‘Something’s got to change’ Seattle Kraken drop ninth straight game with 3-1 loss to Kings

The Seattle Kraken’s new pregame presentation captivated the crowd for almost 5 minutes on Saturday night.

Water was projected on the ice, waves splashing ominously as a fake radio call announced a Kraken sighting in the Puget Sound. Curtains were pulled over the Climate Pledge Arena windows to allow video of an underwater scene. A Kraken appeared, one red eye appearing to survey the ice below. Then the arena went dark, and a giant tentacle descended from the rafters.

As the announcer spoke the key phrase — it’s time to release the Kraken — light started to break through on the screens. It spread to the ice, exploding when it reached the tentacle at the center.

It’s been two weeks since the Kraken last took the ice in Seattle, and the upgraded introduction was an electrifying welcome home. Unfortunately for the Kraken, the early excitement wasn’t enough to end their losing streak.

Instead, Seattle fell to the Los Angeles Kings 3-1. The Kraken have now lost nine straight games and 12 of their last 13. Seattle hasn’t won a game since beating the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 14.

“It’s just disappointing to go out there and lose this many in a row,” said backup goalie Chris Driedger, who started his second straight game on Saturday. “We’re competitive guys. It’s one of those things where as deflating as it may seem, before games we’re excited to play. I feel like we go out there and it’s not for a lack of effort.

“Obviously things aren’t going our way right now. Something’s got to change. Whether we need a spark on an off day or get together with the guys and talk about what we’re going to do. Something’s got to change here. It’s completely unacceptable to drop nine games in a row. There’s no other way to put it.”

Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings at the 4:06 mark of the first period, putting the Kraken in an all too familiar early hole. Then, 4 minutes into the second period, Phillip Danault pushed the Los Angeles lead to 2-0.

Marcus Johansson responded for Seattle with a power-play goal midway through the second period, but the Kraken couldn’t find the back of the net again. The lone third-period goal for either team was a Phillip Danault empty netter with 45 seconds left that produced the final score.

“We battled hard throughout,” said Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol. “This is the kind of hockey game that we knew it would be. At the end of the day, they got to the inside at our net a little bit more than we did at their net. It’s one of those games. This is going to be a game that’s in the trenches.”

The game marked a second straight strong performance from Driedger. He was also solid in the Kraken’s 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. But while Driedger has given his team a chance to win, Seattle’s offense has faltered. The Kraken managed just a single goal in each of the losses to the Blues and the Kings.

“You want to see the guys have success and obviously at the end of the day we need to win hockey games,” Hakstol said. “Frustration isn’t a part of it for me. I see the areas where we can get a little bit more out of our group. We can give a little bit more.

Until things turn and offense comes a little bit easier, we’re going to have to give a little bit more and find a way to come up with an extra puck — those 50-50 situations, get inside and find one extra rebound. Those are the things that we need to do.

“Frustration is not a part of it. It’s hard losing hockey games. when you’re in a stretch like this. But at the end of the day, we have to look at it and find a way to get a little bit more out of our group.”

The Kraken will remain home for the next five games, starting with Monday’s afternoon game against the Chicago Blackhawks. While this isn’t Seattle’s first extended losing streak of the season, it is the longest. And now the path out of the basement of the Pacific Division is growing increasingly longer.

“We need to get the win and we didn’t,” Johansson said. “It’s getting frustrating. We’re working hard, but we need to get that little extra and find ways to win.”