Seattle Kraken Set Sail for Madison Square Garden Showdown with New York Rangers

As the Seattle Kraken prepare to face off against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, fans are eager to see if the team can continue their recent performance trends. The Kraken have shown a mix of outcomes in their past few games, which could make for an unpredictable match.

In their last game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Kraken were unable to find the back of the net, resulting in a shutout loss. Despite putting up 22 shots and matching Pittsburgh's physicality with 22 hits, they fell short on scoring and faceoff wins, only securing 40 percent of draws. Their power play was also ineffective with no goals on two opportunities.

However, looking at their game before that tells a different story. The Kraken dominated with a high-scoring victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. They managed to net seven goals from 36 shots—a shooting percentage that any team would be proud of—and won nearly half of their faceoffs. Their power play contributed one goal from two chances as well.

The trend continued positively when we look back another game where they faced off against Washington Capitals and came out victorious with four goals scored from just 23 shots while maintaining solid goaltending that allowed only one goal.

These contrasting performances suggest that while Seattle has potential for offensive explosiveness, consistency remains an issue—particularly in special teams play and faceoff circles.

The upcoming game will be played at one of hockey's most storied venues—Madison Square Garden—which is known for its energetic atmosphere that can both inspire and intimidate visiting teams. The Kraken will need to harness this energy positively if they hope to overcome a Rangers team likely eager to defend home ice advantage.

Fans can catch this exciting matchup on January 17th via ESPN+ nationally or through local broadcasts on MSG channel 634 in New York or ROOT Sports NW channel 687 in Seattle areas.