Kraken Edge Maple Leafs to Continue Strong Start to Season

The Seattle Kraken pushed their early-season record to an impressive 8-4-1, dodging a late surge from the Toronto Maple Leafs to secure a hard-fought victory at Climate Pledge Arena. Head coach Lane Lambert encapsulated the evening with a simple arithmetic truth: a win is a win is a win.

Kraken Secure Third Place in Division Standings

That math currently sits the Kraken in third place within the Pacific Division, trailing the first-place Edmonton Oilers by just three points. This latest triumph marks their third win in four tries during the ongoing homestand, adding to an earlier victory against the Utah playoff contenders.

A Final Period Collapse Avoided in Regulation

The path to two points was far from straightforward. Chandler Stephenson and Ryker Evans built a 4-2 lead for Seattle entering the final period. Jack Roslovic narrowed the gap midway through the period before 18-year-old Toronto rookie Gavin McKenna later scored to tie the game. With goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky pulled for an extra attacker, Auston Matthews buried the game-tying goal with just 90 seconds remaining in regulation.

Containing Toronto’s Elite Power Play

Toronto’s high-octane attack relied heavily on McKenna, the No. 1 overall pick in last summer’s draft. The young forward netted a pair of power-play strikes, repeatedly punishing Seattle for defensive miscues. Coming into the matchup, the Kraken knew containing the Maple Leafs’ fifth-ranked power-play efficiency rate of 28.9 percent was paramount, yet they still found themselves burned twice by the dynamic unit.

Mahura Breaks a 134-Game Drought

Josh Mahura added to the scoring ledger early, converting a 2-on-1 pass from Ben Meyers just 16 seconds into the second period. The goal carried a strange statistical symmetry for Mahura, arriving almost exactly a year after his overtime winner against the Maple Leafs in Toronto last October, and following a 134-game scoring drought that stretched back to January 2023.

“It’s just weird how it kind of works out that way, I’ve got to say. If I had the answers, I’d probably be scoring a lot more,” Mahura said.

Sticking With It Through Late Strikes

That momentum evaporated just 63 seconds later when Evans took a hooking penalty. McKenna capitalized immediately from the right circle off a feed from Matthews, knotting the score at 2-2. Undeterred, Seattle answered fewer than two minutes later when Stephenson fired a net-front pass toward Matty Beniers, which deflected in off a Toronto defender.

“They obviously have some good players that were making some good plays, and we just stuck with it,” Mahura said of the Maple Leafs’ offense.

The schedule offers little time to rest. The Kraken travel to face the Calgary Flames on Friday night. Following that, they return home to host the Flames and the New York Rangers next week before embarking immediately to Finland for a pair of matchups.

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