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Dec 18, 2025; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn (29) skates with the puck towards the Calgary Flames throughout the third interval at Scotiabank Saddledome. Necessary Credit score: Sergei Belski-Imagn Photos When the Seattle Kraken final traveled to Calgary on Dec. 18, they hit all-time low.
The Kraken allowed three third-period objectives in a 4-2 loss that capped a 1-9-1 skid. By the tip of the following evening, they have been tied for final total within the NHL standings.
Seattle and Calgary are set to satisfy once more Monday evening in Alberta, solely with the Kraken in a a lot totally different scenario. They’re 6-0-1 since that loss and sit in a Western Convention wild-card spot.
Whether or not the Kraken are contenders or pretenders needs to be decided in January, once they have an NHL record-tying 17 video games scheduled.
One of many keys to the Kraken’s success has been the play of their fourth line. Ben Meyers, Ryan Winterton and Jacob Melanson mixed for 11 of Seattle’s 28 photographs on objective Friday in a 4-3 win towards the Vancouver Canucks.
Meyers, who had eight of these photographs, scored late within the second interval to provide the Kraken a 3-1 lead.
“That line has been very accountable, superb,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert mentioned. “And with these video games that now we have developing and the variety of video games that we have all talked about in January, we’ll need to have everyone (contributing high quality minutes).”
Winterton and Melanson are each using three-game level streaks.
“We’re simply centered on taking part in easy and being arduous to play towards,” mentioned Meyers, “and issues are figuring out and we’re discovering success simply doing the straightforward issues proper.”
The Kraken additionally acquired a objective from defenseman Cale Fleury, his first since his rookie season with Montreal in 2019-20.
“Anytime you rating, it is thrilling, however it’s been some time on this league for me, so it was particular,” Fleury mentioned. “For me, it is simply trusting my talents. I do know I am on this league for a cause. I talked with Coach too, (and) he is simply telling me to play with confidence, so when you could have Coach telling you that it could be type of impolite to not.”
The Flames have additionally been on the rise, with that earlier win over Seattle igniting a 5-2-0 streak. That is regardless of a 4-3 residence loss to Nashville on Saturday, during which they allowed the decisive objective with 29 seconds remaining.
“I do not assume it was a fantastic sport for us in comparison with those we have performed during the last couple of minutes,” Flames coach Ryan Huska mentioned. “I solely thought we had possibly 5 guys that have been at a stage that I believe they need to have been at. I assumed Nashville was a lot faster than us for almost all a part of the sport. Not a fantastic evening.”
Blake Coleman scored the tying objective for the Flames within the third interval, Matt Coronato had two assists and goaltender Dustin Wolf stopped 32 photographs.
“We have been cussed all evening, and it got here again to chew us at one of many largest occasions of the sport,” Coleman mentioned. “It is simply a kind of issues the place in that scenario and that rating and the place we’re, it is early to be speaking standings, however we have given ourselves a chance to actually climb. There is no excuse for it.”
Flames ahead Johnny Beecher left the sport within the second interval after sustaining an obvious upper-body damage in a combat with Nashville’s Nicolas Hague. Beecher did not return, and his coach did not have an replace on his standing. Beecher was additionally suspended one sport Sunday by the NHL for roughing Nashville’s Michael McCarron.
–Subject Stage Media
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