Match date: 8 November 2026.
Final score: Kraken 3, Rangers 4.
The Rangers built a four-goal cushion, then had to withstand a determined Seattle finish as they beat the Kraken 4-3 on 8 November. J. Korpisalo made 25 saves in his first appearance of the season, while V. Dunn’s goal with 4:58 left turned the closing minutes into a genuine test for the visitors.
Game Story
New York set the tone quickly. G. Perreault opened the scoring at 1:35 of the first period, assisted by M. Zibanejad and A. Lafrenière, before T. Kartye doubled the advantage at 9:05 from A. Fox and O. Bjorkstrand.
The Rangers continued to take their chances in the opening period. J. Chmelar made it 3-0 at 13:53, with N. Laba supplying the assist, leaving Seattle with a substantial deficit after 20 minutes.
The game remained in the Rangers’ hands until the middle of the second period, when P. Dorofeyev scored at 12:46 to make it 4-0. M. Zibanejad and A. Lafrenière each collected their second assists of the night on the goal.
Seattle finally found a route back early in the third. K. Kakko scored at 1:50, assisted by B. Montour and B. Catton, and J. Eberle reduced the gap further at 6:38 with M. Beniers and C. Stephenson providing the assists.
The Kraken kept pressing and V. Dunn made it a one-goal game at 15:02, converting feeds from B. Catton and M. Wood. The Rangers, however, saw out the remaining minutes to protect the lead they had established over the first two periods.
Turning Point
P. Dorofeyev’s goal at 12:46 of the second period gave the Rangers a 4-0 lead. Seattle’s third-period surge made that margin look far less secure, but the fourth goal proved to be the essential separation in a one-goal final score.
Standout Performers
J. Korpisalo stopped 25 of 28 shots for the Rangers in his first game of the season, providing the saves required once Seattle’s comeback gathered pace. M. Zibanejad and A. Lafrenière each recorded two assists, both contributing to the goals by G. Perreault and P. Dorofeyev. For Seattle, B. Catton supplied two assists, including the feed on V. Dunn’s late goal.
Tactical Observations
The scoring pattern defined the contest. The Rangers converted four times across the first 32:46, forcing Seattle to chase the game from the first period onwards. The Kraken outshot New York 28-26 and produced all three of their goals in the third, but the early deficit left little room for missed opportunities. The Rangers did not add to their lead after Dorofeyev’s finish, so Korpisalo’s 25 saves became increasingly important as Seattle narrowed the scoreline.
Coach Mark Comment
A 4-0 score can make the last period look straightforward on paper, but Dunn’s goal at 15:02 left the Rangers with nearly five minutes of a very different kind of game. Seattle had earned a reason to keep pushing, and every puck had extra consequence. Then the Kraken took a penalty at 17:34, which changed their urgent chase into a short-handed problem. That is a hard twist for a team that has worked so long to make the finish interesting, and it gave New York a little breathing space when it needed it most.
What It Means
The Rangers took the result because their first two periods supplied enough offence to absorb Seattle’s late charge. For the Kraken, three unanswered third-period goals showed that the game was still there after the 4-0 deficit, even if the recovery ultimately fell one goal short.
What Comes Next
The Rangers will look to carry the value of their fast start into their next outing. Seattle’s immediate question is whether it can bring the urgency of that third period into the opening stages of its next game.