The Seattle Kraken have been one of the NHL’s most entertaining teams in the early stages of the 2026-27 season.
After defeating the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night, the Kraken have scored six goals in three of their first five games and 21 total. Do the math, and it’s 4.2 goals per game. That’s an under-the-radar scoring feat that few saw coming from a team that finished 28th in the league in goals scored last season.
It’s still early enough for this to be a mirage, and naysayers can claim two of those six-goal games came against the lowly Calgary Flames — a team that has struggled more than any other. They also wouldn’t be wrong to point out that the Kraken scored three total goals in losses to the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights.
But on Friday, Seattle landed six goals on the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit didn’t allow a single even-strength goal until their 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. At 5-on-5, they entered Friday night’s showdown with Seattle boasting a 57.9 Corsi For, 4.0 expected goals allowed (xGA), and a .961 save percentage.
That’s not exactly the Flames, and it further indicates that Seattle’s offense is legitimate.
Seattle Kraken Are One Of The NHL’s High-Octane Teams Early In 2026-27
Ironically, the Kraken haven’t been consistent. They opened the season with a 6-1 win over the Flames, put up just one goal against Edmonton, scored another six on Calgary, scored twice against Vegas, and six times again against Detroit.
This shows that the Kraken have been explosive, more than anything else. That explosiveness hasn’t come from just a few players. Heading into Friday night’s game, the Kraken had seen 11 different players score a goal.
Still, consistency is the next step. Seattle has shown it can take advantage of teams that play poorly defensively. The Kraken have now shown they can score against teams that are solid defensively at 5-on-5 and at even strength. Now, they must figure out how to score against elite teams like Edmonton and Vegas.
If they find the net against the Western Conference’s best teams, it will be tough to count out the Kraken.
Cautious Optimism Needed For The Kraken
Across their first five games last season, Seattle was ironically consistent with its scoring. They started off 3-0-2 and found the net 16 times: 3, 2, 4, 3, and 4 goals scored across those first five games.
However, four of those games went into overtime, and the Kraken won only their season opener in regulation. That makes the beginning of this season different: Seattle has been blowing games open early on.
Then, there’s the goals-per-game discrepancy. In their first five games last season, Seattle averaged 3.2 goals per game and allowed an average of 2.8. This season, the ratio sits at 4.2 goals for and 2.8 goals against. That’s an encouraging sign for a team that must find ways to keep pace with Edmonton, Vegas, Anaheim, and potentially San Jose.
The question now is: Will the Kraken turn their explosive play into consistency? If so, there will be a lot of optimism for Seattle as the 2026-27 season progresses.
Seattle Kraken Accomplish Stunning Scoring Feat in First 5 Games