RECAP: Seahawks suffer another loss, Kraken win two-straight
The Seattle Seahawks have struggled to run the football through their last five games, four of which have been losses. Seattle has yet to cross 100 yards on the ground in their previous five games.
AP PHOTO/JEFF LEWIS
Seattle’s 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blue was the eighth time the Kraken have scored five or more goals in a game this season.
SEATTLE – While playoff chances for the Seattle Seahawks slip with each of their four recent losses, the Seattle Kraken have snapped their losing skid with back-to-back wins. Check out this week’s professional sports recap.
Seahawks
With last Thursday’s 21-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks have now lost four of their previous five games, dropping them to 7-7 after a 6-3 start to the year.
While the final may appear close, the 49ers lead by two scores for most of the game. Two of San Francisco tight end George Kittle’s four receptions went for touchdowns, including a 54-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter.
The lack of a run game shifted the game script to having quarterback Geno Smith throw the ball more, completing 31 of 44 passes for 238 yards and a late touchdown pass to tight end Noah Fant with under four minutes remaining. During this five-game stretch, the Seahawks have yet to cross the century mark in rushing yards.
Late in the game against San Francisco, wide receiver Tyler Lockett broke his finger. After surgery, Head Coach Pete Carroll said at a press conference on Tuesday that Lockett has a chance to return for Seattle’s Week 17 matchup against the Jets.
With all of the recent losses, the Seahawks have now dropped out of the NFC playoff picture for the time being. As the eighth seed, Seattle holds a tiebreaker over the Detroit Lions from a head-to-head win earlier this season but sits behind Dallas, New York and Washington who ann control playoff spots entering Week 16.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Seattle, as they prepare for a Christmas Eve road trip to Kansas City and the 11-3 Chiefs. The Seahawks will have an easier chance to get back into the win column against the New York Jets, who have also lost four of their past five games, at home on Jan. 1 and the season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, who Seattle beat 27-23 two weeks ago, on Jan. 8.
Kraken
The Seattle Kraken had lost five of their previous six games before getting back in the win column against the Winnipeg Jets, winning 3-2 on Sunday.
After a first-period Winnipeg goal, right wing Jordan Eberle scored the equalizer, which the Jets answered nearly four minutes later to take a 2-1 lead. In the third period, Seattle center Ryan Donato and left wing Jared McCann both scored to give the Kraken just their third win in the month of December.
On Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues, Seattle jumped out to a 4-0 lead at the end of the second period with goals by Donato, defenseman Carson Soucy, right wing Daniel Sprong and McCann. Left wing Brandon Tanev added an empty netter in the third period to give Seattle a second-straight win and marked the eighth time this season the Kraken have scored five-plue goals in a game.
Up this week for the Kraken is a road trip to Vancouver on Thursday before a home game against Calgary on Dec. 28.
