This team. Things went from horrendous to atrocious on Thursday, when the Seattle Kraken—who held a one-goal lead entering the third period for the second straight game—fumbled it away again, suffering their fourth straight loss and 10th in 11 games (1-9-1).

Against the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, you knew the 3-2 lead going into the third was anything but safe. In this one, against a bad Flames team that had lost two of its previous three, it felt like the Kraken were finally going to find a way to close out a victory and generate some semblance of positive vibes within the group.

Instead, they took two straight penalties in the third period (five total in the game), allowed a season-high 46 total shots through to Joey Daccord, and once again let a winnable game slip away in a 4-2 loss.

With the defeat, the Kraken are now on their second consecutive named losing streak—Losing Streak Cynthia—which makes landfall right on the heels of the catastrophic Losing Streak Camille.

Here are Three Takeaways from yet another Kraken loss.

Takeaway #1: A third-period meltdown

Although the Flames haven’t had great results this season, they do tend to be a high shot-volume team, averaging 29.5 shots per game, sixth-most in the NHL. On this night, they threw everything at Daccord, who was excellent and gave Seattle a chance to win despite being outshot exactly 2-1 (46-23).

Daccord’s teammates put him in a brutal position late, forcing him to kill two straight penalties in a high-volume game. Defensive-zone time is taxing on a goalie regardless of shot count, and back-to-back penalty kills under those conditions are especially punishing. Eventually, Calgary broke through.

Nazem Kadri tied the game on a power-play one-timer at 10:04 of the third, and Matt Coronato scored the winner just 65 seconds later.

The Kraken had a 3-on-2 brewing, with Adam Larsson jumping into the play. Eeli Tolvanen tried to hit Larsson at the blue line, but the pass was picked off and the play reversed. Tolvanen and Larsson collided trying to recover, and Rasmus Andersson hit Coronato in stride at the Seattle line. At full speed, Coronato burned around a flat-footed Vince Dunn and sniped it over Daccord’s left shoulder.

…AAAAAaaaaaand 3-2 Flames.

Matt Coronato with a snipe. Jonathan Huberdeau gets his 800th point.

Flames have 44 shots on net, BTW. pic.twitter.com/rcAmev3keP

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 19, 2025

“More detail. More detail in certain areas that are game changers,” coach Lane Lambert said. “We cannot turn the puck over entering the blue line on their third goal. It just can’t happen. And we keep doing these things over and over again, and it’s getting old, and we’ve got to figure this out.”

Daccord may have wanted that last goal back—it was unscreened and from an angle—but you can’t hang this one on him. He finished with a .933 save percentage and deserved a better outcome.

Kaapo Kakko offered an interesting perspective afterward, saying he thinks the team is “scared” to make plays when protecting a one-goal lead.

Lambert didn’t like that idea one bit. “I think that’s ridiculous,” Lambert scoffed. “I think we needed to get on the forecheck. We talked about staying on our toes, so if that’s what’s going on, then it has to change.”

Takeaway #2: Still liking the Nyman/Wright/Kakko line

I touched on this after the last game as well, but the Jani Nyman, Shane Wright, and Kakko line continues to impress. For a team desperate for offense and chemistry, it’s refreshing to see a trio consistently creating something.

After Wright scored against Colorado on Tuesday, Kakko followed up with a power-play goal in this game, with both of his regular linemates on the ice as part of the unit.

Nyman nearly lost the puck along the wall just inside the blue line but recovered it and fed Ryker Evans rolling downhill. Kakko timed his drive perfectly from the corner, presenting his stick as Evans threaded a shot-pass under MacKenzie Weegar’s stick and onto Kakko’s tape for an easy deflection into the net.

🎶 HEYYYYY KAAPO KAKKO! 🎶 🚨

Shot-pass by Ryker Evans, perfect redirection by Kakko. Power-play goal.

2-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/1RL3GYWn5S

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 19, 2025

It was a beautiful sequence, and another sign that this line is building something.

HOWEVER…

Takeaway #3: Why Shane Wright doesn’t get as much usage as Chandler Stephenson

While that line contributed Seattle’s second goal, they were also on the ice for the Flames’ first. Mikael Backlund’s tying goal at 10:20 of the second period—a bit of a doinker—came immediately off a defensive-zone face-off.

Sound Of Hockey’s Blaiz Grubic wrote Thursday about Wright’s development and noted that one reason he doesn’t get as much ice time as Chandler Stephenson (who has four goals and three assists in his last seven games and scored a beauty in this one) is Lane Lambert’s lack of trust in Wright on defensive-zone draws. Wright starts just 5.6 percent of his shifts in Seattle’s end.

Flames answer. Shane Wright had Mikael Backlund tied up, but it glanced off a skate.

This is why defensive-zone starts matter, and why Lane Lambert leans on Stephenson so heavily for these draws.

1-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/k8TXY1wO8Z

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 19, 2025

Backlund’s goal is a clear example of why. Wright stayed with Backlund and tied up his stick reasonably well, but the clean face-off loss put Seattle on the back foot immediately, and Backlund ultimately got a fortunate bounce. Worth noting, Wright didn’t get the defensive-zone start by choice; Seattle had previously iced the puck, meaning they weren’t allowed to change lines.

Wright’s usage frustrates fans because everyone wants to see him continue to grow and take on more responsibility. But these are the details Lambert keeps referencing. To earn trust and move up the lineup, Wright needs to improve in these areas. He likely will over time, and when that happens, the minutes will follow—but this is important context in the meantime.

I’m sure you will all react very calmly and respectfully to this take in the comment section. (Seriously, please be nice to each other. It’s been a little ugly in there lately.)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find something to break.