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March 28, 2024

Golden Knights fall flat in first ever loss to rising Kraken

Golden Knights Kraken

John Locher / AP

Seattle Kraken center Ryan Donato scores on Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill during the first period Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Las Vegas.

Updated Friday, Nov. 25, 2022 | 9:03 p.m.

Vegas Golden Knights sunk by Seattle Kraken 4-2

Seattle Kraken defenseman Will Borgen and Vegas Golden Knights left wing William Carrier battle for the puck during the second period Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Las Vegas. 


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It’s easy to link the Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken together, and not just because they're the NHL's two youngest franchises.

This may not be a budding rivalry, but it did show that the Golden Knights have a challenger in the Pacific Division — their expansion brethren in Seattle.

Phil Kessel and Nicolas Roy scored for Vegas, but the home team was trudging uphill almost all night in a 4-2 loss to the Kraken on Friday at T-Mobile Arena.

It was the first time the Golden Knights (16-5-1) lost to the Kraken in six tries. Vegas dominated the season series last year and won the first matchup 5-2 in Seattle on Oct. 15.

A lot has changed since that meeting, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.

The Kraken began their second year in the league at 3-4-2 with a leaky defense and questionable goaltending, giving up nearly four goals per game in that stretch.

Since Oct. 29, Seattle has vaulted to the top five in points percentage and is 9-1-1 in its last 11 games. With their win tonight, the Kraken shrunk the Golden Knights’ lead in the Pacific Division with two games in hand.

In the blink of an eye, it’s not the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames or Edmonton Oilers that pose the biggest threat to the Golden Knights.

The Pacific Division is currently run by two franchises that have played a combined six full seasons in the NHL.

“I think that’s the best we’ve seen them,” said captain Mark Stone. “They didn’t play very well against us the first time. They didn’t find their game. They’ve got a small, fast group of forwards that work hard and finish off their plays. They’ve got some good skill.”

Blame it on the turkey and stuffing if need be, but it took 22 games for the Golden Knights to be outplayed for near 60 minutes.

The Kraken dominated from the get-go thanks to overwhelming offensive zone time and a sound defensive structure. Seattle had a 9-3 edge in shots through the first eight minutes, and the Kraken jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals from Ryan Donato and Andre Burakovsky.

Vegas responded less than three minutes later with Roy, who missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, scoring on the power play to cut the lead in half.

Kessel scored 2:14 later to tie it 2-2 and salvage the opening 20 minutes.

But the Golden Knights continued to carry water up the hill, and goalie Adin Hill had to be the one to hold the burden.

Seattle scored twice in the middle frame — once by Burakovsky for a two-goal game, and another by Jordan Eberle making a move through the slot, finding room past Hill and roofing it over him for the 4-2 lead.

“There’s so much parity in this league. That’s what makes it so great,” said center Jack Eichel. “Credit to them. They outplayed us.”

Since starting 5-0-0 and allowing 11 goals through those five starts, Hill has given up 11 goals in his last three starts, giving up four each in his last two.

The Golden Knights — who are now 3-3-1 since their nine-game winning streak ended — gave up at least four goals for the seventh time in the last 11 games.

“We’re not breaking out quick enough,” Stone said. “Not killing plays. We’ve got to find a way to get the transition game going.”

Even though they entered Thanksgiving with 16 wins and the top record in the Western Conference, the past two weeks have shown the Golden Knights still have growing pains to get through.

Not enough that it's time to panic — especially with a quick turnaround with the Vancouver Canucks playing here tomorrow night — but enough that lingering issues need to be addressed.

Thinking of a world where Vegas and Seattle are the top two teams in the division heading into December is mind-boggling, especially the directions the two franchises have taken to be competitive.

The Golden Knights turned a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in Year 1 into a string of success that has turned the roster into one of the more star-studded clubs in the league.

The Kraken, of course, went a much different route than their expansion brethren in Vegas.

Seattle took the conventional expansion approach. It built through free agency — signing established veterans like Philipp Grubauer and Jaden Schwartz two years ago — then adding a Stanley Cup-winning forward and established goal scorer in Burakovsky.

In addition, the Kraken have found a way to infuse their youth. Matty Beniers, the team’s first-ever draft pick, is challenging for the Calder Trophy with 14 points in 19 games at 20 years old.

This year’s No. 4 overall pick, Shane Wright, played seven games before being assigned to AHL Coachella Valley. Wright is getting the playing time he needs and is performing well, with three goals in two games.

Seattle wasn’t “gifted” a good team out of the gates as some say Vegas was. The Kraken took the long road, only to put a little more strength on the gas pedal to accelerate the process.

The timeline seems to have been pushed forward for Seattle to join the competitive ranks. If this keeps up, a new rivalry might be blooming.

“Like a lot of teams, if they get goaltending, they’re going to be dangerous,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I don’t think it’s rocket science the way they’re playing. They’re playing a hard brand of hockey, and you better be ready for it. And we weren’t enough tonight.”

Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.