Kraken Defeat Mammoth 5-3 Following Late Third-Period Goal

Mackie Samoskevich scored with 5:25 remaining in regulation to lift the Seattle Kraken to a 5-3 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night at Climate Pledge Arena. The win improved Seattle's record to 7-3-1, while Utah dropped to 7-4-0 following a hard-fought road contest.

The Kraken appeared to be in control after carrying a 3-1 lead into the final period. However, for the second consecutive game, Seattle allowed a multi-goal third-period advantage to slip away. Earlier in the week on Tuesday, the team surrendered a 3-0 lead to the Detroit Red Wings before ultimately prevailing in a shootout.

Logan Cooley sparked Utah's comeback in the third period, scoring just 27 seconds into the frame and adding another goal at 7:42 to tie the match at 3-3. Prior to Cooley's offensive surge, Jordan Eberle and Brandon Montour each contributed a goal and an assist for Seattle, while Matty Beniers also found the back of the net.

The frantic third period featured multiple disallowed goals due to successful offside challenges by both teams. After the score was evened at 3-3, Bobby McMann won a battle for a loose puck near center ice and drove down the left side before feeding Samoskevich in front. Samoskevich capitalized on the opportunity, firing a shot past goaltender Karel Vejmelka for his fifth goal of the campaign.

"It was a bit chaotic," Samoskevich said of the sequence. "The puck was bouncing everywhere and then came to Bobby, and he kind of just made a perfect play to me."

Kraken coach Lane Lambert acknowledged the team's resilience while noting the need for better game management. "If you want to look at it from a positive standpoint, we're getting into a position where we're able to give up a multigoal lead and still win," Lambert said. "We've got to continue to play the game the same way that got us the lead."

Utah coach Andre Tourigny expressed frustration over the missed opportunity to secure points on the road. "Obviously, a frustrating night," Tourigny said. "We did a lot of good stuff offensively, but we forced the play too much, and it’s disappointing."

Frederick Gaudreau sealed the victory for Seattle by scoring into an empty net with exactly one minute remaining on the clock. Philipp Grubauer stopped 33 shots for the Kraken, while Vejmelka finished with 18 saves for the Mammoth. Looking ahead, Seattle is set to host Minnesota on Saturday, while Utah will return home to face Tampa Bay.