> ## 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. # Philipp Grubauer Saves Kraken in Relief, Backstops 4-1 Win vs. Sharks - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-kraken-san-jose-sharks-philipp-grubauer-saves-relief/ - Published: 2025-11-16T07:00:37.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:17:17.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: News, Kraken, San Jose Sharks, Philipp Grubauer, Chandler Stephenson, Eeli Tolvanen, Lane Lambert, Matt Murray, Mason Marchment, Matty Beniers, Jamie Oleksiak, Adam Larsson, Jaden Schwartz, Frederick Gaudreau, Macklin Celebrini [Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2246870825?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) SEATTLE, Wash. - The Seattle Kraken were hit with a one-two punch at the end of the first period against the San Jose Sharks at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday. The Sharks’ young superstar Macklin Celebrini drew a hooking penalty on Ryan Lindgren behind the Kraken net at 19:10, and later finished off a quick passing sequence on the power play, feeding it to Alexander Wennberg in front with 17.6 seconds left to tie the game 1-1. Immediately after the goal, Seattle goalie Matt Murray left the ice and went straight to the locker room, with Philipp Grubauer taking the ice for the final 18 seconds of the period. Murray was later ruled out for a lower-body injury, and Kraken coach Lane Lambert said he’s still being evaluated after the game. The Sharks wasted no time testing Grubauer, forcing him to make a sprawling save on Ty Dellandrea along the left post just 49 seconds into the period. Grubauer took another save to the chest on a shot from Will Smith shortly after before making another point-blank save on William Eklund, who tried to tip in a centering pass from Alexander Wennberg off the rush at 2:23. “The way the first two minutes went, not ideal from a team perspective, but it got me into the game, and a lot of shots early on,” Grubauer said. “And it’s always tough, right? If you’re not starting, it’s another situation where you don’t get too many shots in warmup.” Without missing a beat, Seattle fended off San Jose’s opportunities for enough time before they could jump at their own, scoring twice in a 38-second span in the final four minutes of the period to take a 3-1 lead before adding an empty net goal in the third period for a 4-1 win. “Arguably the turning point of the game,” said Chandler Stephenson, who had two assists. “Could have been 3-1 them at that point, so yeah, obviously it’s good to see (Grubauer) how he can play, and yeah, I think that he obviously felt good, and it’s obviously good confidence for the team to have a guy like that.” After Grubauer’s heroics in net kept the game tied, Mason Marchment intercepted a puck in the offensive zone off a giveaway from Sharks defenseman Nick Leddy at 15:38 of the second. Instead of taking a shot square to the net, passed it off to Matty Beniers, who couldn’t get a good shot through at a worse angle. With Lambert harping on the players being too reluctant to shoot at times, it looked like another missed opportunity in the same vein. But the Kraken stayed with the puck, and ultimately Beniers dished it to Marchment behind the net, where he fed it out to Adam Larsson behind the right circle. The defenseman threw a high shot on net, and it slipped under the crossbar to put Seattle ahead 2-1 at 16:05 of the second. Just 38 seconds later, Jamie Oleksiak sparked a 2-on-1 rush between Stephenson and Eeli Tolvanen, and the former crossed it to the latter to extend the lead to 3-1 at 16:43\. Jaden Schwartz added an empty net goal at 16:31 of the third period, marking the second straight game the Kraken scored four or more. “I think we talked a little bit about getting more to the net,” Tolvanen said. “Shooting the puck a little more, creating chances off shots, and I think that’s where we’ve done a pretty good job. (Defensemen) are shooting, getting it through, and I think forwards are working hard to get there.” Prior to Schwartz’s empty-netter — his second goal of the night — Seattle had to fend off three San Jose power plays in the third period. The Kraken allowed just two shots across all three opportunities and created one of their own when Freddy Gaudreau tested Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic on a short-handed breakaway at 2:17. It was Gaudreau’s first game back following a 13-game absence with an upper-body injury, and Lambert complimented his effort on the penalty kill and his play down low in the defensive zone. He extended his praise to the entire unit after going 3-for-3 in the third period to protect the lead, especially after the breakdown at the end of the first period. “We made a mistake we cannot make on the first goal,” Lambert said. “You’re going to get scored on on the penalty kill. Power plays are going to score. That’s just the way it is, they’re good. But if you lose your structure and lose what you’re supposed to do, then you give them even that much more opportunity to score. “(...) I will give our guys credit from there. We had five others we had to kill off at critical times of the game, and our goaltender was great. So you have both of those things going for you, you know, hopefully this gives us a little bit of confidence going on the road.” Seattle opened the scoring at 8:14 of the first period. After Oleksiak sent the puck into the Sharks zone, Stephenson beat San Jose defenseman John Klingberg to the puck and curled past the right wall to set up Schwartz with a netfront tap-in. “The more games that you play, better you feel,” Stephenson said. “Just more familiar, not thinking so much. Early on, you know, new systems and that, you’re kind of thinking (about) where I should be, and that stuff. So now I think it’s just reaction. Guys are in the right spots, making the right plays.” While the offense is starting to click in a short sample, it was Grubauer and his 19 saves in two periods (and 18 seconds) of shutout hockey that won the game for the Kraken on Saturday. “Clearly, at that point, we rode off our goalie’s coattails to a certain degree,” Lambert said. “He made some huge saves for us, and then we were able to capitalize, timely, on a couple of our opportunities. So it wasn’t perfect, but there was a lot of good things about it in terms of our commitment level, our shot-blocking. “We spent a little bit too much time in our zone, we all know that, at the start. Our goaltender played fantastic, and sometimes you need that.”