Seattle, WA
Nikita Kucherov nets hat trick as Seattle Kraken lose 6-2 to Lightning
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 17: Philipp Grubauer #31 of the Seattle Kraken gives up a goal to Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena on March 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – The Seattle Kraken saw nearly every mistake they made on Tuesday night end up in the back of their net in a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Nikita Kucherov had a hat trick and two assists for a five-point night to lead the Lightning as the league’s second-leading scorer capitalized on multiple Seattle miscues.
Three goals came directly off Kraken turnovers, and the fourth came on a bad line change, and the fifth on a power play as Philipp Grubauer was repeatedly hung out to dry in goal. Grubauer allowed five goals on 24 shots, but had practically no chance on all of them.
“Our mistakes were really catastrophic,” head coach Lane Lambert said. “Obviously, some really, really poor decisions. … We’re making some mistakes here that you can’t make. I’m not even going to say they’re uncharacteristic, because apparently they are at the moment.”
Bobby McMann scored his fourth goal in three games since being cleared to join the Kraken lineup, and Jared McCann also scored for Seattle. However, they were unable to completely erase a 3-0 Tampa lead as they were unable to extend their winning streak to three games.
The Lightning looked like a well-oiled machine for the first 21 minutes of action in building their three-goal advantage.
McCann got trapped on the wall at the Seattle blue line as Gage Goncalves checked McCann off the puck and beat Grubauer off passes from Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point for a 1-0 lead.
Late in the first period, Kucherov picked the puck off the stick of Ben Meyers in the Kraken zone and buried a tap-in goal off a give-and-go with Brandon Hagel for a 2-0 lead.
Kucherov got his second less than a minute into the second period as Seattle got caught in a bad change. A stretch pass from Darren Raddysh caught the Kraken out-numbered with Kucherov serving as the beneficiary of another tap-in goal off passes from Hagel and Anthony Cirelli for a 3-0 advantage.
“They do a good job in the neutral zone,” said McMann, who played the Lightning in the Atlantic Division with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “They make it hard to enter the zone and get possession or establish a forecheck. I think that’s probably the biggest strength of the game. And then if you’re not diligent with the puck and you turn it over, I think, they go the other way pretty good and they have the skill to make it count.”
However, it took just 10 seconds for the Kraken to answer to get back into the contest on McMann’s fourth goal in three games with Seattle. Matty Beniers made a leaping stop to keep the puck in the offensive zone and set up McMann while falling to the ice. McMann sniped a shot over Andrei Vasilevskiy’s right shoulder from the left dot to cut the lead to 3-1.
McCann added a goal just as a power play expired midway through the period to trim the Lightning lead to 3-2 at the break. After generating almost nothing on the power play, McCann led one last rush into Tampa’s zone and found his way in front of goal with the puck, lifting a shot by Vasilevskiy to make it a one-goal game.
A hooking penalty on Charle-Edouard D’Astous gave the Kraken a power play chance to tie the game shortly afterward that Seattle was unable to convert. After Grubauer made a stellar save on Brandon Hagel to keep in a one-goal game, Vasilevskiy made a big stop on a Freddy Gaudreau chance to preserve Tampa’s advantage.
A missed slashing call from Hagel on Beniers allowed Tampa to turn another ‘turnover’ into a goal as Cirelli cleaned up a loose puck in front of Grubauer for a 4-2 lead.
Vasilevskiy delivered two more big saves on Adam Larsson and Jordan Eberle to prevent the Kraken from cutting into the lead before the Lightning put the game firmly away.
Hagel added a power play goal with McMann in the box for a boarding penalty against D’Astous. Kucherov, Goncalves and Hagel combined for a great passing sequence that again left Grubauer defenseless.
“These mistakes are really costing us and Grubi had no chance on all the goals,” Lambert said.
“The penalty kill goal that they scored off the rush at the end is inexcusable. You know, we can’t give that goal up. we made a mistake, and these mistakes have to stop.”
Kucherov polished off the hat trick with an empty net goal for his 37th goal of the season as he moved in front of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for second in the league in points at 111, trailing only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (115).
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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Seattle News Weekly S1E44: FIFA Frenzy hits the PNW
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is off and running as Seattle prepares to host the United States vs. Australia match on Friday. With more matches to be played in the Emerald City after that, FOX 13’s David Rose, Dan Griffin and Austin Lane are taking a closer look at the biggest stories surrounding the international tournament. Dan is hearing from fans on Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s decision to turn on CCTV cameras during the World Cup, Austin is taking a deeper dive into why ties are a good thing in the group stage, and David revisits the lessons learned from the first match hosted in Seattle between Egypt and Belgium.
SEATTLE – The FIFA World Cup has taken Seattle by storm, bringing global excitement to our city and visitors from across the world.
