On Thursday, Jan. 8, the Seattle Kraken hosted the Minnesota Wild for their second matchup of the 2025-26 NHL season. The Wild took an early two-goal lead as the first period came to a close. The Kraken managed to score two goals in the third period for a late comeback, forcing the game into overtime. The Wild dominated the 3-on-3 and left Seattle with a 3-2 win.
With their win, the Wild now win the season series against the Kraken.
Third Period Comeback
Despite being down two goals in the third period, the Kraken didn’t give up. Instead, they managed to even the score.
Just three minutes into the third, Vince Dunn took a shot from the blue line, but it bounced off the goalpost. The loose puck found Adam Larsson near the right faceoff circle. He sent a slap shot into the net to get the Kraken within one.
Related: Zuccarello the OT Hero as Wild Beat Kraken 3-2
Three minutes passed, and Jake Middleton took a seat for tripping Berkly Catton. Just as he was about to exit the box, Yakov Trenin took a seat for elbowing Catton. He took a seat in the box with Middleton, and the Kraken had a 5-on-3 for a monumental two seconds. Although the Wild successfully killed off Middleton’s penalty, they couldn’t for Trenin’s.
Middleton exited the box right as Jared McCann took a shot on net. The Kraken retrieved the rebound and reset the play. Dunn held the puck at the blue line and passed it back up to McCann. He took another slap shot from the faceoff circle, but it was stopped by Jesper Wallstedt. Matty Beniers was in front of the net and managed to pick up the rebound. He sent the puck into the net to tie the game.
It was a team effort to try to give the Kraken a fighting chance in this game. Dunn had two points, and McCann extended his point streak to six games. Although they were down, the Kraken demonstrated they weren’t out just yet and pulled off the comeback.
Grubauer Kept Them Alive
Once again, Philipp Grubauer was a saving grace for the Kraken. He made 31 saves on 34 shots, earning him a save percentage (SV%) of .912 after 62:09 on the ice. In overtime, Grubauer stopped three of the Wild’s four shots, and the Kraken didn’t even get one in the 3-on-3.
In his last four games prior to this one, Grubauer allowed only one goal each and won each of them. Of course, it stinks to break this streak. However, he had a strong performance, despite the loss.
Almost a year ago, Grubauer was placed on waivers for the purpose of being sent down to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Kraken’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate team, for a conditioning stint. The player he was a year ago is not the same one he is today, and that is for the better. All of that training has made Grubauer a better goaltender for his team.
Point Streak Continues
Although this game was a loss for Seattle, they managed to force the game to overtime, resulting in another point for them. This was the first game the Kraken dropped in the new year. On top of this, they have picked up points in their last 10 games, only losing two of them.
This is a much better performance than how they ended November and kicked off December, where they dropped 10 of 11 games. Despite sitting at the bottom of the standings after this earlier performance, the Kraken are currently third in the Pacific Division, just two points under the Edmonton Oilers. Just like their performance in this game, don’t count the Kraken out of the playoff race just yet.
Kraken Kick Off a Five-Game Road Trip
The Kraken now head to the East Coast, where they will take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, Jan. 10. This game marks the first of five on the road for Seattle, three of which are on the East Coast.
The season series between the Kraken and the Wild will end on April 7 in Minnesota. This game will determine if the Wild sweep the season series or if the Kraken will get one win under their belt.
