Hot Hands Cool Off in Calgary, Kraken Fall 6-2
"Probably the worst 40 minutes I've been a part of since I got here": The Kraken went from hot to not on the eve of Halloween, playing an ugly, disjointed brand of hockey as they got blown out in Calgary. It's a performance they can't afford to repeat.
The first indication that the 2026-27 Kraken might be a surprise was the very first game of the season, a 6-1 victory on the road against the Calgary Flames. Seattle beat them again in the home opener, again by a 6-1 score.
Lane Lambert found himself much less pleased on after those teams met again on Friday night in Calgary. This time, it was the Flames who racked up six goals, while Seattle looked worse than they had all year - and much closer to the disjointed bottom-feeder everyone had them pegged for going into the 2026-27 season.
“I would say probably the worst 40 minutes I've been a part of since I got here,” Lambert said of the 6-2 loss. “Losing battles, turning pucks over, mistakes on the wall, allowing power play goals. The list goes on and on.”
Players who had been hot for weeks on end suddenly froze in a bath of liquid nitrogen. Philipp Grubauer, who had been having a veritable renaissance and appeared on the verge of winning the starter’s job from Joey Daccord, let in three goals in the span of five minutes and Lambert pulled him for Daccord. The first line of Kaapo Kakko, Shane Wright, and Berkly Catton fell in tatters when the skaters came out of the first intermission locker room. The first pair of Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans, who had looked so stalwart since the beginning of the year, found themselves unable to coordinate.
Some were worse offenders than others; the second line of Chandler Stephenson, Freddy Gaudreau, and Mackie Samoskevich actually held their own most of the time. Gaudreau even got the Kraken on the board in the first period.
Hence why it was 40 minutes of suck, not 60. The first period went decently well for Seattle, as each side scored a goal apiece and the Kraken outshot their opponents while maintaining a lead in expected goals (xG). Money Puck’s “Deserve to Win O’Meter” was almost all Kraken blue. All they had to do was keep a decent grasp on the basics and they could have been well on their way to logging a victory over a less than mediocre opponent.
