boys, love the arena, the amenities, the organization itself. I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed my time in the city of Seattle; I mean, I truly do love it here.”
According to Eyssimont, several players—like Matty Beniers, Joey Daccord, Tye Kartye, John Hayden, Josh Mahura, and Cale Fleury—have gone out of their way to make him feel welcome in the organization since his arrival.
“It’s been nice to just— the boys have kind of showed me around a bit, gone out to dinner quite a few times here, which has been nice. It’s not something that I think the guys normally do very much, but in the interest of kind of bringing me into the fold, guys have gone out of their way to show me the city and take me out. It’s been a great time.”
A perfect fourth-line fit
What we’ve liked about Eyssimont’s game is the way he embraces the fourth-line role he has been given. In a way, he is a perfect—and much cheaper—replacement for Brandon Tanev, who was also moved at the deadline.
Eyssimont, making $2.7 million less than Tanev, brings many of the same elements as Tanev, from his speed to his grit, minus the penalty killing that was such a hallmark of Tanev’s game in Seattle. But one could argue he plays that fourth-line role even better than Tanev did, simply because he understands that it’s his role, and he just wants to be his very best within that role. He’s not trying to do anything more than be the best fourth-line player he can be.
Earning praise from Dan Bylsma
While he’s been an every-night player for Seattle since his arrival, Eyssimont, 28, is not playing huge minutes, averaging just 10:11 per night. But he’s doing everything he can to leave a lasting impact every time he hits the ice.
“I guess when you’re not playing much, you probably smell blood a little bit more and want to push a little bit harder,” Eyssimont said. “I know that when I’m playing my best, I’m a little bit more poised and confident, so I mean, as far as my role here, I’m not playing special teams, but you just try to do your best and do what you can to help the team win with the minutes you get.”
You can tell that Dan Bylsma loves Eyssimont’s game, too. In Seattle’s 6-1 drubbing of the “Edmonton Oilers” (said in quotes because they were without Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Stuart Skinner, Mattias Ekholm, and others) on March 27, in which the Kraken piled on five goals in the second period, Bylsma pointed to Eyssimont’s hard-nosed forechecking as the catalyst that got the team rolling. Eyssimont was awarded the player-of-the-game championship belt that night.
More recently, Bylsma gushed more about Eyssimont’s approach to playing as a fourth-liner.
“I think that’s the role, and what he does makes him an effective player. The speed, the physicality, the tenacity, a little bit of snarl in there is always making him an effective player,” Bylsma said. “That’s a hard thing to do, I think, when you come to a new team… With what Mikey brings, and what he does with how he plays, with speed, with tenacity, we’re starting to see [effectiveness] every night with him.”
Growth and future potential
The Littleton, Colo., native also got the scoring started last Wednesday in Vancouver on a quintessential Eyssimont hustle play, stealing the puck on a backtrack, then racing in and slipping it through Thatcher Demko’s five-hole.
Having comfort in that position—playing limited minutes but flying around, throwing hits, and creating energy for his teammates when he does play—is not by accident. As many young players have had to learn when moving from a developmental league or (in Mikey’s case) college hockey to the pro ranks, continuing to play the same way you always have simply doesn’t work.
“I learned early on in my career in the AHL with Mike Stothers [with the Ontario Reign] that the way I played in college wasn’t going to cut it in pros and wasn’t going to get me to the NHL,” Eyssimont recalled. “So there was a lot of developing and additions I had to add to my game to get to this level.
“And as hard as it was on me during those seasons in the AHL with Stothers, it developed me into the player I am today and ultimately an NHL player, so it was all worth it.”
And even now that Eyssimont has finally stuck in the NHL for the last two full seasons and seems to have solidified himself in the Kraken lineup for the rest of 2024-25, he’s not resting on his laurels. He brings a refreshing attitude to his game, aiming to improve every day, even as he gets deeper into his career.
