Kraken Build ‘Rare’ Big Lead, Extend Point Streak to Six Against Predators
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Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) celebrates with goaltender Philipp Grubauer (31) after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images [/caption]
SEATTLE, Wash. - You can never be too comfortable in the National Hockey League, but it’s safe to say that when the Seattle Kraken took a 3-0 lead just 10:51 into the first period against the Nashville Predators at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday, it was the closest they felt to ‘comfortable’ that early in a game in quite some time.
In fact, the last time Seattle took a 3-0 lead in the first period of a game was back on October 29, 2024. The Kraken scored four straight goals in the first 10:33 against the Montreal Canadiens en route to an 8-2 win, which featured a Brandon Montour natural hat trick.
Thursday’s game was not quite as explosive, but even after Nashville eventually got on the board with a power-play goal late in the second period, Seattle held on to secure a 4-1 victory to extend its point streak to six games (5-0-1).
“Our commitment level was off the charts,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “There was a battle level that was there that needed to be there. They were coming, and I said before the game, they’re one of the hardest teams I’ve seen around the goaltender, and they were.
“So not only was our goaltender outstanding, but we battled hard and we were committed.”
Seattle nearly fell behind when Vince Dunn failed to retrieve a puck off the end boards and slashed Steven Stamkos in the process to put the Kraken on the penalty kill just 1:20 into the game.
But a strong effort from the penalty kill, which didn’t allow a shot to reach Philipp Grubauer, kept things scoreless before Matty Beniers tipped in a shot from Ryker Evans out of the air to snap a nine-game goal-less drought at 3:48 of the first period.
“The kill did a great job right out of the gate,” Beniers said. “That can go one of two ways. We got a little momentum from that, and we put a couple in. I think we haven’t been in that situation too much, so we’ll get, hopefully, a little bit more used to playing with that lead and try to keep pushing.”
Beniers would notch a second goal later in the frame, but not before the Seattle fourth line of Ryan Winterton, Ben Meyers and Jacob Melanson picked up where they left off from Monday’s 3-2 shootout loss to Vancouver, during which they employed an aggressive forecheck to wear down opponents and create offense.
Once again, they swarmed the Nashville net midway through the first period, with Winterton and Melanson putting shots on net before Winterton sent the puck out to Jamie Oleksiak, who had plenty of time to pick his spot in the top left corner at 10:41.
“They just play a hard, honest game,” Oleksiak said about the fourth line. “They don’t make it easy for other teams to break out, and don’t make it easy for their (defenders), and it opens up opportunities for us as a team, so I think they’ve been very effective, and yeah, it’s good to see them do well.”
It took just 10 seconds for Seattle to increase the lead to 3-0, as Kaapo Kakko and Jordan Eberle each took shots towards the net off the rush following the center-ice faceoff, and Beniers trailed behind to poke the loose puck across the line for his second of the game.
Despite being in unfamiliar territory and in a position to ease off the gas, the Kraken continued to push as the fourth line continued forechecking and creating chances while the third line of Berkly Catton, Shane Wright and Jared McCann finally started to click, outshooting Nashville 5-0 at 5-on-5 in the first period, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Catton had a prime opportunity to score his first career goal on an exposed net at 18:30, but Predators goalie Juuse Saros got in the way just in time to keep the game at 3-0.
The chances continued into the second period, with each line rolling but ultimately unable to increase the lead even further. Eventually the Predators started to tilt the ice, and took advantage on a power play with a goal from Roman Josi at 17:34 of the second period, but Grubauer stepped up in a big way to stop the bleeding.
Nearly 90 seconds after Josi cut it to 3-1, Nashville forward Michael Bunting had a clear lane to the net on a 3-on-1 rush after Dunn blew a tire, but Grubauer turned it away, avoiding what would have been a complete momentum-shifter with just a minute left in the period.
“I think that was really one of the only, like, great chances I think they had,” Grubauer said. “It’s not like they had that much. I think we controlled them really well, but yeah, for sure, if that goes back in, it’s 3-2. It’s a completely different game.”
Down by two and with time running out, the Predators threw everything at the wall in the third period, but Grubauer continued to stand tall. Nashville tripled up the Kraken in scoring chances at 5-on-5 in the third period (21-7) and created 14 high-danger chances to Seattle’s two, but Grubauer kept everything out.
It didn’t help that Oleksiak went down after absorbing a shot to the leg at 2:03 of the third period, needing to be helped off the ice and into the locker room before he ultimately returned at 12:17.
Ryan Lindgren also required attention from the trainers after taking a puck near his head later in the period — he ultimately stayed on the bench — but Seattle held them off by the time McCann scored an empty-netter from the Kraken zone at 17:47.
“I think we responded well,” Oleksiak said. “Obviously their team, they got some veteran guys, and they got guys that can step up in big situations, and I think they had that push, but I think we managed it well. So, you know, again, some big blocks by guys all over the place, and great effort by ‘Grubi,’ and I think it was a gritty win, but it’s good.”
For Lambert, he finally got a look at his team with a big lead in a prolonged period, a situation he believes is rarer across the league as teams push hard when “there isn’t anything to lose at that point for them.”
It wasn’t perfect, but Grubauer and the Kraken willed their way to the finish line and — remarkably — now sit in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference after staring straight in the face of a prime lottery position just two weeks ago.
“We’re usually in the tight, one-goal kind of games, and to build a bit of a lead was fine. … But I thought our commitment level was high,” Lambert said. “We did a lot of the things that we needed to do.
“There (were) probably a couple of moments in that game that are really good teaching moments for us when we do get in the lead. You can’t change the way you play just because you’re in the lead.”
