On Sunday, Dec. 14, the Seattle Kraken hosted the Buffalo Sabres for their first game of the season. The Sabres scored first with a late first-period goal by Noah Ostlund. Tage Thompson followed up with a goal in the middle of the second to increase Buffalo’s lead. Chandler Stephenson got the Kraken on the board with a power-play goal shortly after Thompson’s. Although the Kraken tried to tie the game, Zach Benson’s empty-net goal with seconds left in the third ensured the Sabres took home a 3-1 win.
Stephenson Found Success on the Power Play
As mentioned above, Chandler Stephenson was the only Kraken player to score a goal in this game. He also managed to do it on an extra-man advantage chance, which is something the Kraken have struggled to score on this season.
When Rasmus Dahlin took a seat for cross-checking Matty Beniers, the Kraken immediately got to work. Beniers won the initial faceoff, and the puck found Jordan Eberle right behind him. He passed the puck down to Vince Dunn at the blue line. He sent it up to Chandler Stephenson near the faceoff circle, who sent a blast towards the net. The puck bounced off the post and in to ensure the Kraken did not get shut out.
The Kraken’s power play is slowly starting to get better. They have had a total of 94 power-play opportunities so far this season and have had a 19.1% success rate. The Kraken are currently ranked 16th overall in the league on the power play. Seattle needs to capitalize on these extra-man advantages if they want to win games. Their offense continues to struggle; they can’t afford to continue losing scoring opportunities on the power play.
Kraken Penalty Kill Held Strong
While Seattle’s power play is currently in the middle of the pack, they are ranked dead last on the penalty kill. With a 67.5% success rate, they are stuck at 32nd in the entire league. The Kraken gave up two extra-man advantages to the Sabres in this game. However, the penalty kill stayed strong, and Seattle didn’t allow a single power-play goal.
Sure, it stinks that Buffalo scored two of their goals at even strength. At the same time, the lack of scoring on the extra-man advantage shows that the Kraken are starting to step up defensively. Seattle needs to keep these penalty kill units strong if they want to get back to the success they had at the beginning of the season.
Missing Players Continue to Hurt Seattle
The Kraken continue to lose key players to their team. Forward Mason Marchment was a healthy scratch in this game due to illness. It is unclear what he was out sick with, but Tye Kartye was also out two games prior with an illness. Hopefully, Marchment recovers soon, and no one else on the team gets sick.
Related: Kraken’s Jared McCann Out 3 Weeks with a Lower-Body Injury
The day before this game, the Kraken also announced they have placed Jared McCann on injured reserve (IR). Since he was taken off the official roster, Seattle had a roster spot to fill, and they recalled Jacob Melanson from the Coachella Valley Firebirds, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate team.
With Marchment out of the lineup and Melanson with the team, he played in his first NHL game of the 2025-26 season. He played right wing on the fourth line alongside Kartye and Ben Meyers. Although Melanson only saw 7:47 of time on the ice, you would have thought he played more because he was all over the ice.
He only played in his first-ever NHL game last season on March 6 against the Nashville Predators. The young player has recorded 14 points in 23 games with the Firebirds this season. Melanson has had success in the AHL and certainly deserved his NHL call-up. This call-up is his chance to try and help the struggling Kraken and prove that he deserves a spot in the NHL.
Kraken Are Staying Home
The Kraken will remain in Seattle and host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Climate Pledge Arena.
