Slipping Kraken fall to Blue Jackets for third consecutive loss

Kate Shefte, The Seattle Times on Mar 21, 2026

Published in Hockey

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The Kraken lost a third straight game Saturday afternoon against the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-2.

With 13 games left in the regular season, Seattle sits two points behind the Nashville Predators, who now occupy the second wild-card spot in the West. The Predators have beaten the Kraken twice in the past two weeks and took down the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

The San Jose Sharks and L.A. Kings also lost Saturday, but the Kings had already pulled out of a tie with the Kraken, so they remain a point ahead.

Two points is easy work, especially when all of the other teams chasing that last playoff berth are winning half their games at best. But the Kraken have to start playing better. They’ve dropped nine of 13 games since the Olympic break, all in regulation.

Two of those four victories came against the team that’s the worst in the league by a 13-point margin, the Vancouver Canucks. The Kraken also beat the Florida Panthers, who happen to be their next opponent. The teams will face off Tuesday in Sunrise, Fla.

As the runway shortens for the Kraken, one would think desperation would set in. That didn’t appear to be the case Saturday. By the time Vince Dunn scored on a top-shelf blast with 3:43 left in the first period in Columbus, the Blue Jackets had already beaten Seattle goaltender Joey Daccord three times.

Danton Heinen and Damon Severson took advantage of traffic in front of the Kraken net to build a 2-0 lead. Heinen scored off a lucky deflection in front and Severson fired through a knot of players. Daccord (23 saves) immediately threw his arms up following the latter goal and the Kraken bench was seen watching the replay, presumably mulling over a goaltender interference challenge. They decided against one.

Columbus’ Mathieu Olivier then spun and sent a no-look chip backward into the Seattle net.

Mason Marchment very nearly made it 4-1, but Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour wasn’t about to let his former teammate have that. Montour tied up Marchment’s stick and took the first period’s only penalty.

Marchment arrived in Seattle via trade June 19, 2025, and spent only a few months with the Kraken before he was dealt again just before Christmas. Since Seattle general manager Jason Botterill flipped the pesky winger to Columbus for two draft picks on Dec. 19, Marchment tripled his goal output from four to 12 in two fewer games.

Off a Shane Wright faceoff win, Kaapo Kakko (one goal, one assist) settled the puck and surveyed the gaps available to him. Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins (15 saves) wasn’t fully smushed against the near goalpost and left a decently sized space between his glove and his leg, which was the opening Kakko ultimately selected. Kakko fired the puck through to make it a 3-2 game.

The momentum was on Seattle’s side, and Jacob Melanson hit the left post with the game-tying bid. The Blue Jackets went right down and scored to make it 4-2, just 1:02 after Kakko’s goal.

That happened just shy of the game’s midway point and there was plenty of time to chip into Columbus’ lead, but the Kraken put a combined 10 shots on goal through the latter two periods. Cole Sillinger scored into the empty net after Daccord was pulled for an extra attacker.

Kraken winger Jared McCann was injured in warmups and ruled out with a lower-body injury. Eeli Tolvanen returned after missing two games and took McCann’s spot in the lineup.