Kraken Open Brutal Road Swing in Detroit, Chasing First Win There Since 2023
Photos by: Sandra Agbotse
The Seattle Kraken open one of the toughest road trips on their early schedule Friday night at Little Caesars Arena, a building where wins have been hard to come by. Seattle has not won in Detroit since October 2023, when Jordan Eberle scored a late overtime winner, and the franchise has never won there in regulation.
Kraken (2-2-0) at Red Wings (1-2-0)
7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) | Prime Video, KING 5, KONG | Little Caesars Arena
Stat to know: Detroit won both meetings last season, and Emmitt Finnie scored in each game. Seattle managed only 11 shots over the final two periods of last season's 4-2 loss in Detroit.
Coming in: The Kraken are off a rough night at home. Vegas led 5-0 after two periods Tuesday and won 6-2, with both Seattle goals coming in the third. Detroit got its first win the same night, beating Ottawa 5-3, and closes a four-game homestand Friday.
Injury to watch: Seattle placed defenseman Ryan Lindgren on injured reserve Thursday with an upper-body injury, and he is expected to miss four to six weeks. Cale Fleury, Josh Mahura and Ville Ottavainen have rotated through the third pair, with Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson projected together on the top pair.
Players to watch: Dylan Larkin made his season debut Tuesday after missing Detroit's first two games with an upper-body injury, and he finished with a goal and an assist in the 5-3 win over Ottawa. Alex DeBrincat scored twice in that game, and Viktor Arvidsson has scored in back-to-back games. For Seattle, Jordan Eberle has a point in all four games, and Jared McCann leads the team with five points.
In goal: John Gibson is expected to start for Detroit, his fourth straight start.
What's at stake: A win would end a three-year drought in Detroit and give Seattle a strong start to a trip that also includes Florida, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Washington. For Detroit, a second straight win would send the Red Wings to Montreal on Saturday with some momentum after a slow start.
