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Jamie Oleksiak, Seattle Kraken (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

3 Takeaways From the Kraken’s 5-4 OT Loss to the Canadiens

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jess Amato | Last updated Oct 15, 2025 9:35 AM ET

On Tuesday, Oct. 14, the Seattle Kraken took on the Montreal Canadiens for their home opener. The Kraken were on a two-game winning streak and were one of three undefeated teams in the NHL. The Canadiens quickly changed this, defeating Seattle 5-4 in overtime.

Kraken Demonstrated a Strong Team Effort

There is no denying that hockey is a team sport, but the Kraken really came together in this game. There were four different goal scorers, and 11 different players recorded at least a point. The only player to record two points was Jared McCann.

Three different players recorded their first goals of the season. First up was Jaden Schwartz, who scored a power-play goal at the beginning of the second period to tie the game. Shane Wright passed the puck across the ice to Schwartz, earning Wright his first assist of the season.

Later on in the second, Jani Nyman scored his first goal to once again tie the game. Frederick Gaudreau passed the puck to Tye Kartye, who skated it around the back of the net. Once he found himself in position, Kartye took the shot. The puck deflected off Nyman’s skate and into the net. All three players recorded their first point of the season, with Gaudreau earning his first with Seattle.

Early in the third period, the Canadiens had just gained the lead once more. Seattle had the puck in their offensive zone, and Josh Mahura took a shot. The shot went wide, but McCann picked up the rebound. He passed it to Jamie Oleksiak. His shot bounced off the crossbar and into the net to tie the game up again. Both Oleksiak and Mahura recorded their first point of the season with this goal. McCann already had goals to his name, but his pass to Oleksiak recorded his first assist of the season.

Three minutes later, the Kraken won the faceoff. The puck found Ryan Lindgren at the blue line, who then passed it to Brandon Montour. He passed it up to McCann, whose shot gave Seattle the lead for the first time this whole game. His secondary assist earned Lindgren his first point with Seattle.

The team effort in this game was something to be proud of. Several players recorded their first points of the season. Additionally, Gaudreau and Lindgren earned their first points since joining Seattle in the offseason. The Kraken are looking poised for a successful season, as these players continue to support one another and share the scoring chances.

Kraken Held Strong on the Power Play

This game got chippy, with the Kraken taking three penalties. They had to sit twice in the first period and then again in the third period. Despite the six minutes the Canadiens had an extra-man advantage, the Kraken’s defense was stronger; they denied Montreal the chance to score.

Last season, the Kraken struggled on the penalty kill. They allowed 44 goals while they were down a player. Seattle was 23rd out of all 32 teams when giving up goals on the penalty kill. While this isn’t the worst record, there is no denying the difficulty Seattle had. So far for the 2025-26 season, Seattle has given the opposing team seven power-play opportunities. They have only had one power-play goal scored against them. The Kraken are starting the season strong in terms of the penalty kill.

Kraken Still Earned a Point

While it stinks that Seattle’s win streak is now over, there are still some good things that came out of this game. Since the Canadiens tied the game in the final minutes, it went into overtime. The Kraken earned one point because of this. While it would have been great to pick up a second point, they are still towards the top of the leaderboard in the Pacific Division. With five points in their first three games, the Kraken are off to a great start in the 2025-26 season.

Kraken Head to Canada’s Capital

The Kraken will continue on their road trip, where they will travel to Ottawa to take on the Senators on Thursday, Oct. 16. Seattle will look to get another two points in this game.