Kraken Get Blanked in Edmonton: The Playoff Door Is Slamming Shut

The Kraken got shut out 3-0 by the Oilers on Tuesday night in Edmonton, and yeah, it stings as much as it sounds. This wasn't just a bad loss. This was the kind of gut-punch that makes playoff odds look like a dying heartbeat: Moneypuck.com had Seattle at 23.9% to secure a postseason berth with nine games remaining. The team spent most of the season hanging around a playoff spot, but when it mattered most, they started to fade.

The First-Period Collapse

Edmonton had a 2-0 lead after one period, and goaltender Philipp Grubauer played out of his mind just trying to keep it there with 21 saves on the night. He had no chance on the first goal, which came off a tip from Edmonton's Max Jones that went off at a completely different angle than intended. Pure luck. On the second, Kasperi Kapanen capitalized on a turnover and got behind the top defensive pairing before unleashing a hard shot that slipped under Grubauer's armpit.

"I didn't think we played terribly in the first period, but we find ourselves down again, chasing a game. It's not easy to do," coach Lane Lambert said.

The Offense Couldn't Get Going

Seattle's power play, ranked 17th league-wide at 20.7%, went 0-for-3 on the night. The Oilers brought the NHL's top-ranked power play (30.2%) against the second-worst penalty kill in hockey (73.4%), and the Kraken managed to kill off an Eeli Tolvanen holding penalty late in the first, the only penalty they took all night.

The power play has been a disaster in March, posting an 11.1% conversion rate, the worst in the league for the month. "Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes there's really no rhyme or reason to it," center Matty Beniers said. "So we've just got to not get frustrated about that."

Winger Jared McCann echoed the sentiment: "It's easy to be negative when things aren't going well, puck's not going in. But we're gonna keep pushing and keep moving forward."

Jordan Eberle rang one off the post early in the third, but Edmonton kept Seattle bottled up on the perimeter for most of the night. Connor McDavid put the empty netter away, extending his goal streak to five games.

The Kraken sit 4-14-1 all-time against Edmonton. With nine games left and the math getting uglier, Seattle needs this road trip to produce something better than a 1-game finish.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.