“There’s been points in my time here in Seattle, there have been moments where I feel like I’ve been playing the best hockey I’ve ever played in the NHL,” Eyssimont said. “And that’s something I try to find every season, is a point in the season where I’m playing the best hockey I’ve ever played in my life.
“To me, that means that you’re elevating your game and you’re continuing to develop. So I’m really pleased to have found that kind of gear and that confidence, because it shows that I’m still developing as a player and have more room to grow.”
Will Eyssimont return next season?
Eyssimont said nothing has been discussed with the Kraken yet about a potential extension, and who knows what other teams will throw at him if nothing materializes before the opening of free agency on July 1? But assuming Eyssimont is willing to take a reasonable cap hit for next season, we have to think there will be mutual interest in an extension, even if it’s for a 13th-forward spot.
What say you, folks? Would you pencil Eyssimont into the Kraken lineup for next season?
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.
The Seattle Kraken scored five goals in each of their last two games and allowed just one goal against in two convincing wins over the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks. These games don’t mean much in the standings, but they might help set the tone for the offseason and provide a new baseline of expectations for the players heading into next season.
I’ve been saying it a lot lately, but this team isn’t as bad as their record suggests. Their goal differential, excluding empty-net goals for and against, is minus four, which ranks 15th in the league. Yet, they sit 27th in the standings. They’ve picked up wins against Carolina, Florida, Los Angeles, and Vegas. I’ve said it all season: this team competes. Despite the record, I still enjoy watching them play.
The two blowout wins this week were a blast, but both the 5-0 win over Vancouver and the 5-1 win over San Jose were closer than the final scores suggest. The Kraken started slow in both games, going without a shot on goal in the first five minutes each time. Still, they scored first in both games, improving their record to 20-10-4 when striking first this season. Once they built a two-goal lead, the games felt under control, even though they were outshot in both games.
Joey Daccord fatigue?
Another key storyline from the last two games has been the stellar play of Joey Daccord. I was all set to dig into his workload this season to see if he might be getting overworked. In March, Joey posted a save percentage below .900 in eight of his 11 starts. I know save percentage isn’t everything, but he just didn’t look like himself over the past several weeks. The working theory was fatigue. And then he goes out and stops 47 of 48 shots over a two-game span.
Joey has definitely been logging a heavy workload in the second half of the season, but there are still plenty of NHL goalies who have played more games than he has this year. He’s already hit a career high with 53 NHL games this season, but if you go back to 2022-23, he played 64 games when you include his 26 Calder Cup playoff games with Coachella Valley.
Other musings
Expect a PWHL announcement this week. My odds of Seattle landing a PWHL team have only gone up over the past week. Should be a fun week of news. (update: new intel. Sounds like this is still a few weeks out but it is coming.)
Through 77 games this season, the Kraken have gone to overtime 12 times. At this point last season, that number was 19. If they’d managed to get to overtime and lost in those additional seven games, that’s seven extra points in the standings. Not enough to get them into the playoff picture, but one of a few micro-trends that really hurt this team.
Another one of those trends: their record in the second game of back-to-backs. The Kraken are 0-11-0 in those situations—the only team in the league without a single point in back-to-backs. The league average is 0.9 points per back-to-back game. If the Kraken had just played to league average in those games, they’d have 10 more points.
Good news? The Kraken have a back-to-back on Tuesday when they visit Salt Lake City for the first time in franchise history.
Shane Wright did not score on Saturday night against the Sharks, but what stood out more to me was his shot selection. He has a real knack for getting inside, and he generated several quality looks from high-danger areas.
As noted by the Kraken Audio Network broadcast team, Jared McCann and André Burakovsky are playing their best hockey of the year, with 13 and 12 points respectively since the trade deadline.
As we’ve been predicting for a while, Kraken prospect Oscar Fisker Mølgaard has been assigned to the Coachella Valley Firebirds and suited up for both games against the Henderson Silver Knights.
Now that their OHL teams have been eliminated from the playoffs, I’d expect Carson Rehkopf and Nathan Villeneuve to get some time with the Firebirds down the stretch and into the postseason. Rehkopf is expected to make the jump to Coachella Valley full-time next season, while Villeneuve has one more year of CHL eligibility before he’s AHL-bound.
