A bad week at Climate Pledge

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After a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Kings earlier this week, the Seattle Kraken and their fans hoped they were back on the right track.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The Kraken dropped a 3-1 decision to the Buffalo Sabres last night at Climate Pledge Arena, their seventh loss in the last eight games. Seattle drops to 12-12-6 on the season.

The Kraken ended a five-game losing streak with a goal in the last minute and an overtime score against the division rival Kings on Wednesday. The Kraken couldn’t build any momentum off that, as they dropped a 4-2 decision to the Utah Mammoth on Friday night.

Justin Schultz and Jaden Schwartz, two of their best scorers, continue to be out of the Seattle lineup with injuries. Mason Marchment, who had both Kraken goals in their loss to the Mammoth, was a late scratch last night due to a flu bug that’s apparently sweeping the team.

However, Kraken coach Lane Lambert wasn’t making any excuses.

``We played hard,’’ said Lambert. ``You can’t use (health and injuries) as an excuse. It happens to other teams. It’s that time of year.’’

The Sabres (14-14-4) took a 1-0 first period lead on a two-on-one break. Former first-round draft pick Noah Ostlund took a centering pass from Josh Norris and fired one past Kraken netminder Joey Daccord. It was a painful assist as Norris lost his balance and crashed into the boards.

The Buffalo goal came at the 17:09 mark of what had been an uneventful first period. The Kraken’s best scoring chance of the period came when Freddy Gaudreau’s shot hit the post.

The Sabres lead increased to 2-0 when Vince Dunn’s clearing pass was intercepted and with no Kraken behind Dunn, Buffalo got a two-on-none break with Tage Thompson notching the goal.

Seattle added a power play goal two minutes later. Jordan Eberle won the faceoff and dropped a pass to Dunn at the point. He head-manned to Chandler Stephenson, who slid one past Buffalo netminder Alex Lyon, who stopped 23 of 24 shots. Heading into the game only five teams had given up more goals than the Sabres.

``We’re holding on to the puck a split second longer than needed and (shots) are not getting through,’’ said Lambert of the Kraken’s lack of goal scoring.

Jacob Melanson was a bright spot for the Kraken, playing his second NHL game. Melanson was recalled from Coachella Valley earlier in the day on a standby basis. He was added to the lineup in place of Marchment. In his first two shifts, Melanson had four hits and finished the game with seven, bringing a feistiness to the game not often seen from the Kraken.

“I thought (Melanson) was exactly what we needed,’’ said Lambert. ``He had some youthful energy and certainly he finished his checks. I thought he played well.”

On Friday night, the Kraken dropped a 4-2 decision to the Utah Mammoth. While the game featured more up and down action than some Kraken tilts this season, but for the second time in the 2025-26 campaign, Seattle allowed two empty net goals in the closing minutes. It was a painful assist for Norris as he crashed into the boards and was

The Kraken now have the unenviable task of hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night, who currently boast the best record in the league.

First Period

B- Noah Ostlund (Josh Norris, Alex Tuch) 17:09.

Second Period

B- Tage Thompson (Peyton Krebs, Tuch) 10:08.

S- Chandler Stephenson 6 (Vince Dunn 13, Jordan Eberle 10) PPG, 12:24.

Third Period

B- Zack Benson (Jack Quinn, Ryan McLeod) 19:14.

Saves- B:Alex Lyon 23 of 24. S: Joey Daccord 20 of 22

Three Stars- 1. Tage Thompson, B. 2. Alex Tuch, B. 3. Chandler Stephenson, S.


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