Ducks center Ryan Poehling, right, stops Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers from shooting the puck during the second period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Ducks center Mason McTavish (23) tries to get the puck away from Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers, left, and defenseman Ryker Evans during the first period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Ducks right wing Beckett Sennecke shoots the puck as Seattle Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans, right, defends during the first period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Seattle Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson, right, vies for the puck against Ducks right wing Beckett Sennecke during the first period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger, left, controls the puck as Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers defends during the first period on Monday night at the Honda Center. The Ducks lost, 3-1. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Seattle Kraken center Ben Meyers, right, shoots the puck as Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas defends during the second period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) blocks a shot by Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright (51) during the second period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Seattle Kraken center Frederick Gaudreau (89) celebrates with center Shane Wright (51) after Gaudreau scored a goal during the second period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Seattle Kraken right wing Eeli Tolvanen shoots the puck during the second period of their game against the Ducks on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Ducks center Mikael Granlund, right, celebrates after his goal during the second period of their game against the Seattle Kraken on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Ducks center Mikael Granlund, center, celebrates with the bench after his goal during the second period of their game against the Seattle Kraken on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Ducks center Ryan Strome, right, vies for the puck against Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright during the third period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) shoots the puck as Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, right, defends during the third period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (7) celebrates his goal with center Matty Beniers (10) during the third period of their game against the Ducks on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (7) celebrates his goal with goaltender Philipp Grubauer during the third period of their game against the Ducks on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Seattle Kraken players celebrate after their 3-1 victory over the Ducks on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Ducks center Ryan Poehling, right, stops Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers from shooting the puck during the second period on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Honda Center. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
ANAHEIM — The Ducks had the shots on goal and the fancy stats in their favor, but the Seattle Kraken got the two points in a 3-1 affair on Monday night at Honda Center.
It was the Ducks’ fifth loss in seven games and Seattle’s second straight victory, albeit only their third in their past 13 decisions.
The Kraken are now 2-0-0 this season and 11-4-1 all-time against the Ducks, who dropped to 3 for 39 on the power play since Nov. 29.
Mikael Granlund scored the only goal for the Ducks, who were without No. 1 center Leo Carlsson for the first time this season (lower-body injury). Lukáš Dostál handled 18 of 20 shots.
Kaapo Kakko assisted on goals by Frederick Gaudreau and Jordan Eberle before Eberle tacked on an empty-netter. The Kraken were missing Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann and former Duck Brandon Montour. Philipp Grubauer made 40 saves, setting a season high for a second consecutive appearance.
“He made some saves, obviously, and some of it was us, we’ve got to just bear down,” Granlund said. “They defend really good, and obviously their goalie was good tonight.”
In the third period, Grubauer continued to dominate, including with his glove on a one-timer from Mason McTavish. Dostál stopped all but the Kraken’s toughest chances and Ross Johnston leveled Vince Dunn in the neutral zone.
Yet with nearly every metric in their favor, the Ducks fell behind Grubauer and chums for the second time after Seattle’s captain, Eberle, scored halfway into the final frame.
“I think they had one [high-danger] chance in the third period, so we didn’t give up anything, and we had some looks, but we didn’t [convert],” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “We just didn’t have enough.”
It was Finn-on-Finn crime when Kakko took the puck from Granlund in the Seattle zone to set up a three-on-two counterattack. Kakko centered the puck for Matty Beniers, who found Eberle in the left circle for a strike to the far side. Eberle deposited the puck into the vacated cage with 35 seconds to play, dooming the Ducks with his second goal of the night.
“We didn’t want to give them the second goal they got, but it happens. At the end of the day, with one goal, it’s tough to win in this league,” Granlund said.
Twenty minutes came and went without a goal, thanks in part to Dostál’s stellar stop on Gaudreau and a three-on-one chance that fizzled out for the Ducks. But in the second period, Seattle cracked open the scoring with an extra man before the Ducks took control.
The hosts’ 11th of 14 consecutive shots on net tied the score. At 15:40, Granlund deflected Jacob Trouba’s shot off the ice and over Grubauer’s pad for his sixth goal of the season. Four of those have come during his four-game goal streak.
“It was a shot from the point, and I was able to tip it in. That’s it,” Granlund said.
Trouba had taken a penalty at the 4:19 mark, and 30 seconds later the Ducks were down a goal.
Ian Moore blocked a shot with his leg that went straight to Kakko at the side of the net. Though he couldn’t get much on an attempt toward a huge opening in the net, he recovered the puck and centered it for Shane Wright, whose rebound came to Gaudreau. Wright’s primary assist was his eighth point in seven career games against the Ducks, his most points against any franchise.
After what became a very physical game, Grubauer praised Wright’s box-outs near the net while Wright credited Grubauer for the Kraken’s first consecutive win since Nov. 22.
“He was unbelievable tonight, just the quality of saves he made,” Wright said. “He bailed us out a number of times.”
The Ducks will now be off until Saturday, when they’ll drive up the 5 for a Freeway Faceoff with the Kings, who have stumbled in five of their past six outings.