Analysis: Jordan Eberle, Kraken Get Offensive in 6-1 Season-Opening Win Over Flames
It’s true the Seattle Kraken were facing the Calgary Flames, a team expected by most prognosticators to be at the bottom of the NHL standings this season and competing for a top draft pick. It’s also true tonight was just the first of a long 84-game season.
But make no mistake: the Kraken couldn’t have been much more dominant than they were in a season-opening 6-1 victory, kicking off year No. 2 of the Lane Lambert era with a bang.
“It’s good to see us start that way,” Vince Dunn said postgame. “It’s good to get that confidence rolling. It’s a quick turnaround after preseason. It was a pretty well-rounded team effort there. That’s huge.”
Here’s what stood out from Seattle’s dynamic 6-1 win in Calgary:
The Kids Are Alright
The youthful line of Ryan Winterton, Berkeley Catton, and Shane Wright got the Seattle offense buzzing early. In the first period, their pressure forced the Flames to take a penalty, and the Kraken quickly capitalized with a goal from Jordan Eberle. Later in the period, Wright and Winterton factored into Dunn’s goal.
Catton and Winterton led Kraken forwards in even strength ice time. At 5-on-5, the trio outshot Calgary 13-9, outchanced them 8-3, and outscored them 1-0, per Natural Stat Trick.
“I thought they got us going,” Lambert said. “They brought some speed. Generated some opportunities. I thought Berk had the first chance of the game, off the rush. Real good play by Shane. I thought they were hard to handle. They used their speed very well.”
The trio looked so great on Thursday night that Lambert may have to think twice before splitting them up. When Mackie Samoskevich returns from his day-to-day injury, it likely will bump Kaapo Kakko down to Winterton’s spot, at least based on how lines started in training camp. But the young line galvanized the Kraken, who looked shaky in the first five minutes, and could warrant keeping that group together.
“Cat’s line got us going tonight,” Matty Beniers said.
Joey Daccord Impressive in First Showing
Daccord was three minutes away from a shutout before Calgary’s Ryan Strome spoiled it, but that late goal didn’t take away from his fantastic night overall. In total, he saved 24-of-25 shots. Per MoneyPuck, he saved 1.5 goals above expected.
“He needed to make some saves, and he did,” Lambert said. “I thought he was square. Solid. I thought his puck play was solid. It’s unfortunate he didn’t get the [shutout]. But, I thought he played very well.”
The Kraken will need a rebound season from Daccord to stay competitive in the Pacific Division. Last season, the 30-year-old Daccord posted an .897 save-percentage in 47 games. That was his worst season as Seattle’s starter. But he posted a .906 in 2024-25 and a .916 in 2023-24, providing reason for optimism that he can have a bounce back campaign, and Thursday was an ideal start.
Special Teams Need to Improve from Last Season
In their five seasons, the Kraken have never had an above average power play or penalty kill. Obviously, Seattle will have to improve upon many things after missing the playoffs the last three seasons, and developing a strong special teams unit could help. The Kraken went 1-for-5 on the power play on Thursday, with Eberle scoring just seconds into their first opportunity.
“I don’t see a need to make a play off the faceoff on the power play,” Lambert said. “Get pucks to the net, and typically you can outnumber them at the net. That’s what happened.”
The unit looked solid, other than being too pass-heavy during a 4-on-3 opportunity in the second period. With the offensive flare of Eberle, Jared McCann, Bobby McMann, Dunn, Brandon Montour, and injured Samoskevich, hopefully they can deliver.
The Kraken also killed the Flames’ only power play. Beniers and the Seattle defense sold out to block shots on the kill, and throughout the game, which pleased Lambert coming out of the opener.
“We talked about being hard to play against,” Lambert said. “It was a great job, by everyone. We had some great blocks from a lot of guys. Matty set the tone with that.”
Top Line Solid Minus Samoskevich
Samoskevich, Seattle’s main offseason addition, was projected to join Beniers and McCann on the top line before suffering a preseason injury. Unfortunately, that prevented the Stanley Cup champion from making his debut in the season opener, as he likely will miss the first handful of games before he returns.
With Kakko replacing Samoskevich on Thursday, at least for one night, the top line still impressed in the opener. They out-shot the opposing Flames 4-3. All three forwards finished the game with multi-point nights, including three assists for McCann, who the Kraken will be counting on for a rebound season after being limited to 50 games last year.
While Thursday presented an encouraging start, that first line without Samoskevich will face a far stiffer text on Saturday, as the Kraken will hit the road again to face the Edmonton Oilers, a legit Stanley Cup contender with an elite offense that has already generated 14 goals through two games.
