Thankfully, the Kraken showed up. They played on their toes for most of the night and never looked back after Bobby McMann scored his first goal as a Kraken on a soft one given up by Nikita Tolopilo late in the first that give Seattle a 2\u20131 lead after one. <\/p>\n
It was our first real look at McMann since the trade, and he came exactly as advertised<\/a>, and then some. Two goals, an assist<\/a>, and a handful of plays where his speed was noticeable either chasing down a puck or catching a rush on the backcheck. I\u2019m not saying he\u2019s going to be a season\u2011saving difference\u2011maker, but he clearly makes this team better at a time when they desperately need players to step up.<\/p>\n And that brought us to Sunday, with an even bigger game against the Florida Panthers. With a win, the Kraken could salvage the week and walk away with four of eight possible points. With a loss, the slide would continue, and the playoff picture would get even murkier.<\/p>\n The Sunday game couldn\u2019t have played out much better. The Kraken cruised to a 6\u20132 win over the Panthers <\/a>with contributions up and down the lineup, a perfect four\u2011for\u2011four night on the penalty kill, and a rock\u2011solid performance from Joey Daccord. Florida briefly pushed back with an immediate response goal after Seattle went up 2\u20130 in the first, but the Kraken restored the two\u2011goal lead before the period ended and coasted from there. It was one of the more stress\u2011free games this team has played in a long while. Earlier in the evening, the San Jose Sharks lost in regulation to Ottawa, allowing the Kraken to slide back into the second wild\u2011card spot.<\/p>\n One thing to monitor from this game, Eeli Tolvanen cut his last shift short and went down the tunnel. We\u2019ll see if he\u2019s available on Tuesday when the Tampa Bay Lightning visit. <\/p>\n Overall, the week wasn\u2019t bad, but it came on the heels of the St. Louis and Ottawa losses from the week prior, which made the first two losses feel that much heavier. Four out of eight points, capped by back\u2011to\u2011back games where the Kraken scored five or more goals, looks pretty fine on paper, but they need to keep stacking results. The runway is getting shorter, and \u201cfine\u201d won\u2019t be enough for much longer.<\/p>\n How the Pacific fared<\/p>\n As far as the rest of the Pacific went over the last week, the Kraken only lost a tiny bit of ground to the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.<\/p>\n One of these teams is going to put together a run eventually, and with so many Pacific matchups down the stretch, the race is only going to get more chaotic.<\/p>\n The goaltending rotation<\/p>\n One thing that has been perplexing since the Olympic break is the goaltending rotation. Head coaches tend to get a little cagey or prickly when asked about it, but Joey Daccord has been getting most of the starts since the team returned.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not second\u2011guessing the decision to lean on Daccord more, but I do wonder about the logic behind the recent over\u2011reliance on him. It could be Lane Lambert wanting to establish a clearer No. 1 goalie, or it might simply be a matter of giving Philipp Grubauer some rest after he played four games during the Olympic break.<\/p>\n Other musings<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s game against Tampa Bay will be the first time Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand return to Seattle after being traded at the deadline last season. They were both fan favorites, and I might shed a tear during the tribute video(s).<\/p>\n The Kraken have the best record among Pacific and wild\u2011card teams since the Mason Marchment trade<\/a> on Dec. 19.<\/p>\n According to NaturalStatTrick.com<\/a>, the Kraken\u2019s expected goals in the Florida game were 2.92, while expected goals against were 3.87. Conversely, their expected goals in the Nashville game were 5.0 compared to 3.07 expected goals against. So, they \u201cdeserved\u201d to win the Nashville game and \u201cdeserved\u201d to lose the Florida game. I just find that funny.<\/p>\n For most of the season, the Kraken had one of the worst penalty kills in the league. Since the Olympic break, they have the best, killing 90 percent of their penalties.<\/p>\n Considering how valuable he has been, it\u2019s wild to think Ben Meyers started the season in Coachella Valley. His 41 NHL games this year are already a career high<\/a>. He\u2019s one of the team\u2019s top penalty killers and has contributed offensively on that solid fourth line.<\/p>\n It was an ugly goal, but I just love how Meyers celebrated this one.<\/p>\n One of the few blemishes in the 6\u20132 win over Florida was the response goal allowed after Seattle took a 2\u20130 lead. It was the seventh time this season the Kraken have allowed a goal within 60 seconds of scoring. They allowed only six such goals all of last season. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a major issue, but it\u2019s something to monitor.<\/p>\n The Kraken continue to be nasty on the second night of back\u2011to\u2011backs. They have two more back\u2011to\u2011back sets remaining this season.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-20.png\")
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