On Thursday, November 13, the Seattle Kraken hosted the Winnipeg Jets for their second game of the season. The first meeting between the two teams resulted in a 3-0 shutout victory for the Kraken.
In this game, the Jets started strong and scored the first goal of the game. The Kraken managed to answer back with one of their own. The same thing happened in the second period; the Jets scored first and the Kraken answered. However, at the end of the period, the Jets scored again to give Winnipeg a one-goal lead. In the third period, the Kraken came out swinging with three unanswered goals to earn a 5-3 win. They now lead the season series 2-0.
Kakko scores his first goal
In this match, Kaapo Kakko scored the first goal for the Kraken. Matty Beniers skated the puck over the boards and passed it to Vince Dunn. He sent it to Jaden Schwartz, who was in the face-off. He shot, but Kakko stood in front of the net for a tip-off score the first goal for Seattle. Not only was this the first goal of the match, but it was also his first of the season.
Related: 3 takeaways from Kraken’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets
Unfortunately, Kakko also suffered from one lower body injury in this game. He left and didn’t return, playing only 3:51 total. This was only his seventh match back after dealing with one broken hand during preseason, which kept him out for the start of the 2025-2026 season. Hopefully the injury is not serious and Kakko can get back on the ice with the Kraken soon.
Kraken Line changes made a huge difference
Because Kakko was out of the line-up for the remainder of the match, the technical staff had to make some line changes. Fortunately, they turned out in favor of Lane Lambert. On the second line he paired Mason Marchment, Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle. This step has yielded a lot.
Two of the three third period goals for the Kraken were scored by Eberle with the help of Marchment and Beniers.
Seven minutes into the third period, Marchment carried the puck into the Kraken’s offensive zone. He hit a hit on Vladislav Namestnikov and dropped the puck for Beniers. He passed it to Eberle, who was standing in front of the net. He immediately took a shot and scored his first of the night.
With less than two minutes left and no goaltender in sight for the Jets, the Kraken got to work. Once again, Marchment had the first touch on this puck, knocking it away from the Jets’ zone. Beniers picked it up in the middle of the ice and handed it to Eberle. He skated it into the Kraken zone and made sure his shot would do just that hitting the empty net.
Lambert has often changed lines in the middle of the game, but this one was a great success. He has to keep Beniers and Eberle together; their chemistry is second to none. Usually they have Kakko next to them, but since he left the game, Lambert has had to make an adjustment.
With Marchment in the top six instead of the bottom six, he found great success. He broke his seven-game goal drought with two assists. Certainly, he feels more confident. It’s also clear that he can flex and shift when necessary, playing in the top six or bottom six, and still manage to record points. If Kakko is out long-term, it will be interesting to see if Lambert keeps this second-line trio, especially with Jared McCann still out.
Kraken stays at home
The Kraken remain at home for one more game, hosting the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, November 15.
The final game of the season series against Winnipeg won’t take place until April 6 at the Canada Life Centre. Let’s see if the Kraken can sweep the series or if the Jets will get a win against the Kraken by the end of the season.
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