1/25/2025
SEATTLE, WASH
Matty Beniers and Berkly Catton scored goals 18 seconds apart while Joey Daccord helped and got help from his teammates for the Seattle Kraken to come up with a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon.
Ryker Evans, Matty Beniers, Berkly Catton, and Jordan Eberle scored for Seattle with Joey Daccord making 28 saves in the win. Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes scored for New Jersey while Jacob Markstrom made 15 saves in the loss.
The 12pm puck drop because of the Seahawks NFC Championship Game three and a half hours later marks the earliest start time to a Kraken home game in franchise history.
Seattle came into the afternoon two points back of the final playoff spot in the West. Two nights prior against the Anaheim Ducks, the Kraken had according to head coach Lane Lambert their “worst 40 minutes” he had ever seen in a 4-2 loss.
The Devils jumped to an early lead when Dougie Hamilton scored a power play goal at 8:11 of the opening period.
Seattle’s Ryan Lindgren and New Jersey’s Dalton Mercer were called for fighting majors at 10:26 of the first after Lindgren dished a leveling hit on Ondrej Palat.
The first period saw very few shots with Seattle outshooting New Jersey 7-6, the Devils led 1-0 off the goal from Hamilton.
Seattle broke the ice in the second period when Ryker Evans at 7:37 snuck a shot by Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom to tie the game.
Evans’ tally was the lone scoring in the period, with New Jersey outshooting Seattle in the period 9-8.
Matty Beniers broke the tie for Seattle when the former Michigan Wolverine roofed a backhander by Markstrom at 7:04 of the third period. For Beniers, the goal was his 12th of the season.
Moments later, Berkly Catton scored at 7:22 tucking a loose puck by the left post into the net. Seattle had scored two goals in 18 seconds. “I have no clue how it went in,” remarked Catton how scoring the goal. For the former Spokane Chief, he tallied his fifth goal of the season.
New Jersey responded 8:14 when Jack Hughes’ shot from the left point at 8:14 on the power play to put the Devils within one.
New Jersey pushed for an equalizer, but in the end, Seattle’s skaters blocked multiple New Jersey chances to keep New Jersey off the scoreboard the rest of the game.
Jordan Eberle iced it with an empty net goal at 18:48 to secure the Kraken victory.
Joey Daccord lauded the effort from his skaters, “that’s the sacrifice it takes to win.”
Lane Lambert defined the win fittingly saying, “there was very little ice, there wasn’t a lot of opportunities by either side. It was a little bit of a chess match, and I’m glad that we ended up winning that chess match.”
The Washington Capitals visit Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday to face the Kraken.
Stay tuned to ESN for continuing updates on the Seattle Kraken.
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