The Kraken Have No "E" Next to Their Name, and Lane Lambert Wants You to Know It

The Kraken are clinging to playoff life with four games left, and head coach Lane Lambert made sure everyone understood the situation after Thursday's electric 4-3 shootout win over Vegas: there is still no elimination marker beside Seattle's name on the NHL.com standings. That means they're still fighting, still alive, and still counting on help from around the league to avoid the postseason altogether.

"Again, I don't see any 'E' beside our name yet," Lambert said Friday morning, making clear that's the only thing that matters right now. "We're focused on winning hockey games. That's really all I can say to you right there."

The Comeback Energy Was Real

Down 3-1 early, the Kraken looked dead in the water. Then Berkly Catton got one back with his seventh goal of the season, and the Climate Pledge Arena faithful started roaring. When Bobby McMann tied it 3-3 mid-period with a far upper corner snipe off a setup from captain Jordan Eberle, the place sounded like a playoff game. The crowd kept chanting "Jo-ey, Jo-ey" for goaltender Joey Daccord, who stayed locked in through the rest of regulation and overtime.

In the shootout, Matty Beniers and Catton showed off some slick moves while Daccord stopped three of four against Vegas's elite shooters. Young forward Ryan Winterton was everywhere, finishing with four shots on goal and staying involved in net-front play all night. "His speed offers an element to our hockey team that is fantastic," Lambert said of the 22-year-old.

Goalie Questions Before Calgary

Here's the problem: Joey Daccord took a hard fall backward in the third period Thursday but stayed in the game. Now he's being evaluated and didn't practice Friday. Philipp Grubauer is still hurt. Matt Murray isn't with the team for a personal matter. That leaves Nikke Kokko, a call-up from Coachella Valley, possibly starting Saturday. Kokko won six of his last eight for the Firebirds and missed five weeks with injury earlier this year, but this is a huge unknown heading into a divisional matchup.

Calgary (73 points) has an "E" beside their name already, sitting at 32-37-9. They're 5-3-2 in their last 10 games after two straight losses, though one was in overtime to Dallas. The Flames are led by right wing Matt Coronado with 42 points, plus Morgan Frost with 21 goals and Joel Farabee with 19.

Puck drops Saturday at 4 p.m. Watch on KING 5, KONG, or Prime Video. This is win-or-bust time.

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