Here’s a look at how Kraken prospects performed in the first round of the CHL playoffs:
I believe the Kraken still have one non-emergency AHL call-up remaining, and I expect them to use it sometime this week.
Goal of the week
Seattle Kraken prospect Lukas Dragicevic is having himself a series. He scored this clutch goal in the final minute to force a Game 7.
Jared McCann – McCann has six points over his last two games and is just two points shy of hitting 60 on the season. It was a secondary assist, but I loved the steal and the effort he put in to get the play started.
2-0 #SeaKraken set up the cycle. McCann with the takeaway below the goal line drops the puck to Larsson who sets up Burakovsky in the low slot.
Berkly Catton – The Kraken’s first-round pick from the 2024 draft is having a monster postseason, including a two-goal, five-assist night in Spokane’s 9–4 series-clinching win.
Tyson Jugnauth – “Juggy” has racked up seven points in his last four playoff games for the Portland Winterhawks and will be suiting up for a decisive Game 7 on Monday night.
The week ahead
The Kraken have five games left in the regular season and face the second-toughest remaining strength of schedule. This week features a three-game road trip through LA, Utah, and Vegas, before they return to Climate Pledge Arena to host the St. Louis Blues, who, at this point, may never lose again.
As I’ve said before, I’m always rooting for the Kraken to win. That doesn’t stop me from keeping an eye on the bigger picture, too. If we peek over at the current NHL Draft Lottery odds on tankathon.com, the Kraken are hovering somewhere between 4th (Boston) and 8th (Buffalo) in the standings.
Where the Kraken ultimately land in the draft lottery odds will likely come down to the wire. Here’s a look at the remaining schedules for the teams clustered around them in the standings.
It’s nearly impossible to predict how these final games will shake out. I expect a few teams that are locked into their playoff or draft positions will start resting key players, so some of these stronger teams down the stretch might not be at full strength. In the meantime, I’ll be rooting for all the teams near the Kraken in the standings—hopefully they can pick up a few wins and help Seattle improve their draft position.
Things I’d like to see down the stretch
Outside of rooting for wins, there are a few other things I’m hoping for as the boys wrap up the season:
Matty Beniers and Shane Wright each get two more goals to hit the 20-goal mark. At the start of the year, I had Matty projected for 25 and Shane around 12. Let’s split the difference and get them both to 20.
Josh Mahura scores a goal. He’s been a quiet contributor since joining the team, and he just seems like a genuinely great human. Let’s get him on the board.
A win on Saturday night against the Blues. That would push the Kraken above .500 at home on Saturdays. Winning at home is always good for morale.
One more goal for Brandon Montour. He’s currently sitting on 16, which ties his career high for a single season. Would love to see him set a new personal best.
A look at one more prospect at home. Ty Nelson? Jagger Firkus? Honestly, I don’t care who, just give us one more glimpse of the future before the season ends.
The end is nigh
No matter how tough this season has been, I still feel a little sad that it’s almost over. The team has shown a ton of compete over the last month, which is all I could ask for down the stretch. There’s plenty of work to be done this offseason, but the way they’re battling already has me excited for what’s ahead.
The Seattle Kraken wrapped up their season series against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night with a commanding 5-0 victory at Rogers Arena. Despite missing top goal scorers Jaden Schwartz and Eeli Tolvanen due to undisclosed reasons, the Kraken never looked out of sync. Per the Kraken Hockey Network broadcast, both are considered day-to-day. Ryan Winterton was recalled from Coachella Valley on an emergency basis, signaling that the absences are injury or illness related.
The Kraken were tested early with a couple penalties—first Jamie Oleksiak for holding at 1:55, followed by Mikey Eyssimont for hooking at the five-minute mark. But the penalty killers held firm, and Eyssimont quickly redeemed himself, opening the scoring late in the first period. From that point on, Seattle never looked back.
