On Sunday, Jan. 25, the Seattle Kraken hosted the New Jersey Devils for their second matchup of the 2025-26 season. They just played each other at the Prudential Center 11 days earlier, where the Devils won 3-2 in overtime. The Kraken managed to get a point, but in this game, they snagged both of them with a 4-2 regulation win. With this being the last game of the season series, both teams earned a win, and the series ended in a tie.
Evans Evened the Score
Early in the first period, Dougie Hamilton scored a power-play goal to put the Devils on the board. Although this was the only goal in the first 20 minutes, that quickly changed in the second. Seven and a half minutes into the second, the Kraken made a drive towards the net. Jacob Markstrom made the initial save, but the rebound kicked out to Ryker Evans near the boards. He skated the puck to the blue line, where he took a shot through traffic and evened the score.
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This goal was Evans’ fourth of the season, and his first point in nine games. He might not be a big offensive defenseman, but he helped turn the tide for the Kraken in this game.
Kraken Made a Third-Period Comeback
Thanks to Evans, the score was tied at one goal apiece heading into the third period. Before the halfway point of the final frame, the Kraken made a huge comeback.
While the Devils tried to take the puck away from the Kraken in their zone, Jordan Eberle kept the puck in. He passed it to Matty Beniers, who skated up to the goal. He sent a shot high, which hit the crossbar and went in for the Kraken’s first lead of the game.
Just 18 seconds later, Chandler Stephenson sent a brilliant backhand pass to Berkly Catton, who was in front of the net. He took a low shot and managed to send the puck past Markstrom to give the Kraken a two-goal lead.
Beniers scoring a goal was a great achievement for him, as this was his 300th NHL game. It was also his 12th of the season, and third point in three games. In 51 games, he has now recorded 34 points and is tied with Eberle in first place on the Kraken’s leaderboard.
The rookie, Catton, also scored his fifth goal of the season. In 38 games, he now has 11 points to his name. He went four games between the last time he got his name on the scoresheet, recording an assist on Jan. 17. While he hasn’t been getting a whole lot of minutes, he has been making his presence known in the bottom six and making the most of the chances he gets.
Kraken Tried to Capitalize on Their Chances
The Devils outshot the Kraken 29-19 in the whole game. They had an even number of shots in the first period, with each team taking nine shots. However, it was the Devils who scored in this period. In the second period, the Devils also outshot the Kraken 7-5, but the Kraken were the only team to score.
The Devils outshot the Kraken 13-5 in the third period, but based on the offense, it is hard to know that this was the case. Despite only taking five shots on the net, the Kraken scored on three of these five chances. The Devils only scored on one of their 13 shots in the third period.
The Kraken made the most of the chances they received in this game. It doesn’t always work out in their favor like this, but Seattle did their best and were rewarded for it against New Jersey.
Kraken’s Homestand Continues
The Kraken will stay at home and host the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
