By Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA – On Women in Hockey night at Climate Pledge Arena, the Seattle Kraken defeated the Detroit Red Wings by a score of four to two. Seattle scored four unanswered goals in the third period to complete the comeback win. Despite going scoreless on five power play attempts, the Kraken dominated the offensive aspect of the contest. Seattle amassed 42 shots on goal and dominated the majority of the game. 

The tipping point of this game? A massive save by Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer with 14:27 to go in the final period. The Red Wings had a three on two situation, looking to extend their lead to three goals. Grubauer denied Detroit with a sprawling, keeping Seattle in the game. Seven minutes later, Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson’s goal opened the flood gates for a wave of Seattle goals. Larsson talked about the save in the post-game press conference. 

“If they get that third one, it’s a bit uphill for us. He (Grubauer) has been great for us; we haven’t played great in front of him. I think he has really stepped up his game lately,” Larsson would remark.  

This game could be defined by two Kraken teams, a Jekyll and Hyde of sorts. The Kraken of the first and third periods showed relentless offensive aggression, putting 15 shots on Detroit goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic in the first period and 42 in total. Seattle in the second period played the same sloppy, defensively inept hockey we’ve seen them play most of the year. The Red Wings goals came off of an inability to clear the puck, and a power play goal that was made possible by an unnecessary hit by Vince Dunn.  

Most importantly, the “good” version of the Kraken showed up for a longer period of time than the “bad.” Seattle came out of the locker room ready to bring the fight to Detroit. It just did not show up until the final period, when things started to click. The crowd was electric, and the Kraken fed off the energy. Seattle shut down Detroit and found ways to get the puck in the net that they couldn’t earlier in the game. Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol spoke about the teams play. 

“We just stayed with it throughout the game, our start was excellent. Second period, we made a couple mistakes... We had a decision to make after the second period: stick with it and try to find a little bit extra gas in the tank and push, or are we gonna go quietly away in the final 20 minutes... The way the atmosphere was in the building kinda got things rolling a little bit more,” Hakstol stated.  

In their inaugural season, the Kraken haven’t won a lot, but a solid number of them have shown an elite level of play. A few examples are: November 21st win over the Washington Capitals, November 27th win on the road against the Florida Panthers, and the January 23rd home win over the Panthers. Seattle has not been able to sustain that level of play, and it’s frustrating to think about the possibilities if they could. After tonight’s win, defenseman Adam Larsson stated “This is the standard that we want.” This team has some pieces of the puzzle, and major pieces could be added this offseason. It’s safe to say that fans can expect a better product next season at Climate Pledge Arena.   

The next contest for the Kraken is on Tuesday, March 22nd in Arizona against the Coyotes. Puck drop is at 7PM PST, and the game will be broadcast on ROOT sports. Arizona sits just above Seattle in the Western Conference at second to last. A key player to watch is forward Clayton Keller, who at just 23 years old leads the Coyotes in goals, assists, and points.