Kraken Rally Past Capitals 5-3 as Fourth Line Keeps Producing

Three wins on the board, but all three came against Calgary twice and a Detroit side that's struggling. The real test arrived in Washington, where the Kraken had lost to Edmonton 3-1 and to Vegas 6-2 at home. Against a Capitals team with its sights set on a Stanley Cup run, Seattle answered with a 5-3 win that felt like the first time this group looked like a team that can win a road game against a contender.

The first period didn't show the whole story. The second did, and the third showed the bounce-back.

Catton line restarts the offense, then the Kraken stumble

Seattle led the shot count 11-8 after 20 minutes, but it didn't feel that comfortable. The Kraken spent several minutes in their own zone slapping the puck around and fumbling it in dangerous areas before Alex Ovechkin scored his first goal of the season, his 930th of an NHL career, to put Washington ahead 2-1 at 16:47.

Set that sloppy stretch aside and the frame had plenty to like. Seattle took two penalties in quick succession, one to Ryker Evans and one to Chandler Stephenson. The penalty kill was excellent, allowing just one shot in almost four minutes shorthanded. That's the kind of work that keeps a game from getting away early.

The Berkly Catton line then got the offense moving again. Vince Dunn's pass off the pads set up Kaapo Kakko for the 1-0 goal, and the line kept pressing. Catton's spin move off Jakob Chychrun and a saucer pass from Stephenson in the closing seconds set up Jordan Eberle, and the game was tied 2-2 after 20.

My read: the first period was a solid one in a tough building against a tough team, even with the late wobble.

The fourth line delivers again

The second period belonged to Seattle. The Kraken pinned Washington in its own end for long stretches and generated a handful of prime looks at Logan Thompson. The top three lines all looked dangerous, but it was the fourth line that finally broke through, at 13:24.

The goal started with a forecheck that the coaching staff teaches in detail. The first two forwards pressured the puck and forced the defensemen into mistakes, while the third forward went to the net. Ben Meyers and Ryan Winterton pried the puck loose twice. Winterton then won it away from Justin Sourdif and fed Freddy Gaudreau in the low slot. Gaudreau showed patience, waited out Thompson, and slid a backhander past his right skate for a 3-2 Seattle lead.

Lambert pointed to the sequence as proof of the system. "It's exactly what we talk about," he said. "When I talk about pressure and gaps and all that, we're also talking about 200 feet away from our net, so it starts there. That's exactly what we've been talking about all year long. It's a nice little systems clip for us."

The numbers back up the idea that this line is a real source of offense. Gaudreau now has three goals in two games and four on the season, after scoring seven across all of last year. The fourth unit also combined for 13 points across those two games. If that production holds, the depth matters a lot more than the top-six headlines suggest. Lines that can score without help from the stars take pressure off everyone else, and that's exactly what Seattle needs while its top players work through early-season patterns.

Daccord holds the door, Evans bounces back

Evans was involved in two of Washington's goals. He committed the turnover that led to Ovechkin's goal in the first period, and in the third he made a loose breakout pass that Boone Jenner converted for the tying goal just 46 seconds into the period. That's the kind of sequence that can rattle a team, and Washington leaned on it.

What separated Seattle was how it responded. Joey Daccord made big saves after Jenner's goal, and the Kraken absorbed a long stretch of pressure without giving up the lead again. Evans then started the play that ended with Jared McCann's winner with about five minutes left, a 4-3 goal that flipped the game for good.

Lambert was direct about Evans. "He's been playing really, really well for us, using his legs, using his speed, making breakout plays. When you're playing that much, and you have the puck on your stick that much, there's some possibilities you're going to make some errors at times. But it just shows you shake it off, and what a great block there at the end."

Ryan Winterton then added the insurance goal, his first of the season, and once again the fourth line finished with two points on the night. Lambert also praised the bench reaction after Washington's third goal. The players who had been on the ice for it went straight to the center-ice dot and lined up, a response Lambert said meant a lot to him.

What this win tells us

Winning on the road in Washington, after trailing late in the second and again early in the third, is the kind of result that gives a young group confidence. Seattle still has work to do on the defensive side. The turnovers in the first period and the breakout miscue in the third are fixable, but they're the sort of mistakes that cost points against better teams.

Here's the thing, though: the fourth line is producing, the penalty kill is holding under pressure, and the goaltending came through when it was needed most. If Seattle can keep those three pieces working while cleaning up the puck management, this game could be a useful marker for how the season unfolds.