There are distinct similarities between the Seattle Kraken and the Detroit Red Wings: The 5th year Pacific Division expansion team and Motown’s perpetually rebuilding Original-Six franchise.

Both are at about the same level in terms of their roster development and their odds at making the playoffs. They’re both presently in a spot, but chances are they’ll both end up missing. For Detroit, it would be the tenth season in a row on the outside looking in after making it to the postseason for a record 25 consecutive years. Along that run they won four Stanley Cups.

It was like watching fraternal twins play against one another on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena. The upstarts from Detroit handled the work-in-progress from Seattle 4-2.

“This was a tough game to play because there was never any rhythm,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said postgame. “It felt like the first team to score three goals was going to win, because there wasn’t much offense.”

That’s been a problem for both clubs, operating under “defensive minded” coaches. The Kraken are 28th out of 32 NHL teams in goals-for-per-game while the Red Wings are 21st.

Both are hovering around 20 to 21% on the power play while Detroit definitely has the edge on the penalty kill. The Red Wings are successful 80% of the time; the Kraken a dismal 70.4%, third-worst in the league. If that rate holds up you can definitely forget the playoffs.

Nate Danielson, Detroit’s 9th-overall pick in the 2023 draft scored his 1st NHL goal against Seattle and had his second one called back due to offside video review.

“We got a great call from our video room to take a goal off the board and then we tied the game,” Kraken head coach Lane Lambert said, “But then we made a mistake on the penalty kill that we just can’t make.”

Seattle overloaded one side of the ice and left a young sniper wide open in the slot.

Emmitt Finnie, a 7th-round pick in that same draft, who picked up the game winner on that man advantage, has five goals this season.

Eduard Sale, Seattle’s 1st-rounder that summer, is nowhere to be seen.

The Red Wings also have a right/left, 24-year-old/23-year-old one-two punch on defense with German Moritz Seider and Swede Simon Edvinsson. That’s something the Kraken haven’t built out yet. Aside from Ryker Evans, Seattle is relying on veterans and soon to be free-agents.

Both teams need more scoring up the middle. Detroit is led by captain Dylan Larkin, a star workaholic, while Seattle relies more on center talent by committee. The Kraken do have Shane Wright, age 21, Ryan Winterton, 21, and Matty Beniers, 22, in that line-up.

Ultimately, the score of the game fits the overall situation perfectly. The Red Wings a smidge ahead of the Kraken, with an empty-netter for good measure.

Next up for Seattle, another Original-Six club, this one with all sorts of star power in one Connor Bedard. The third year pro and former 1st-overall draft pick in 2023 has 29 points in 19 games this season for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Earlier Kraken:

— Surprising Kraken Keep It Rolling

Of Interest From The Canucks:

— Canucks Jiri Patera The Right Choice On Monday