Sun Oct 12 01:40:00 UTC 2025: **Kraken Look to Ride Opening Night Momentum Against Golden Knights, New Addition Mitch Marner**

Seattle, WA – Following a dominant divisional win on opening night, the Seattle Kraken are set to face a tougher test as they host the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas comes to town boasting a new potent weapon: Mitch Marner, who was just acquired. The key to Seattle’s success will rely heavily on the offensive prowess of their star defensemen, Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour.

Montour, despite missing most of training camp due to an ankle procedure, showed no signs of rust in the season opener, making an “elite play” that led to a crucial goal. Coach Lane Lambert praised Montour’s impact, emphasizing his ability to drive the team’s offense. “He’s a top-end NHL defenseman,” Lambert stated. “He drives us up the ice, he drives the offense.”

Dunn, who scored Seattle’s first goal of the season for the third time in five years, is equally vital to the Kraken’s success. Keeping both Dunn and Montour healthy and on the ice is paramount, as their offensive contributions from the blue line are a cornerstone of Lambert’s strategy. Their ability to transition quickly from defense to offense creates opportunistic scoring chances.

The Kraken’s power play needs to improve, as they went 0-for-2 in the first game. Lambert wants the team to shoot the puck more and avoid getting too fancy.

The Golden Knights present a formidable challenge, especially with the addition of Marner to an already dangerous lineup that includes Jack Eichel, who just signed an extension to stay in Vegas for eight more years. Eichel is off to a hot start to the season, which makes the duo even more dangerous. Lambert, who previously coached Marner, stressed the importance of preparing for Vegas’s strong power play and matching their physicality.

“They’re a big team. They will definitely try to wear you down in the defensive zone by controlling pucks,” Lambert cautioned. “We’re gonna have to be hard on pucks and be hard in battles…We’ll have to do that against Vegas. They’ve got a great transition game.”

Projected lines show the Kraken will likely use McCann-Beniers-Eberle, Schwartz-Wright-Tolvanen, Marchment-Stephenson-Winterton, and Kartye-Gaudreau-Nyman up front. Defensively, the pairings are expected to be Dunn-Larsson, Lindgren-Montour, and Mahura-Oleksiak.

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