The Kraken quench the Jets

Seattle trails three times, then burns brightest

Twenty-seventh against first

Last season the Winnipeg Jets finished 1st of 32. The Seattle Kraken finished 27th. In a Gauntlet quarterfinal at Climate Pledge Arena, none of that counted. Both clubs arrived with two flames already to their name: the Jets had doused the Kings and the Wild, and the Kraken had snuffed the Golden Knights and the Oilers. One more candle had to go dark, and for Winnipeg, beaten in the quarterfinals a year ago, the shelf was waiting again.

Behind, behind, behind

Winnipeg kept striking first. Alex Iafallo tipped in the opener at 10:17 of the first, and Kaapo Kakko answered with a tip-in of his own 4:58 later. Mark Scheifele's wrist shot at 3:18 of the second restored the lead. Defenseman Vince Dunn wristed in the equalizer 4:09 after that. Then Dunn went off for hooking, and Kyle Connor ripped a power-play slap shot at 18:50 to send the Jets into the third ahead 3-2.

Eberle lights the way

Seattle came back once more. With Nino Niederreiter off for holding, Eeli Tolvanen fired a power-play slap shot at 4:11, Dunn earning his second assist. 3:10 later Jordan Eberle deflected in the go-ahead goal from Matty Beniers and Mason Marchment. Philipp Grubauer stopped 23 of 26 shots, and Eberle's empty-netter at 18:25 finished it. The Kraken, who shared the Gauntlet in 2023-24, burn on. Only seven flames still burn, and Winnipeg's has gone cold.