3 Takeaways From the Seattle Kraken’s 4-1 Win Over the Islanders – The Hockey Writers – Seattle Kraken

On Wednesday, the Seattle Kraken hosted the New York Islanders for their second matchup of 2025-26. The Kraken travelled to Long Island on Nov. 23, when both goaltenders, Joey Daccord and David Rittich, posted shutouts, after the teams failed to score in regulation or overtime. The Islanders won in the shootout. 

Wednesday’s game at least saw some scoring. Anthony Duclair scored first, just two and a half minutes into the game, to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead, but the Kraken scored four unanswered goals to earn the 4-1 victory. The season series now comes to an end with each team earning a win. 

Kraken’s Special Teams Held Strong 

Just two minutes into the game, Frederick Gaudreau took a seat for hooking Emil Heineman, and 19 seconds later, Duclair scored on the power play. Although the Islanders capitalized on this man advantage, they didn’t score in the next six power-play opportunities. Considering the Kraken have one of the worst penalty kills, ranked 30th in the league with a 72.6% success rate, the fact that Seattle managed to kill six of their seven penalties is a major feat. 

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The penalty kill wasn’t the only thing that held strong. The Kraken kicked off their scoring with a power-play goal of their own. At 8:48, the Islanders were assessed a two-minute minor for too many men on the ice. Not even a full minute later, Simon Holmstrom took a seat for tripping Jared McCann.

Seattle had seconds left on their five-on-three, when McCann fired a slap shot towards the net. Ilya Sorokin made the initial save, but the rebound flew out to Vince Dunn, who fired it on net, before Matty Beniers got the tip-in goal in front.

The Kraken’s power play is now ranked 10th in the league with a 23.4% success rate, essentially tied with the Montreal Canadiens, who have a game in hand. They only managed to find success on one of their four power play opportunities, but that tally gave them the confidence boost to propel them through the rest of the game. 

Dunn Becomes First Defenseman To Score 50 Goals 

Vince Dunn not only recorded an assist in this game, but he also scored the Kraken’s second goal of the night. Ben Meyers carried the puck into the Kraken’s zone, where he sent a pass across the ice for Ryan Winterton, who dished the puck to Dunn on his left. Dunn skated up through the faceoff circles and took a shot to give the Kraken the lead. 

This goal marked Dunn’s 50th with the franchise, making him the first Kraken defenseman to score 50 goals. It was Dunn’s seventh of the season, to give him 31 points through 48 games. His two-way game has been excellent, producing both offensively and defensively.

Grubauer Had a Great Performance 

Philipp Grubauer, once again, delivered a masterclass in goaltending. He stopped 24 of the Islanders’ 25 shots for a save percentage (SV%) of .960. Although his last two games resulted in losses, Grubauer’s performance consistently kept the Kraken in the game.

He also managed to get his name on the scoresheet. Anders Lee dumped the puck into the Islanders’ zone, but Grubauer exited the crease to clear the puck. He passed it right to Brandon Montour, who sent the puck down the ice for the empty net. His shot went wide, but McCann outpaced everyone and picked up the rebound. He sent the puck into the yawning cage to ensure the Kraken’s win and an assist for Grubauer.

Kraken Will Host a Pacific Rival

The Kraken will return to action on Friday, Jan. 23, when they host the Anaheim Ducks.