10/6/26
By Marcus Sledge
For three games, the Seattle Kraken had looked like a team ready to make some noise.
Tuesday night, they ran into a reminder that the Pacific Division doesn’t hand out many easy nights.
The Vegas Golden Knights rolled into Climate Pledge Arena and handed the Seattle Kraken a convincing 6–2 loss, using timely scoring, special-teams execution and a relentless attack to take control of the game.
After scoring six goals in each of their first two games against Calgary, Seattle couldn’t find that same offensive rhythm against Vegas. The Kraken generated pressure, but too often the chances ended without a dangerous finish.
Vegas Takes Control
The Golden Knights opened the scoring 13:02 into the first period when Victor Olofsson redirected a Rasmus Andersson shot past Joey Daccord. Just under three minutes later, Tomas Hertl struck on the power play, giving Vegas a 2–0 advantage after 20 minutes.
Then came the knockout punch.
Mark Stone scored shorthanded early in the second after Brandon Montour’s stick broke, creating a two-on-one for Vegas. Olofsson added his second of the night, and Jack Eichel capped the period with a breakaway goal.
Just like that, Seattle was staring at a 5–0 deficit.
And it wasn’t just the score. Vegas was making Seattle pay for mistakes.
A Kraken Push — But Too Late
Seattle finally broke through early in the third.
Shane Wright took a pass from Kaapo Kakko and snapped a wrist shot past Carter Hart to get the Kraken on the board. Later, Jared McCann converted on the power play, giving the home crowd another reason to make some noise.
But Vegas had already built too much of a cushion.
Hertl answered with his second power-play goal of the night, pushing the lead back to five before McCann’s late goal made it 6–2.
For Seattle, there were flashes of the team that had dominated Calgary, but not nearly enough of them.
Vegas’ Stars Shine
Hertl and Eichel were simply too much.
Hertl finished with two goals and two assists, while Eichel recorded a goal and three assists. Olofsson scored twice before leaving the game in the third period following a hit from Seattle’s Ben Meyers.
Mark Stone added a goal and an assist and reached 400 career points with the Golden Knights, becoming just the third player in franchise history to reach that mark.
For Seattle, Wright and McCann provided the offense, while Kakko had two assists.
Daccord, who had been outstanding through Seattle’s first three games, was pulled after allowing five goals on 21 shots. Philipp Grubauer finished the game in relief.
The Fight Back
The final period became increasingly physical.
With the game essentially decided, frustration boiled over. The Meyers hit on Olofsson resulted in a five-minute major and game misconduct, and the Kraken and Golden Knights exchanged some heated moments as the night wound down.
It wasn’t the ending Seattle wanted, but perhaps it was the type of game a young team needs early in a season.
The Big Picture
The Kraken fall to 2–2–0, but this isn’t a night to panic.
Seattle has already shown it can score in bunches. It has shown speed, energy and the ability to pressure opponents. What Tuesday showed is that against a veteran team like Vegas, mistakes get punished quickly.
The first three games offered plenty of optimism.
Tuesday offered a reality check.
Vegas was simply better.
Now the Kraken have to show how they respond.
Because in the Pacific Division, one bad night can be forgotten pretty quickly—if the next one is better.
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