Matty Beniers and Berkly Catton Shoot the Kraken Past Vegas, Keeping Faint Playoff Dreams Alive

The Kraken are still alive. Barely. But they're still here.

Seattle defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in a shootout Thursday night at Climate Pledge Arena, staving off playoff elimination with a win that required some help from across the league. The Kraken needed this victory and for the Nashville Predators to lose to the Utah Mammoth in regulation. Nashville delivered earlier in the evening, losing in Salt Lake City. Now Seattle gets to play another day with playoff hopes that are, frankly, miniscule at this point.

The Game Seattle Had to Have

Vegas came into this one with more on the line, fighting to lock down its own playoff spot. But Seattle had recent history working in its favor: the Kraken beat the Golden Knights in both prior meetings this season, winning at home early and stealing a road victory on January 31st in Vegas.

Mark Stone put the Kraken in an early hole, scoring in each of the first two periods to give Vegas a 2-0 lead. Seattle's penalty kill, which was sitting just 0.1% away from dead last in the entire NHL, was on the ice for Stone's second goal. But the Kraken's power play came through when it mattered. Jared McCann, playing despite significant time missed to injury, buried his 20th goal of the season on a second-period power play to cut into the deficit.

This milestone matters: McCann just became the seventh player in NHL history to score 20 goals in each of a franchise's first five seasons. He's the all-time leader in goals and points for the Kraken and had never hit 20 in a season before moving to Seattle. Only Michel Goulet, Wayne Gretzky, Billy Harris, Morris Lukowich, Blaine Stoughton, and Wilf Paiement share that achievement.

Chaos, Injury, and Joey Daccord's Night

Vegas extended the lead to 3-1 with Brett Howden's goal just 1:11 into the third period after a brutal 4-on-2 break that left Daccord and the skaters scrambling. Then things got weird. Daccord fell hard trying to make a save, rolled around in obvious pain, but stayed in the game. For a moment, the emergency backup goalie, the EBUG, was actually eyeing the ice.

Daccord (31 saves) had been backed up by prospect Nikke Kokko, recalled from Coachella Valley before the game after starter Philipp Grubauer got injured in Winnipeg on Monday. Third-string Matt Murray wasn't even available, away from the team handling a family matter.

Bobby McMann tied it 3-3 midway through the second period. Since coming over from Toronto at the deadline, McMann has six goals in 14 games, leading all players moved on deadline day. In the shootout, Matty Beniers and the unlikely Berkly Catton converted, with Catton's goal coming after an absolutely brutal bounce off Adin Hill's attempt to corral a routine Adam Larsson dump-in. The puck hit a seam, bounced toward the crease, and Catton walked it in.

Seattle has won twice in their last 12 games and avoided matching the longest regulation losing streak in franchise history (six games, set during the inaugural 2021-22 season). With those slim playoff hopes still flickering, the Kraken live to play again.

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