McMann saves the result after Kraken let Detroit erase a three-goal lead.

Two points, with unfinished work

Seattle returned to Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday, October 20, and beat the Detroit Red Wings 4–3 in a shootout. Bobby McMann supplied the deciding conversion, and Philipp Grubauer stopped Dylan Larkin to finish a game that the Kraken had led 3–0 after two periods.

The victory moved Seattle to 6–3–1. It also left two very different performances to evaluate: the Kraken built a convincing advantage, then allowed Detroit to take that advantage away before recovering after a scoreless overtime.

How the advantage disappeared

Mackie Samoskevich opened the scoring, and Ryker Evans and Brandon Montour added second-period goals. Seattle had scoring contributions from a forward and two defensemen, with Evans converting on the power play. That distribution gave the home team several ways to create separation.

Detroit changed the direction of the night in the third. Viktor Arvidsson broke through, Lucas Raymond brought the Red Wings within one on the power play, and Alex DeBrincat supplied the late equalizer. Seattle had to reset for overtime rather than celebrate a regulation win.

Frederick Gaudreau and McMann scored in the shootout. Grubauer finished with 22 saves during game play and delivered the final stop on Larkin. His contribution mattered both to keeping Seattle in front earlier and to protecting the opportunity that remained after the lead was gone.

The warning arrived before the collapse

In the team’s official recap, Jayd Serdy reported that Samoskevich told Kraken Hockey Network’s Piper Shaw during the first intermission that Seattle needed to improve its forecheck. That observation came while the Kraken were ahead, making it a useful part of the record rather than an explanation attached afterward.

Local coverage reached a similar practical concern from the third-period play. Writing October 20 for Davy Jones’ Locker Room, Zaiem Beg described Seattle sitting back and noted its four third-period shots. That is one commentator’s assessment, not a statement about every supporter’s reaction.

Montour’s return also deserves careful handling. NHL.com’s October 20 projected-lineup report said he had missed the Florida game with a lower-body injury and was a game-time decision. He played and scored Tuesday. That confirms his return to competition; it does not establish a broader medical clearance or predict his availability beyond this game.

Analysis: protect the lead by continuing to play

The most useful adjustment is to preserve an attacking outlet when ahead. A lead changes the risks worth taking, but repeatedly giving the opponent the next possession creates its own risk. Forecheck pressure, clean exits and support for the puck carrier should remain connected tasks rather than disappear when the scoreboard becomes comfortable.

Tuesday should not be reduced to a goaltending rescue or dismissed because Seattle eventually won. The first two periods showed that the Kraken could establish an advantage against this opponent. The third showed that establishing control and sustaining it are different assignments. Both belong in the evaluation.

The expectation going forward is a more complete closing period. That is an editorial standard, not a claim about the coaches’ private instructions or a diagnosis of individual effort. The available record supports identifying a sharp change in pressure; it does not support inventing a locker-room explanation for it.

Utah comes next

Seattle’s official home schedule lists the Utah Mammoth at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday, October 22, at 7 p.m. Pacific. Watch whether the Kraken can maintain territorial pressure after scoring and avoid giving the next opponent a route back through repeated defending.

The shootout secured the result Seattle needed. Against Utah, the stronger follow-up would be a third period that makes that kind of recovery unnecessary.

Rain City Sports editorial desk | Published October 21, 2026. Results and source links checked at publication; analysis is identified above.

Sources

• Seattle Kraken: official Detroit recap (checked 2026-10-21)
• NHL.com: Red Wings at Kraken projected lineups, October 20 (checked 2026-10-21)
• Associated Press: Seattle recovers for shootout win (checked 2026-10-21)
• Zaiem Beg, Davy Jones’ Locker Room: Kraken Survive Red Wings (checked 2026-10-21)
• Seattle Kraken official home schedule (checked 2026-10-21)

Analysis and recommendations are the editorial desk’s interpretation. Reporting and attributed perspectives are linked above. Information is current as of the publication date.