On Saturday, Nov. 29, the Seattle Kraken hosted the Edmonton Oilers for their second game of the season. On Oct. 25, they played their first game of the season, where the Kraken pulled out a 3-2 win. They couldn’t repeat this success in the second game, as the Oilers shut them out 4-0.
Special Teams Struggled
Both the power play and the penalty kill struggled in this game. The Kraken had six power-play chances, and they could not capitalize on any of them. This is not a new phenomenon, as they also couldn’t score on their five power-play chances in their game on Wednesday when they hosted the Dallas Stars. The last time they scored a power play goal was on Nov. 20 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Kraken have had 14 power-play chances in their last four games that they could not cash in on.
Related: Skinner Leads Oilers to 4-0 Shutout Win Over Kraken
Their penalty kill was not much better this game. The Oilers managed to sneak two goals past Joey Daccord on their extra-man advantage, scoring half of their goals in this game on the power play. Of course, Seattle’s loss is not solely due to their inability to kill the penalty, considering they did not score a single goal. However, it did not help their cause.
Overall for the league, the Kraken have the worst penalty-kill percentage at 69.2%. Their power play is a little better, but not by much. It currently sits at 21st overall in the NHL with a 16.7% success rate. The Kraken will need to make the most of their extra-man advantages, especially if they wish to keep their current playoff spot.
Defense Was Lacking
There was a bright spot in the Kraken’s performance: they had a strong faceoff performance. They won 55.6%, 30 of the 54 faceoffs in the game. Although the Kraken won more of the faceoffs than the Oilers, they struggled to keep the puck in their zone.
The defensive pairing of Brandon Montour and Ryan Lindgren also struggled. They were on the ice for two of the Oilers’ four goals.
This performance was very out of character for Montour, who has been known to be a strong two-way defender for the Kraken. It might be time to shake up the defensive pairings a little bit, so the team can have more success.
Kakko’s Return Was Not Enough
This game marked the return of Kaapo Kakko from his second injury of the 2025-26 season. He was out for six weeks after a broken hand sustained in the preseason. He was back for seven games and scored one goal before he was dealt another injury, this time a lower-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve (IR) and had to miss six games. He finally returned for this game against Edmonton.
Although he was playing on the bottom six, he had plenty of ice time, recording 16:35 across 20 shifts. He even had a shot on goal. When Kakko joined the Kraken last season, he became a huge part of their offense, recording 30 points in 49 games. The fact that he has missed so much time with Seattle has put a strain on them offensively. Let’s hope that Kakko can remain healthy for the rest of the season.
Kraken Head to Edmonton
The Kraken don’t have to wait long to take on the Oilers again. They’ll play a home-and-home, with the Kraken taking on the Oilers in Edmonton for their next game on Thursday, Dec. 4. The Kraken have five days before their next game; let’s hope they can sort out their issues before then.