On this week’s episode of the ‘Seattle News Weekly’ podcast, David Rose, Dan Griffin and Austin Lane discuss the top headlines of the week that have emerged alongside the buzz about the FIFA World Cup 2026.
A Massive Tournament Expansion
The hosts open the podcast with a discussion on how historically large this year’s FIFA World Cup is compared to years past. Expanded to 48 teams (up from 32), the tournament features a record 104 matches over 39 days across 16 host cities. Seattle is hosting six of those matches.
Austin explains the value of “ties” in the group stage—especially with the new format where 32 teams advance to the knockout stage instead of 16—meaning a single point from a tie carries significant weight.
At the time of recording, the US had already defeated Paraguay and is preparing to face Australia at “Seattle Stadium,” where a win would guarantee advancement.
Transit Tactics
Dan Griffin reports on the city’s transit system, noting that while the light rail is moving a massive influx of people smoothly, transit authorities are actively “throttling” passengers.
This practice involves controlling crowd flow onto platforms to ensure safety, which has caused wait times of over an hour for some fans on TikTok. Transit officials recommend that fans walk to stations slightly further away from the stadium district to get moving faster.
The CCTV Security Debate
The hosts talk about how security is a major focal point. The FBI has already had to confiscate drones being flown illegally downtown. More prominently, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson activated controversial closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the Stadium District following “general but credible threats” identified by law enforcement.
While an activist group called Community, Not Cameras expressed fears that the surveillance puts vulnerable populations at risk due to federal agency presence, visitors and fans interviewed largely welcomed the extra layer of security. The cameras are expected to be turned off after the World Cup concludes.
Cultural Celebrations and Fan Experiences
The hosts play a clip from reporter Lauren Donovan who provides a colorful look at the fan festivities happening in the city. She highlights the “March to the Match,” describing Monday morning where Belgian fans swarmed Victory Hall alongside middle school band directors from the Stanwood-Camano district who were recruited to drum for them.
She also joins celebrating Egyptian fans, whose match against Belgium ended in an enthusiastic tie. The hosts note that international fans (like those from Australia) are already flooding local attractions, including Seattle Mariners baseball games, turning the sporting event into a broader West Coast vacation.
Seattle News Weekly is a podcast that goes in depth and gives context to the stories that matter to the western Washington community. Check back every Thursday for a new episode on your favorite podcast platform, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Audible or YouTube.
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
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Seattle’s Ballard to host Pride celebration, FIFA watch party on June 26
Seattle reviews FIFA World Cup 2026 transit options after post-match congestion
Egypt’s World Cup pride, Mohamed Salah’s legacy and one fan’s love for the Pharaohs
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Mariners’ electric right-hander could not have rebounded in a more emphatic way.
World Cup fans land in Seattle for first Belgium-Egypt game
Fans from around the globe arrived in Seattle for the FIFA World Cup matchup between Belgium and Egypt Monday, June 15 — the first of six games to be played at the downtown Seattle Stadium.
Seattle’s World Cup party on the waterfront just got a little bit bigger.
On the eve of the next USMNT game (U.S. vs. Australia, June 19 at 12 p.m. PT), Fox will be broadcasting live from Pier 62 in Seattle, according to a social media post.
Fans will have a number of options when it comes to watching the US take on Australia in their second group stage match, including from a floating barge, a 70-foot screen and a number of bars across the city.
Former Sounder Clint Dempsey, former USMNT player Alexi Lalas, Rob Stone and Stu Holden will broadcast live from downtown Seattle from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Where can you watch the broadcast online?
FOX ONE will be streaming the broadcast online at www.fox.com.
What other World Cup games are happening Thursday?
- 9:00 A.M. – Czechia vs South Africa (Group A) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
- 12:00 P.M. – Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
- 3:00 P.M. – Canada vs Qatar (Group B) at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia
- 6:00 P.M. – Mexico vs South Korea (Group A) at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Jalisco
Full USMNT 2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule
Game 2: USMNT vs. Australia
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Date: June 19, 2026
- Kickoff: 12 p.m. PT
- TV: FOX, Telemundo
- Streaming: FOX One, Fubo, Peacock
Game 3: USMNT vs. Turkey
- Location: Inglewood, California
- Date: June 25, 2026
- Kickoff: 7 p.m. PT
- TV: FOX, Telemundo
- Streaming: FOX One, Fubo, Peacock
Full World Cup 2026 schedule
- Group stage: June 11-27
- Round of 32: June 28-July 3
- Round of 16: July 4-7
- Quarterfinals: July 9-11
- Semifinals: July 14-15
- Third-place game: July 18
- Final: July 19
Zachary Fletcher is a trending news reporter with USA TODAY Network’s Washington state team. Keep up with him on X (@zdfletch), BlueSky (@zfletcher.bsky.social) or reach him at zfletcher@usatodayco.com.
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