The Kraken Are Still Alive in the Playoff Fight, But Time Is Running Out Fast
It's April. The regular season ends in two weeks. And the Seattle Kraken, somehow, are still breathing in one of the messiest playoff races the Western Conference has ever seen.
Two points back of Nashville for the final playoff spot. That's where the Kraken sit as the calendar flips into the season's final stretch. They're in the fight, but barely. If they played in the East, they'd be 13 points out. The West is just that soft right now.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiThe "Pillow Fight" Is Real
Connor McDavid called it a "pillow fight," and he wasn't wrong. Since the Olympics break, the Kraken have collected just 12 points among a clump of teams all chasing the same two or three spots. The Predators looked like they were running away with it during a five-game win streak, but they've dropped three straight. The Kings brought in Artemi Panarin at the deadline and have gone 6-7-4 since. The Sharks are a mess at 7-7-3. Even the Jets, considered completely out of it, are now lurking in spitting distance.
The Ducks are the only team that actually pulled away, going 11-5-2 since the break under first-year coach Joel Quenneville. The Oilers are right there too at 10-6-1. And the Golden Knights? They've matched the Kraken's bad stretch at 6-10-2, which led to a shocking coaching change when John Tortorella took over for Bruce Cassidy with just eight games left.
The Kraken Are Still Alive, But They Know What's at Stake
Jared McCann said it best after the 3-0 loss to Edmonton on Tuesday: "To have a chance, still, to make playoffs, it's obviously a blessing. We've gotta take advantage of it."
He's right. A team that goes 5-10-2 out of the Olympic break should be long gone by now. The Kraken were third in the Pacific when the league paused in February, three points ahead of the cutoff. Instead, they've stalled out hard, and now they're fighting for their season on the margins.
The schedule ahead doesn't look easy. First up is Utah, which is probably going to grab the first wild-card spot in the West, though they've lost three of their last five. There's some motivation there. And the organization will honor defenseman and alternate captain Adam Larsson, who just played in his 1000th NHL game during the recent road trip.
Ten games left. Two points out. The Kraken have no more room to slip.
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