On Tuesday, Dec. 23, the Seattle Kraken played against the Los Angeles Kings for their last game before the Christmas break. The first period remained scoreless, but the Kings took a penalty late in the first frame. The Kraken began the second period on the man advantage, allowing them to strike first. They racked up three goals before the Kings scored their first and managed to hold them off and keep their lead for a 3-2 win over Los Angeles.
Eberle Kicked the Kraken Off
With just seconds left in the first period, former Kraken Brian Dumoulin took a seat for tripping Kaapo Kakko. With the penalty getting called so late in the period, Seattle began the second period with an extra man on the ice over Los Angeles.
Thirty seconds remained, and the Kraken kicked it into action. Chandler Stephenson held the puck by the boards and passed it up to Jordan Eberle, who was next to the net. He couldn’t find a scoring opportunity, so he dropped it back down for Stephenson. He passed it right to Matty Beniers in the center of the ice. He sent it back up for Eberle, who centered the puck on his stick and shot it right past Pheonix Copley for the first goal of the game.
Eberle scored twice in the game on Tuesday against the Ducks, so he picked up right back where he left off. Unfortunately, it was not the same game, so he couldn’t earn a hat trick. However, this line of Beniers, Eberle, and Kakko has been finding a lot of success these past two games. Let’s hope they can keep it up following the four-day break.
Tolvanen Is On a Hot Streak
Stephenson was the player in the limelight these past few games after recording nine points in eight games. He recorded his personal-best NHL point streak and the fourth longest of any Kraken player. This streak came to an end against the Ducks, but now a new player is on a streak of his own. Eeli Tolvanen has recorded seven points in his last five games via one goal and six assists.
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He has been a prominent part of the top six alongside Stephenson and Frederick Gaudreau, while both Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz are still out with injury. While he has only scored one goal to procure these points, he is still getting his name on the scoresheet and producing offensively.
The Bad Luck Back-to-Back Streak Is Over
There is no denying that the Kraken have struggled when playing in the second half of back-to-back games over the past few seasons. Prior to this game, the Kraken went on a 17-game losing streak in the second half of back-to-back games. For the first time since March 5, 2024, they finally won the back half of these doubleheader games.
The Kraken’s next two games are also on a back-to-back, when they host the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vancouver Canucks. On the plus side, they don’t have to travel and can remain home during this two-day stretch of games. Hopefully, the Kraken can continue on this winning pattern of back-to-back games, because they need every win and point they can get.
On top of this, the Kraken have now won their last three straight, which were against all three California teams on the road. After dropping 10 out of 11 games ahead of this, it’s nice for the Kraken to be back in the win column.
Kraken Will Return After the Break
The NHL is on a three-day break now for the Christmas holiday. The Kraken will be back in action in Seattle on Sunday, Dec. 28, when they host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The season series between the Kraken and the Kings will continue in Seattle on Feb. 4.
