On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Seattle Kraken hosted the New York Rangers for their first matchup of the season. After the game was tied at the end of regulation, the Rangers won 3-2 in overtime. Here are three takeaways.
Montour Currently Holds a Season Record
Brandon Montour brought the score to a tie in the second period but also became a record holder for the 2025-26 season.
With six minutes gone in the first period, Chandler Stephenson picked up the puck on a line change. He passed it to Jaden Schwartz, who skated it up towards the net. He dropped the puck down for Montour, who picked it up at the faceoff circle. He immediately let loose a slap shot to tie the game.
Montour has been on a hot streak since his return, recording four points in two games. With his slap shot in this game, he now holds the fastest shot speed of the 2025-26 season. His shot was 96.40 miles per hour (mph) according to NHL EDGE. Let’s see if he can hold onto this record as the season progresses.
Kraken Had Minimal Scoring Chances
When looking at the stats, the Kraken did not have many opportunities to score. By the end of the second period, Seattle had only taken eight shots to the Rangers’ 16. New York took twice as many shots in 40 minutes, yet the Kraken were the only team to score in the second period. By the time the third period ended, the Rangers had taken nine more shots, while the Kraken had only taken four.
Related: 5 Takeaways From the Kraken’s First 10 Games of 2025-26 Season
When asked about why the Kraken didn’t have a shoot-first mentality, head coach Lane Lambert stated, “[The Rangers] defend well; they’re in lanes. It’s easy to say shoot the puck, but when people are in lanes, it’s a little bit harder to do, and it’s not going to get through, but at the same time, I thought we passed up shots, and we had opportunities to shoot pucks even from bad angles and create a second opportunity, and we didn’t.”
This feels like a fair assessment from Coach Lambert. Yes, the Rangers played a strong defensive game. However, at the same point, the Kraken missed opportunities that were wide open to them. The lack of shots is an issue the team will have to work through. Seattle had three days of rest between their last two games; were they still in that rest mentality?
Daccord Kept Seattle Alive
Joey Daccord demonstrated another masterclass in goaltending against the Rangers. Although he allowed three goals, he recorded a save percentage (SV%) of .889. He saved 24 of the 27 shots the Rangers took on the net. Although this was a lower SV% than he normally would record, if it weren’t for him, the final score would have been a lot higher for New York.
Daccord continues to be the Kraken’s starting goaltender despite still carrying three goaltenders on their roster. Philipp Grubauer has played two games this season, while Matt Murray has only played one. The two have alternated between being Daccord’s backup.
On the other hand, Daccord has played nine games. The team cannot always rely on their goaltender to get them out of a sticky situation, evident in this game with the lack of shooting chances. Daccord did all he could to keep Seattle in the game, but in the end, the Rangers scored the overtime winner.
The Kraken have 13 more games in the month of November, including two road trips and two back-to-back games. The Kraken had a strong start to the season in October. Hopefully, they can get back into that winning mentality soon.
Next Up for the Kraken
The Kraken will continue their homestand when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, Nov. 3.
The Kraken will close out the season series against the Rangers on Jan. 12 when they travel to Madison Square Garden.
