Kraken continue recent resurgence with 4-1 win versus the Flyers

The Seattle Kraken make it four wins in a row, thanks in large part to Philipp Grubauer’s tremendous performance between the pipes.

Back on November 23 the Seattle Kraken seemed to be in a promising position, sitting one point off the lead in the Pacific Division with a 11-5-6 record. Then it started to go wrong, as they endured a horrific run of just one win in their next 11 games.

This was clearly not what was wanted or indeed needed in Seattle, for a team looking to return to the playoffs after a two-season absence and win back the local fan base. However, following the trade of Mason Marchment the Kraken have managed to get back on track with a season-best three-game winning streak.

That winning streak improved to four games on Sunday evening, as the Kraken completed a hard-fought 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in a contest which was much closer than the finals scoreline suggested. Arguably the main reason the home side did win was due to the play of Philipp Grubauer between the pipes, as he stopped 31 of 32 shots and took home the First Star of the Game.

Philipp Grubauer nearly unbeatable on the night

Grubauer put his tremendous play down to an early power play opportunity for the Flyers, with him making four key saves that helped him fine-tune his focus for the remainder of the contest. Not that he was looking to take all of the credit, making sure to praise the defensive effort of his teammates in front of him.

The 34-year-old spoke to the media postgame about how well everyone played on the night. As per Geoff Baker of NHL.com, he said:

“The (goalie) numbers are always a reflection of how the team plays. So, without the team in front of us, we couldn’t do this. The way we play, the way we block shots, box out, let us see the puck. The way we worked back in our zone as a five-man unit, without that it wouldn’t be possible.”

Grubauer has enjoyed a fine season to date, as evidenced by a 6-3-1 record in nine starts and 12 overall appearances, in the process producing a .917 save percentage and 2.44 GAA. Yes he did have some struggles of his own during the Kraken’s horrendous run, but the fact remains he has provided excellent backup support to Joey Daccord as is projected to have his best season yet in Seattle.

Kraken make the most of their chances

Of course no matter how well the goalie is performing, you still need someone to put away chances at the other end of the ice and the team did just that with four goals on 20 shots. Jordan Eberle opened the scoring with his team-leading 14th goal of the season 3:48 into the second period, Chandler Stephenson made it 2-0 in the final period and Eeli Tolvanen scored two empty-netters to help secure a valuable two points for the Kraken.

Further helping the Kraken’s recent surge, they were undoubtedly encouraged by having both forward Jared McCann and defenseman Vince Dunn return from injury to face the Flyers. Now, it’s about maintaining the recent momentum.

Not that fans should expect the Kraken to rest on their laurels despite the four-game winning streak. There’s still plenty to work on, although head coach Lane Lambert balanced this with some positivity, as he said:

“I thought for the most part – and we talked about it this morning – that there’s potential for a little bit of sloppiness or whatever. I thought that if we were sloppy at times – although I didn’t think we were all that sloppy – that our goaltender played great for us and that’s what you need. But overall, I liked our team game. I like the way we’re playing for each other. And I thought that our structure, for the most part, was pretty good.”

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Consistency is key moving forward for the Kraken

Grubauer expanded on Lambert’s comments, by discussing the need to remain focused on the task at hand if the team is indeed going to stay in genuine contention for the playoffs. He said:

“Every shift is really important. It doesn’t matter if it starts on the forecheck, or in the neutral zone and goes into our defensive zone. Those moments are key. And if you have one shift off it might cost you, right? … So, we’ve got to find a way to keep building and playing that way because great teams do it consistently.”

The Kraken now find themselves within one point of the San Jose Sharks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and with two games in hand. They will end the 2025 portion of their campaign on Monday night with a home game versus the Vancouver Canucks, who are bottom of the conference and with the fewest points in the NHL.

Does this recent run of form give you confidence the Kraken are now firmly back in the playoff race? Or do you still need to see more to consider them a genuine contender? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.