Kraken answer every Washington push and pull away late for 5-3 win

Four first-period goals set the pace

The game announced itself as a trading affair almost immediately. Kaapo Kakko opened the scoring at 6:06 of the first, taking a setup from Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson to put Seattle ahead 1-0. Washington answered at 11:41 when Jordan Kyrou scored on a snap shot with assists from Cole Hutson and Ryan Leonard, and the Capitals moved in front at 16:47 on Alex Ovechkin’s snap shot, created by Ilya Protas and Aliaksei Protas.

Seattle made sure that Washington’s lead lasted only a few minutes. Jordan Eberle tied it 2-2 at 19:49 of the opening period, finishing a play started by Chandler Stephenson and Bobby McMann. That equalizer mattered because it reset a game that had begun to tilt toward the home side on the scoreboard, and it gave the Kraken a clean platform for the middle frame instead of a chase from behind.

If the first period belonged to anyone, it belonged to neither side for long. Each club scored twice, and each club found a response after being hit. Washington produced the larger volume over the night, but Seattle’s ability to answer before the intermission kept the Capitals from carrying a one-goal cushion into the second.

Gaudreau restores Seattle’s edge

The second period tightened considerably after the early exchange of the first. There was only one goal in the frame, and it came from Freddy Gaudreau at 13:24. Ryan Winterton and Ben Meyers supplied the assists on a backhand finish that pushed Seattle back in front, 3-2.

That goal stood alone in the period, which made it even more valuable. With both teams finishing the night 0-for-2 on the power play, the game was decided almost entirely at even strength. Seattle did not need a special-teams swing to regain control of the score; it found one clean finish in the second and carried it into the third.

Washington still built pressure over the course of the evening, finishing with a 36-27 edge in shots and a 31-13 edge in hits. But the Capitals also gave the puck away 20 times, compared with 14 for Seattle, and that is the sort of imbalance that can cancel out territorial advantages. Joey Daccord’s work in net helped the Kraken bank that middle-period lead, as he finished with 33 saves and a .917 save percentage.

A tie at 0:46, a winner at 14:33

Washington struck fast in the third and looked ready to turn the night again. Boone Jenner tied the game 3-3 just 46 seconds into the period, scoring unassisted to erase Seattle’s second-period work almost immediately. At that point, the Capitals had clawed back from behind for the second time and had plenty of time left to go find the decisive goal.

Instead, the deadlock lasted deep into the period before Seattle found the next break. Jared McCann scored at 14:33, with Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans assisting, to restore the Kraken’s lead at 4-3. That was the turning point of the final period: Washington had done the hard part by leveling the game early, but Seattle produced the next finish when the margin for error had narrowed.

Ryan Winterton then supplied the insurance at 17:20, scoring on a snap shot off passes from Meyers and Gaudreau. Winterton’s goal-and-assist night and Meyers’ two assists gave Seattle meaningful depth behind the headline scorers. Five different Kraken skaters found the net — Kakko, Eberle, Gaudreau, McCann and Winterton — which helps explain how Seattle won despite taking nine fewer shots than Washington.

Our take: Seattle’s finishing held up where Washington’s volume did not

This was the sort of game that resists a simple reading from the shot clock alone. Washington did enough to stay in it and more than enough to test Daccord, while Logan Thompson faced 27 shots and stopped 22 for an .815 save percentage. The Capitals also held a slight edge on faceoffs, winning 34 to Seattle’s 32. Those are useful numbers, but they were not the decisive ones.

The decisive difference was Seattle’s efficiency on its best looks and its steadiness after each Washington answer. Every time the Capitals tied the score or moved ahead, the Kraken found a reply: Eberle late in the first, Gaudreau in the second, McCann in the third, then Winterton for separation. That pattern says more about the game than any single team total. Seattle did not need long stretches of dominance to win; it needed timely finishing and dependable goaltending, and it got both.

For Washington, the path to improvement is clearer than the final score alone might suggest. Generating 36 shots and 31 hits gave the Capitals enough activity to win, but the empty power play, the 20 giveaways and the five goals allowed on 27 shots undercut that work. For Seattle, the takeaway is simpler: when the game turned into an exchange of answers, the Kraken owned the final word.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 6:06

   Kaapo Kakko Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: Vince Dunn (4), Adam Larsson (1)

2. 1st · 11:41

   Jordan Kyrou Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Cole Hutson (2), Ryan Leonard (2)

3. 1st · 16:47

   Alex Ovechkin Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Ilya Protas (2), Aliaksei Protas (2)

4. 1st · 19:49

   Jordan Eberle Goal (3) Snap Shot, assists: Chandler Stephenson (5), Bobby McMann (1)

5. 2nd · 13:24

   Freddy Gaudreau Goal (4) Backhand, assists: Ryan Winterton (4), Ben Meyers (3)

6. 3rd · 0:46

   Boone Jenner Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: none

7. 3rd · 14:33

   Jared McCann Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: Brandon Montour (5), Ryker Evans (3)

8. 3rd · 17:20

   Ryan Winterton Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Ben Meyers (4), Freddy Gaudreau (1)