Goals were added by Chandler Stephenson, Shane Wright, Andre Burakovsky and an empty-net goal by Adam Larsson.
Takeaway #1: Mikey Eyssimont is fun to watch
Eyssimont continues to make the most of his opportunity in the lineup. The scrappy forward notched his third goal as a Kraken, beating Thatcher Demko five-hole after Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk flubbed a pass in the neutral zone. The sequence was equal parts opportunistic and skilled, highlighting Eyssimont’s ability to capitalize on chaos.
I LIKEY MIKEY!!! 🎯 Eyssimont rips one blocker side on Demko to get the #SeaKraken on the board! Kraken lead 1-0 with 2:33 left in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/SWsztY0OSa
He nearly added a second goal in the third period, ringing a shot off the post after driving hard to the net. But goals alone don’t define his impact. Eyssimont was noticeable all night, buzzing around on the forecheck and getting under the skin of the Canucks players. He played with the energy of someone who knows every shift counts—and made each one matter.
Eyssimont is everywhere tonight—jumps on another chance and rings it off the post! 🔔 #SeaKraken still up 3-0 with 14:32 to play. pic.twitter.com/RxN7F6frfb
What stands out most is how Eyssimont has become a tone-setter for the fourth line. Whether he’s pressuring defenders into mistakes, chipping in on the cycle, or finishing a check, he brings consistent pressure. His ability to frustrate opponents and energize teammates adds depth to a lineup that needs all hands on deck with key scorers sidelined.
Takeaway #2: Kraken starting on time
For the fourth game in a row, Seattle scored the opening goal. Starting on time has been a key focus for this group all season, and the early advantage gave them control of the pace. While that fast start didn’t lead to wins in their back-to-back losses to Dallas, it kept them competitive deep into those games. This time, the strong start translated to a full 60-minute effort.
Vancouver didn’t play a poor game, but Seattle appeared to be the more patient and opportunistic team. The Kraken waited for chances and made the most of them when they came.
Joey Daccord was calm and composed between the pipes, turning away all 25 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season. His best save came midway through the first period. With the game still scoreless, Conor Garland found Drew O’Connor wide open for a short-handed chance. Daccord read it perfectly, snagging the puck with his glove and holding the line. Less than two minutes later, Eyssimont scored to give Seattle a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Daccord’s performance was backed by a disciplined defensive effort. The Kraken killed off three penalties, including two in the first seven minutes, and shut down Vancouver’s power play entirely.
Takeaway #3: Playing the role of spoiler
With the Canucks clinging to the slimmest of playoff hopes, every point matters. Seattle didn’t do their Pacific Northwest rivals any favors, handing them a deflating 5-0 loss and potentially sealing their postseason fate.
The Canucks now sit eight points out of a wild card spot with only seven games remaining. According to MoneyPuck, their playoff odds have dropped to 1.64 percent. Making matters worse, the St. Louis Blues—who currently hold the final wild card position—have rattled off 10 straight wins.
Seattle will have two more chances to play spoiler in the final weeks. They’ll face the Utah Hockey Club on April 8 and the red-hot Blues on April 12. While their own playoff hopes may be dashed, the Kraken can still shape the Western Conference picture—and maybe, just maybe, build some momentum for next season.
Bonus takeway: Li’l Jani is a big man
Jani Nyman showed he’s not afraid of the moment—or the opponent—in the third period. After a whistle, Nyman gave a solid shove to defenseman Elias Pettersson, sparking a five-player pile-on from the Canucks. Undeterred, Nyman stood his ground. As the scrum cleared, he pointed straight at Pettersson and, based on my admittedly questionable lip-reading skills, appeared to say, “Me and you. Fight.”
The bout never materialized, but the moment said a lot. Nyman may be new to the NHL and still finding his footing, but he’s not shrinking from the spotlight. His willingness to mix it up, especially in a blowout game, speaks to the kind of edge and confidence that bodes well for his future.
