NHL: Kraken open key road trip against Predators with wild-card grip slipping

The Seattle Kraken return home to a landscape that has changed while they were on the ice. The Mariners have already started their baseball season, and NBA owners may have voted on the SuperSonics’ potential return as an expansion franchise. Meanwhile, the Kraken are still fighting for a playoff spot.

Seattle opens a critical six-game road trip Thursday in Nashville, holding onto the Western Conference’s second and final wild-card berth. The Kraken (31-27-9, 71 points) are tied with Los Angeles, with San Jose one point behind and Nashville two points back.

However, Seattle has struggled since the Olympic break, going 4-7-0 despite playing eight of their last nine games at home. That included a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, where turnovers and a sloppy line change led directly to four goals.

“For the most part, it was a fairly even game. Our mistakes were really catastrophic,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “Some really poor decisions… you can’t make these mistakes. We gave them the goals, and they buried them.”

Bobby McMann and Jared McCann scored for Seattle. McMann has four goals and two assists in three games since joining the Kraken from Toronto at the trade deadline. Seattle briefly cut a three-goal deficit to 3-2 in the second period before Tampa Bay pulled away.

“I think it shows some resilience in this group,” McMann said. “We’re able to claw back against good teams and adjust our game to generate more offense, which isn’t always easy to do.”

The Predators (30-28-9, 69 points) return home after a five-game road trip where they went 2-2-1, including a 4-2 win over Seattle on March 10. Juuse Saros recorded 43 saves in that matchup, helping Nashville recover from a two-goal deficit.

The Predators finished their trip with a 4-3 shootout victory over Winnipeg on Tuesday. Rookie Matthew Wood scored in regulation, while Ryan O’Reilly netted the lone shootout goal.

“Last game of a road trip, and it’s a big one for us,” Wood said. “Close, meaningful games like that are fun, and it was great to come away with two points.”

Predators coach Andrew Brunette praised his team’s perseverance. “It hasn’t been easy. We’ve had ups and downs, but the veterans have pushed the young players, and everyone is hungry. We’re in this fight and will continue to be in it,” he said.

Seattle’s upcoming road trip will be a key test of whether the Kraken can solidify their playoff position and build momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.

—Field Level Media/Reuters