SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken swept the season series against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, opening their four-game homestand with a 4-3 shootout victory after surrendering a three-goal lead in the third period.
Seattle appeared headed toward a comfortable finish after building a 3-0 advantage, but Detroit stormed back to force overtime and a shootout. The Kraken ultimately found a way to secure the two points, with Bobby McMann scoring the game-deciding goal and Philipp Grubauer shutting the door when it mattered most.
A promising start in The Deep
The Kraken came out looking comfortable on home ice, establishing control early and building momentum through the first two periods.
Mackie Samoskevich opened the scoring at 6:45 of the first period. Chandler Stephenson delivered a drop pass, and Samoskevich cut toward the slot before firing a shot over Detroit goaltender Daniil Tarasov’s blocker to give Seattle a 1-0 advantage. The goal was Samoskevich’s fourth with the Kraken.
Seattle added to its lead early in the second period after Detroit’s discipline issues handed the Kraken a two-man power play. Although Seattle couldn’t capitalize during the five-on-three, the opportunity paid off moments later.
At 3:22, defenseman Ryker Evans collected a loose puck in the slot after a Detroit turnover and snapped it past Tarasov to make it 2-0. Evans has now scored in back-to-back games, giving him two goals during that stretch.
The Kraken were rolling, and Brandon Montour made it three.
At 16:01 of the second period, Montour won the moment off an offensive-zone faceoff, collecting the puck near the left circle and firing it over Tarasov’s shoulder for his first goal of the season. According to NHL stats, Montour became the third Kraken defenseman to score 30 goals with the franchise, joining Vince Dunn, who has 56, and Adam Larsson, who has 34.
Seattle headed toward the third period with a commanding 3-0 lead, looking every bit like a team ready to start its homestand on the right foot.
But hockey has a way of reminding you that no lead is safe.
Detroit storms back
The Red Wings came out with renewed urgency in the third period, and suddenly the game changed.
Viktor Arvidsson got Detroit on the board at 6:25, finishing a rush with a wrist shot over Grubauer’s right pad. Just 59 seconds later, Lucas Raymond struck on the power play, collecting his own rebound and maneuvering around Grubauer before tucking the puck inside the near post.
A three-goal Seattle lead had become a one-goal game in less than a minute.
The Kraken were suddenly under pressure, struggling to regain the structure and control that had defined their first 40 minutes. Detroit kept pushing, and Seattle was forced to defend a lead that had seemed comfortable just moments earlier.
Then came the gut punch.
With 17 seconds remaining in regulation, Alex DeBrincat scored on a six-on-four power play with Detroit’s goaltender pulled for the extra attacker. The tic-tac-toe passing play ended with DeBrincat finishing from the left post, tying the game 3-3 and sending Climate Pledge Arena into stunned silence.
DeBrincat’s goal was also the 300th of his NHL career.
For Seattle, it was a brutal way to lose a three-goal advantage. But the Kraken still had a chance to salvage the night.
Grubauer and the shootout finish the job
Overtime provided both teams an opportunity to steal the extra point, but neither could find the winning goal. The game moved to a shootout, where the pressure shifted entirely to the shooters and goaltenders.
Freddy Gaudreau gave Seattle a lift by converting his attempt, and McMann followed with the decisive goal in the fourth round. McMann approached Tarasov with speed, slowed as he moved toward the slot, and snapped a shot through the goaltender’s five-hole.
McMann’s goal was the game-deciding tally, and he now shares the NHL lead in game-deciding goals with two.
Grubauer then took care of the rest, stopping Dylan Larkin on Detroit’s final attempt to secure the 4-3 victory.
Grubauer finished with 22 saves in regulation and overtime, then stopped three of Detroit’s four shootout attempts. The result extended his recent run of strong play: Grubauer has helped Seattle earn points in four consecutive games, going 3-0-1 during that span.
Seattle’s victory improved its record to 6-3-1 and completed the season sweep of Detroit, while the Red Wings fell to 3-3-3.
Contributions throughout the lineup
Seattle received important contributions beyond the goals and shootout heroics.
Stephenson recorded an assist and now leads the Kraken roster with nine points. Berkly Catton also continued his recent playmaking surge, recording an assist for the second consecutive game and totaling three helpers over his past two contests.
Matty Beniers and Gaudreau each went 7-for-11 in the faceoff circle, winning 63.3 percent of their draws and helping Seattle establish possession in key situations.
Two points, but plenty to clean up
There will be plenty for Seattle to review. Building a 3-0 lead demonstrated the team’s offensive potential, but surrendering three goals in the third period exposed the kind of late-game breakdowns that can turn wins into losses.
Still, the Kraken showed some resilience of their own. They could have folded after DeBrincat’s late equalizer, but instead regrouped, survived overtime, and won the shootout.
That’s the takeaway from the opening night of this four-game homestand: the Kraken didn’t make it easy, but they found a way to get the job done.
The Deep can celebrate the two points while recognizing that the road ahead requires a full 60-minute effort. Seattle will need to protect leads, manage the puck under pressure, and avoid giving opponents life late in games.
For one night, though, the final word belongs to Gaudreau, McMann and Grubauer.
The Kraken swept the season series, opened their homestand with a win, and gave the home crowd a shootout celebration.
Final: Seattle Kraken 4, Detroit Red Wings 3 (shootout).
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