The Seattle Kraken set out to reach the playoffs this season but have officially fallen short. With the St. Louis Blues’ win over the Colorado Avalanche on March 29, the Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention.
As the NHL inches toward the postseason, the playoff picture is becoming clearer. Still, a few spots remain up for grabs. Here are the final team tiers and matchups to watch.
Updated team tiers
Bolded = Remaining teams the Kraken play, Starred* = moved tiers, x2 = play twice
The Eastern Conference has one, maybe two, wild card spots still contested. The Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens currently hold the last two spots, but the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders are all in striking distance. According to Tankathon.com, Ottawa and Montreal have the easiest remaining schedule.
The Western Conference still has a race, but the gap has widened to six points. The St. Louis Blues made no moves at the trade deadline, opting to bet on their current roster. That decision has paid off, as they’re now riding a 10-game win streak that has vaulted them into the a wild card spot. The Calgary Flames remain in pursuit, led by standout rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf, and they have two games in hand. The Vancouver Canucks are fading but not yet out. They have one game in hand and the easiest schedule of the chasing group. The Minnesota Wild have slipped to the final wild card spot and sit one point behind the Blues with 88. They’ll need a strong finish but are getting Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek back from injury soon.
Although not mathematically eliminated, the Utah Hockey Club has 80 points. That would be enough to make the playoffs in the East, but in the West, they sit eight points out and appear ready to book some tee times.
At the top of the Atlantic Division, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers are in a tight race. Only two points separate the three teams. Despite Toronto’s recent postseason appearances, it may surprise fans to learn the Leafs haven’t won their division since the 1999-2000 season. Could this be their year?
Fresh off two wins over the Kraken, the Dallas Stars are now the third-best team in the league. They are just four points back of the Winnipeg Jets, hold a game in hand, and remain firmly in the hunt for the Presidents’ Trophy. The battle for the top spot in the West will be fierce, especially since the runner-up is likely to face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. Winnipeg drew that assignment last season and lost the series 4-1.
Kraken play since the break
The Kraken have remained competitive since the 4 Nations Face-Off break. In 18 games, they’ve gone 7-9-2. That record doesn’t look great, but they held a winning mark of 6-5-1 in their first 12 games. The final six were a gauntlet, with five games against the Playoff Bound tier. They went 1-4-1 in that stretch.
Excluding the shutout loss to the Wild on March 19 and the first defeat to the Stars on March 29, the Kraken were in nearly every game until the end. Since the trade deadline, when they dealt Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde, and Brandon Tanev, Seattle has kept games close. Other than the two blowout losses mentioned, every game was either a win or decided by one goal, not counting empty-netters. They’ve been competitive and fun to watch.
Goaltending
Joey Daccord hit his first sustained rough patch of the season, going 4-7-2 with a .883 save percentage over 13 appearances. Seven of those came against Playoff Bound teams, where he posted a 2-4-1 record.
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
Philipp Grubauer, meanwhile, is playing his best hockey of the entire season, a stretch that began after returning from his AHL stint. Embracing the backup role, Grubauer appeared in four games and posted a .925 save percentage—his best four-game stretch of the season. “The German Gentleman” has looked mostly sharp, going 2-2.
Point percentages versus team tiers
To reach 95 points, the Kraken needed to maintain a .579 point percentage over the full season. This was broken down by team tier, with target point percentages set for each. Here’s how their actual results stack up as of April 1:
Seattle struggled the most against the Playoff Bound tier, posting a .224 point percentage and going 5-21-3. They fared better against the Bubble and Tanker tiers, slightly exceeding the target against Bubble teams. They went 15-10-2 against the Bubble tier and 11-7-1 against Tankers.
Clearly, the Kraken must figure out how to secure more wins against top-tier teams to return to the playoffs.
Kraken the rest of the way
Seattle has seven games remaining: three against Playoff Bound teams, three against Bubble teams, and one against a Tanker.
