Kraken rally past Capitals 5-3, answering Alex Ovechkin’s first goal of the season

The Seattle Kraken picked up a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday night, erasing the momentum of Alex Ovechkin’s first goal of the season. Washington struck early and Ovechkin found the net as the Capitals chased control, but Seattle scored at key moments down the stretch to finish with the win.

Jared McCann was central in the closing minutes, breaking a tie with 5:27 left to play. The goal came at a time when both teams still had paths to the finish, and it gave the Kraken a lead they could protect in the final push.

Seattle’s scoring did not rely on a single star performance. Jordan Eberle, Frederick Gaudreau, Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Winterton also scored for the Kraken, spreading the damage across the lineup and limiting Washington’s ability to focus on one matchup.

For the Capitals, Ovechkin’s goal mattered because it marked an early-season milestone, but it did not translate into a result. Seattle’s response to Washington’s timely production was the difference, as the Kraken were able to keep scoring even after the game’s rhythm shifted.

The win moved Seattle to 4-2-0, an early-season record that reflects how quickly the Kraken are building their identity within the schedule. Washington, meanwhile, will be looking to tighten up the middle of games, where Seattle found enough scoring opportunities to swing the final margin.

With games still accumulating at this stage, the broader takeaway is how Seattle manages late-game pressure. McCann’s go-ahead tally with just over five minutes remaining was the clearest moment, but the Kraken’s ability to put multiple goals on the board while Ovechkin’s line was producing helped decide the outcome. Washington will need to address what allowed that late surge.

What to watch next is whether the Kraken can keep creating offense across different combinations, rather than hinging on a single line. Equally, Washington will want to build on the progress suggested by Ovechkin’s early goal, while figuring out how to slow Seattle’s scoring before the final minutes arrive.