Here’s how well the Seattle Kraken are playing right now: they defeated their alternate jersey curse, on the second of back-to-back games to boot.
Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena, the Boston Bruins were the latest to fall, 7-4. Seattle scored on three power plays, including the second career NHL goal from Berkley Catton in the 3rd period. It was his second, because he’d scored his first NHL goal one period earlier.
“It was a sense of relief for sure,” Catton said in a postgame interview, of scoring in his 28th Kraken game.
“I kind of blacked out, so I don’t remember (my first goal) that much.”
Jordan Eberle in the 1st, and Jared McCann beating the 2nd period horn had their own PP markers. Also lighting the lamp for Seattle: Ben Meyers, and Kaapo Kakko twice, one into an empty net. Joey Daccord contributed 32 saves. David Pastrnak scored twice for Boston.
Six Kraken finished with multiple points: Kakko with three, and two each for Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn, Freddy Gaudreau, McCann and Catton.
The win keeps the Kraken perfect in calendar year 2026 (4-0-0), as well as increasing their unbeaten streak in regulation to nine (8-0-1). That’s the second-longest points streak in franchise history.
Prior to tonight, Seattle had dropped all six of the games in which they wore their new “luminescent” 3rd jerseys – being outscored 27-11 in the process. The Kraken have also now won three of their most recent four back-to-back sets, after posting an 0-12 record in that category last season. To add one last layer of impressive, tonight’s contest was the fourth for the Kraken in a grueling six day span. Seattle won all four.
1st Period
Tonight’s Kraken mantra needs to be “Stay out of the box.” Boston has the NHL’s #4 power play (25.8%), while Seattle is last on the penalty kill (70.5%).
Boston’s Alex Steeves rings the pipe behind Daccord one minute into the game. Don’t know yet if that’s a good sign or bad sign for the home team.
Boston has not heeded the mantra. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov and goalie Jeremy Swayman take minors nine seconds apart, setting up a lengthy Kraken 5-on-3. That means there aren’t enough Bruins to cover Jordan Eberle, when a rebound comes to the captain along the far goal line. At 8:50, just 10 seconds into the double man advantage, Eberle’s team-high 15th puts Seattle on top.
Superstar Bruin David Pastrnak pays a price for tying the game on a set play at 12:47. Pastrnak tracks down a lead pass from Zadorov that otherwise would have been icing. In stride, Pasternak deposits his 18th behind Daccord, then gets slammed into the end boards by Ryker Evans.
Like all great goal-scorers, Pastrnak located the smallest of openings over the goalie’s shoulder and underneath the crossbar. Daccord will wish he hadn’t started down in the butterfly.
Shots in a tightly-played first 20 are 7-5 Seattle.
2nd Period
Tonight’s Kraken game #41 marks the halfway point of their 2025-26 season.
With Eeli Tolvanen out ill, the number of Kraken who have suited up for every game is down to six: forwards Jordan Eberle, Chandler Stephenson, Matty Beniers and Shane Wright; defensemen Adam Larsson and Ryan Lindgren.
Stephenson may have saved a goal by blocking Fraser Minten’s shot, with Daccord unable to slide side-to-side in time.
On the Kraken go-ahead goal, the hugs are just a little bit huggier. McCann feeds Berkly Catton at the bottom of the right circle. Catton’s one-timer from a severe angle would have gone barely wide (don’t tell anyone). But the puck banks off Swayman’s blocker and in at 2:48, the rookie’s first NHL goal.
Catton isn’t close to the most excited Kraken on ice. McCann, who’d shared words of encouragement with the teenager during his goal drought, jumps for joy; Wright, who was late to the celebration because he was retrieving the puck, gives Catton an enormous bear hug (appropriate for playing the Bruins). When they get back to the bench, Wright delivers a second giant bear hug.
The lead lasts 3:40. Down right wing, Charlie McAvoy holds the puck until drawing Daccord out of position. After taking a cross-ice pass, Pastrnak has an empty net for his second of the night at 6:28.
Boston-area native Beniers has a trio of grade-A chances. First, Swayman denies Beniers all alone from 15 feet. Not discouraged, the center remains in front, making a tip-in try that Swayman also stops. Now Matty’s discouraged, slamming his stick on the ice as he skates to the bench. On a later shift, Eberle finds Beniers breaking behind the B’s defense; for a third time, Swayman answers a great scoring chance.
Remember the mantra? Catton takes Seattle’s first minor, which the Kraken PK kills. That allows 4th-line magic to again connect for Seattle. Tye Kartye does the dirty work, freeing the puck behind the net. Ben Meyers one-times Kartye’s pass for a 3-2 lead at 18:23.
As it turns out, it’s the Bruins who need to stop taking penalties. Steeves goes off for slashing 16 seconds after the goal. Knowing the clock is on its final ticks, Jared McCann shoots as hard as he’s able. His 50-foot cannon crosses the goal line with 0.5 seconds left in the period for a 4-2 Kraken lead.
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Hope this isn’t an insult to say about a veteran hockey pro, but McCann’s reaction is adorable.
The green “end of period” light is illuminated, so McCann isn’t sure if his goal will count. Instead of celebrating – which might be a waste of energy – the winger looks right, left, and back at his bench for confirmation.
Yep, Jared, your 8th of the season is real, and the timing is spectacular.
Shots after 40 favor Boston, 22-21.
3rd Period
That first Wright-Catton hug we wrote about in the 2nd period:
That second Wright-Catton hug we wrote about in the 2nd period:
Daccord trips McAvoy, meaning both goalies have drawn tripping minors for just the 4th time in an NHL game since 2010 (stick tap to Zaiem Beg). The Bruins call their time out, but still can’t score on the power play.
Later, Daccord comes up big, when Pavel Zacha is left all alone from point-blank range.
Amazingly, five goals would be scored in the second half of the period. Kakko gave Seattle a 5-2 cushion at 10:21 (he would later add an empty-netter).
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Catton added a power play goal for a 6-2 lead at 14:20.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Boston got garbage-time goals from Mason Lohrei and Viktor Arvidsson. The Bruins fired 31 shots in the final two periods, and yet watched Seattle light up the scoreboard when the outcome was in the balance.
Up Next
The Minnesota Wild visit CPA Thursday night. Then comes a five-game, ten-day road trip, beginning Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.