Playoff Bound: Los Angeles Kings (twice), Vegas Golden Knights
Bubble: Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Utah Hockey Club
Tanker: San Jose Sharks
The Bubble games will be interesting as the Kraken can play the role of spoiler. Those teams need every point. Based on Kraken point percentages by tier, the bar should be set at six points over the final stretch. Anything over six points and they will exceed their season average. Seattle begins its final road trip—five games—tonight against the Canucks.
Things to watch as the season winds down
Even with the Kraken out of the playoffs, there are still stories worth watching:
Jani Nyman—affectionately nicknamed Li’l Jani—has six points (three goals, three assists) in 10 games and looks primed to earn a roster spot next season. He’ll eventually return to Coachella Valley to help with their playoff run.
Shane Wright is having a strong first full season in the NHL, with 17 goals and 40 points while averaging 14 minutes of ice time. A 20-goal season would be the icing on the cake.
Home-ice advantage: Despite their struggles against top teams, the Kraken hold a .500 points percentage at home (17-17-5). With two home games left, I’m rooting for them to finish with a winning record.
Draft Position: I’m not one to root for tanking, but with the Kraken sitting 29th, draft lottery odds are at play. Finishing 27th gets them a 7.5 percent chance at the top pick. At 29th, it’s 9.5 percent.
This season didn’t go as hoped, but the Kraken showed resilience and have remained competitive in games. With a full offseason ahead, they have a chance to regroup and come back stronger.
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.
Get the popcorn ready, because we might be in this thing for the long haul.
What a series we have on our hands in the WHL Playoffs first round, as after the No. 8-seeded Seattle Thunderbirds took an emotional Game 1, the No. 1-seeded Everett Silvertips countered in Game 2 with a 3-2 win of their own on Saturday night at Angel of the Winds Arena, with Eric Jamieson providing the heroics with the overtime winner.
The series will now shift down the I-5 corridor, with Game 3 coming on Tuesday night at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent.
We knew coming in this would be an emotional and meaningful series for both teams, with the two having very different expectations coming in. But all that got wiped clean once they dropped the puck for Game 1.
Game 1
The opening game of the series saw the T-birds come out with the pedal to the metal, focused on finishing their checks and getting quality offensive looks. It looked like they were dictating the pace early on, and they were able to cash in with a pair of first-period goals from Hayden Pakkala and Brayden Holberton.
A Shea Busch goal sandwiched in between made it 2-1 after the first period. The T-birds hadn’t scored more than a goal in a game at Angel of the Winds in four games played there this season, but they had already surpassed that in a period of playoff hockey. Some big steps were being made.
An early second-period goal off a rebound from Simon Lovsin extended the lead to 3-1, which would wind up being the game-winner.
The Tips would add a goal from Tarin Smith in the third, but it proved to be too little, too late, as the T-birds held on for the win. This marked the fourth season in a row the Tips would drop the opening game of the playoffs. Scott Ratzlaff stopped 45 of 47 shots in the win.
Game 2
Game 2 the following night looked destined to be the same story, with the T-birds again starting out playing physical and finishing checks from the jump.
However, the Tips found their groove offensively in the back half of the frame, and Lukas Kaplan opened the scoring with a wrister from the right dot.
The T-birds tied it in the second off a Braeden Cootes power-play goal. The Tips began to surge more offensively in the second and third periods, but the T-birds held strong.
After Austin Roest scored to give Everett a 2-1 lead late in the third period, the Tips thought they had it all won until a Nathan Pilling tip of a Braeden Cootes shot made it a 2-2 game with less than 30 seconds to go.
There were plenty of opportunities at both ends in OT before Eric Jamieson won it for the Silvertips, stepping up in the play at the top of the left circle and zipping it past Ratzlaff.
Coach Steve Hamilton thought his group’s ability to respond to the adversity of going down a game in the series was a good learning opportunity.
“We stuck to it, and I thought we played really well,” Hamilton said. “I liked our physicality tonight and a lot of the things we did. Just had to stay with it going to overtime.”
Meanwhile, the other side was not pleased with the result but still find themselves in an optimal position as the 8 seed, tied 1-1 going back home.
