Kraken Push for a Much-Needed Turnaround Against the Kings
Alright, let’s talk about this Kings vs. Kraken matchup, because there’s a lot happening around this game and the stakes feel higher than usual for Seattle. The Kraken are heading into this one on a six-game losing streak, and it’s been 2½ weeks since their last win in Pittsburgh. Those losses haven’t just piled up—they’ve chipped away at what had actually been a really promising start to the season. Five of those six defeats came in regulation, and the extra points they were picking up earlier from overtime games have totally disappeared. So now, it’s simple: they need wins, and they need them fast.
Their coach, Lane Lambert, put it perfectly this week. He reminded everyone just how unforgiving the league is and how quickly things can swing. Two weeks ago, Seattle was only one point away from first place in the division. Now, everything looks different. But as he said, if it can slide this quickly in one direction, it can climb just as fast in the other. And the Kraken are hoping that climb starts tonight.
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Historically, these two teams have played each other tight. They’ve split their lifetime series pretty evenly at 7-7-1, and the Kings have won three of the last four meetings in Seattle. The Kraken haven’t helped themselves much at home lately either, dropping four straight in regulation at Climate Pledge Arena. Their last home win? Mid-November. So restoring that early-season energy in their own building is going to be a major focus.
Now, if there’s one encouraging sign from Seattle’s recent play, it’s their special teams—something that had been dragging them down hard. In their last game, the power play finally broke through, and the penalty kill was perfect after leaking goals for several games. Jordan Eberle got the lone goal, and the team simplified things: get to the net, keep the puck moving quickly, and create chaos in front. The penalty kill tightened up positioning, too, after getting burned by cross-ice passes for weeks. But one good night isn’t enough—they need consistency there.
And then, there’s the opponent. The Kings roll in with some momentum after back-to-back wins and have been one of the tighter defensive teams in the league. They don’t score a ton either—just like Seattle—so every chance in this game matters even more. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala come in hot, especially Fiala, who has been setting plays up with ridiculous precision. The Kraken also have to watch out for goalie Anton Forsberg, who has shut them out the last two times he faced them back when he was with Ottawa.
So tonight becomes one of those games where Seattle needs to put everything together. They’ve got games in hand, they’ve got the home crowd, and they’ve shown flashes of strong play. But flashes won’t cut it anymore. They need the full performance—and they need two points.
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