Kraken move into playoff spot following 4-1 win versus Predators

Matty Beniers leads the way for the Kraken with his first two-goal game of the season, as he takes home the First Star in a decisive win.

Fair or not, there are those who wonder if Matty Beniers can return to the form which saw him named an All-Star and win the Calder Memorial Trophy during the 2022-23 season. In fact critics question if he can achieve even more and fulfil the promise which accompanied being selected second overall in the 2021 NHL entry draft by the Seattle Kraken.

It didn’t help that Beniers had struggled to make a significant impact to begin the 2025-26 campaign, with just four goals, 21 total points and a -3 rating in 37 games entering Thursday night’s contest. As such, his performance in the 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators provided some much-needed positivity for player and team alike.

Yes the Kraken still need to some more consistency from Beniers moving forward. However, for one night at least he showed the talent which convinced the team to sign him to a seven-year, $50 million contract extension ahead of last season.

The 23-year-old opened the scoring less than four minutes into Thursday night’s game at Climate Pledge Arena and when he scored again at the 10:51 mark of the first period to make it 3-0 to the Kraken, it was all but over. This marked his first two-goal game since October last season and he would have had his first ever hat-trick if not for missing a long range empty-netter late on.

Matty Beniers plays down his heroics for the Kraken

Overall though Beniers was tremendous on the night and deservedly took home the First Star of the Game. Discussing his two goals postgame with the media, as per Geoff Baker of NHL.com, he said:

“The first one just kind of hit my stick and I tipped it in front. The second one, (Kaapo Kakko) made a great play across to (Jordan Eberle) and I went to the net and it (the puck) was just sitting there. So I poked it in.”

As refreshing as Benier’s humble description of his brace was, it can’t be underestimated how important his clinical finishing was for a team which has struggled to convert their chances this season. The Kraken still sit bottom of the NHL in scoring, while in their previous game they only managed to score twice on 39 shots at goal in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

On Friday night though the Kraken managed to score four goals on just 23 attempts at goal. The other two came from Jamie Oleksiak in the first period, then Jared McCann’s late empty-netter to make it 4-1 with just 2:13 remaining in the game.

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Philipp Grubauer continues to excel between the pipes

The other main reason for the win was a third consecutive outstanding effort from Philipp Grubauer between the pipes, as he stopped 24 of 25 shots and was awarded the Second Star of the Game. He continues to have his best season in goal yet for the Kraken, going 7-3-1 in 13 games (including 10 starts) and producing a .920 save percentage and 2.32 GAA in the process.

As delighted as Kraken head coach Lane Lambert was with the win, he knows better than most not to rest of your laurels following the ugly stretch of just one win in 11 games. Speaking to Baker and the rest of the media postgame, he said:

“I thought our commitment was high and we did a lot of things we needed to do. There were probably a couple of moments in that game that are really good teaching moments for us when we do get in the lead. You can’t change the way you play just because you’re in the lead.”

Starting the New Year in a playoff spot

With the win the Kraken have now taken 11 out of a possible 12 points in their past six games. As a result, they have now also moved back into a playoff spot in the Western Conference and — for what it’s worth at this stage — they are within five points of the top of the Pacific Division.

The Kraken are eager to return to the playoffs after a two season absence and arguably desperate too, with plenty of fans disillusioned at how things have gone since the 2022-23 campaign. At least they have begun the New Year with a positive result and now it’s a case of continuing to build on their recent run of good form.

Key to this will be Beniers and the Kraken looking to find more ways to be more clinical in front of goal like they were on Thursday night. He said:

“We haven’t been in that situation too much. So, we’ll hopefully get a little more used to playing with that lead and try to keep pushing.”

Next up the Kraken get a quick chance at revenge versus the Canucks for the 3-2 shootout loss on Monday, as they travel to Vancouver to renew hostilities on Friday evening. Joey Daccord is in line to start in net, with him having gone 2-0-1 in his last three games.

There’s still a long way to go, but what is your assessment of the Kraken’s playoff chances following their recent points streak? How confident are you in their ability to make the second postseason appearance in franchise history? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.