Seattle head coach Matt O’Dette also liked his group’s willingness to throw the body around in these crucial games.
“It was a hard-fought playoff game with lots of intensity and with both teams playing physically,” O’Dette said. “It’s what you would expect with a rivalry playoff series like this. I thought our group showed a lot of resiliency to battle back in a game like that. It’s unfortunate how it ended and we’re disappointed, but we’ve got to shake it off quick and get ready for the next one.”
Digesting the first two games
With so much to go over from this whole weekend, where do we even begin?
How about we give some love to the men in the masks, particularly the aforementioned one in blue and white.
Ratzlaff was downright unbelievable this weekend, stopping a total of 89 of 94 shots seen, with a .946 save percentage. Some of the saves he made were quite literally jaw-dropping, and he just kept upping the ante.
“It was a lot of fun, honestly,” Ratzlaff said after Game 1. “We all knew coming into this series that Everett’s a tough team and we’re gonna need our absolute best. For us to show up like that is great, but for me it’s just about taking one shot at a time.”
Some of his saves harkened back to ‘The Dominator’ himself, Dominik Hasek, which is ironic given he is currently a prospect of the Buffalo Sabres organization.
I’m not saying he’s going to be the next Dominik Hasek by any means, but with the way he’s been playing lately, he appears well on his way to a successful pro career.
Ratzlaff was a tough cookie to crack all weekend, gobbling up most of what he saw from distance and from in tight. The Tips had a lot of shots this weekend from the point that he would see all the way.
Everett forward Austin Roest was one of the few who cashed in on Ratzlaff, and he mentioned some of the keys to beating a stalwart like him.
“Getting in front of Ratzlaff’s eyes is going to be big,” Roest said following Game 2. “All our goals this series have been when he can’t see the puck. If we play the right way and do the little things, then I think we’ll be in good shape.”
As for the Silvertips, the tandem approach commenced, as both Raiden LeGall and Jesse Sanche made starts this weekend.
Despite stopping 31 of 34 shots Friday, LeGall had some troubles with coughing up juicy, costly rebounds in Game 1, which led Coach Hamilton to giving Sanche the nod for Game 2, where he performed well, stopping 33 of 35 en route to the much-needed win for both him and his team.
Added physicality
The big thing that’s made this series what it’s been is the physicality and animosity between these two fierce rivals. Almost every whistle, it felt like there was at least one or two scrums.
Hamilton said the chippiness was to be expected in a rivalry series like this, but that it’s important to stay disciplined and not get carried away or ultimately end up hurting your team.
“A huge piece of it is not letting the emotions get out of hand or taking extra penalties,” Hamilton said. Each team was even in PPs with three and PIMs with 10 in Game 2. “You want to be in that emotional state where you’re up to the line but not crossing over it. I think both teams feel that way.”
Another unconventional aspect of this series that not many WHL teams have the luxury of experiencing is that both teams get to sleep in their own beds the whole series, as well as not having to deal with strenuous travel schedules.
“It is certainly a bonus,” Hamilton said. “It’s a cumulative thing, and every night you get in your bed is a plus-one advantage; as opposed to long travel with entire nights on a bus.”
Resetting for Tuesday
As the series heads down I-5 to Kent, both teams will be feeling pretty good about their situation.
We talked about this before the series, but the fact that the T-birds were able to steal even just one game in Everett is so beneficial, given how lofty the Silvertips’ entire playoff expectations are as the No. 1 seed.
Now that the home-ice advantage is handed over to the T-birds going forward with Games 3, 4, and 6 being in Kent, it bodes well for the underdogs and momentum shifting back their way.
So there it is. It’s knotted up. Six goals for and against aside, one game aside. Expect to see a lot more of that tight checking and chippiness as the animosity in this series continues to build.
Anything else? Oh yeah, Landon DuPont had three points in his first two career WHL playoff games. He’s 15 years old, by the way.
Header photo courtesy of Brian Liesse and the Seattle Thunderbirds
