> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ‘Opportunistic’ Kraken Fend Off Oilers in 3-2 Win - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-kraken-fendoff-edmonton-oilers/ - Published: 2025-10-26T06:08:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:17:38.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: News, Kraken, Edmonton Oilers, Lane Lambert, Jordan Eberle, Tye Kartye, Matty Beniers, Brandon Montour, Berkly Catton, Ryan Winterton, Ben Meyers, Joey Daccord, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Vince Dunn [Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2243338833?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) SEATTLE, Wash. - Protecting a 2-1 lead entering the third period at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, the Seattle Kraken expected a push from the Edmonton Oilers. So when that push came to fruition right off the opening faceoff, they positioned themselves accordingly. Through the first 7:33 of the period, the Oilers managed to put just two shots on goal, one from 50 feet out by Jack Roslovic and another from 44 feet away by Darnell Nurse. Otherwise, Seattle put themselves in front of the prime shooting lanes, forcing Edmonton to miss on four shot attempts and blocking three others in that span. It was exactly what Kraken coach Lane Lambert was looking for. However, as could be expected from a team led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers started to find a way to put pucks through to the net, but there stood Joey Daccord to turn them away. “They had a push on us, obviously,” Lambert said. “And I thought for the most part, we maintained pretty good structure. They had some chances. They’re going to get some chances. They got, in my opinion, two guys playing together that (are) the best one-two punch in the world in terms of a tandem.” Seattle would not be able to sit on their heels forever without paying for it, so when an opportunity presented itself, Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle took advantage, connecting for the second time that night on an odd-man rush to go up 3-1 at 12:11 of the third period. It would prove to be the winning goal, as Daccord (31 saves) and the Kraken fended off a final push after Nurse scored at 14:25 to hang on to a 3-2 victory. “It’s a new year, and we’ve got off to a pretty decent start here,” said Tye Kartye, who scored Seattle’s second goal of the night in the second period. “So it’s given us confidence and we’re just going to keep rolling here, hopefully.” Edmonton was threatening when Evan Bouchard’s pass from the left point missed its mark and bounced off the right corner boards. With three Oilers players deep in Seattle’s zone, defenseman Vince Dunn chipped it up towards the neutral zone. Bouchard skated over and took a swipe to try and keep the play in Seattle’s end, but the bouncing puck fell weakly off his stick and right to Beniers, who charged the other way. With Eberle already behind the defense, Beniers pushed the puck up to the captain, who brought it across the blue line for a mini-breakaway and beat Stuart Skinner to the top right corner. The pair linked up on the first goal of the game just 1:23 into the first period, with Berkly Catton winning possession along the boards before sparking Beniers on a 2-on-1 rush with Eberle. Beniers skated in as Mattias Ekholm squared up to him, then centered it to a wide-open Eberle entering the slot for a one-timer shot past Stuart Skinner to give the Kraken an early 1-0 lead. The fourth line doubled the lead at 6:35 of the second period, with Ryan Winterton staying with the puck through contact as he rushed up the right side before sending a pass back to Kartye, who ripped a shot past Skinner for his first goal of the season. “\[Winterton’s\] speed was a huge part of that,” Kartye said. “\[Ben Meyers\] made a really nice wall play to him, then ‘Wints’ kind of just beat a couple guys and we were able to capitalize.” Bouchard struck on the power-play at 15:39 of the second to cut it to 2-1, and Nurse scored on a net-front redirect at 14:35 of the third period just over two minutes after Eberle’s second goal, but a defensive stand in the final minutes allowed Seattle to escape with their fifth win of the season. For a Kraken team lacking in high-end talent — and healthy bodies in general — that sequence was emblematic of the type of games this roster can play to squeeze out wins: Playing in a tight defensive structure and pouncing on opportunities on the other end when they arrive. Pretty simple, sure, but easier said than done. “When you see us defend, we turned defense into a lot of rushes and a lot of opportunities in the third period as well,” Lambert said. “We had some great Grade-A chances, and we were opportunistic, there was no question about it, but we found a way.” Even after Edmonton started to get chances to net, the Kraken had Daccord to clean things up. And once the Oilers pulled Skinner for the extra attacker in the final two minutes, Brandon Montour and Dunn both made heads-up plays and timely blocks to prevent the tying goal. In his return after missing four games on a personal leave due to his brother Cam’s death, Montour stepped up admirably amid his grief. After Daccord made a point-blank stop on Oilers forward Daniel Tomasek with exactly 1:00 to go, Montour swiped the potential rebound out of danger. “He’s our brother,” Eberle said of Montour. “I mean, anytime someone goes through something like that, it’s extremely hard. I mean, just for him to be out here tonight and battling with us, and it just shows his compassion and battle level that he has.” The right-shot defenseman cleared away a centering pass from McDavid just moments later, and gave way for Dunn to step in and block shots from Jake Walman and Bouchard with 13 and three seconds left, respectively. Reaching the tail-end of an opening gauntlet, featuring six road games and eight total matchups against playoff teams from last season within the first 10 games, Seattle is proving its mettle. Despite missing players like Kaapo Kakko (hand) and Ryker Evans (upper body) as well as seeing Freddy Gaudreau (upper body) and Jared McCann (lower body) sustain injuries just a few games into the season, the Kraken are getting results. The story entering Saturday's matchup was how Seattle would handle Edmonton’s stars. After the win, Eberle had something to say about the 5-2-2 Kraken in their own right. “I think we’re a good team, too,” Eberle said. “Obviously, they got some pretty dynamic players over there. You try to limit their space. Ultimately they’re gonna find ways, so I thought we defended pretty well. Obviously we were a bit on our heels there in the third, but we found a way to defend and create some chances out of it and ultimately get a big win.”