Ostman Shines, Kraken Fall in Finale

DENVER – The Kraken could not finish the 2025-26 regular season with a “W,” but rookie goaltender Victor Ostman graded out to an “A’ in his NHL debut. Seattle loses 2-0 to the Presidents’ Trophy winners in Colorado while Ostman makes 33 saves. The Kraken finished the season with a 34-37-11 regular-season record.

In his first-ever NHL opening period, Kraken goalie prospect Victor Ostman was calm and sturdy against a Colorado squad heading to the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the first overall seed. The 25-year-old Swede faced and stopped eight shots on goal in the first five minutes. The Kraken defensive corps was supportive despite the lopsided 9-01 shot totals in the first eight minutes, keeping attempts to mid-range distances.

Even more helpful were video coach Tim Ohashi and Adam Purner flagging an offside violation ahead of Colorado defenseman Nick Blakenburg ‘s presumed goal scored through net-front and high slot traffic. It was a close call, but the Kraken video gurus were correct to challenge as the goal was overturned.

For his part, Ostman proved to be team-first in his remarks and received a lot of fist bumps and “way to go” callouts from his teammates, including veterans such as Jaden Schwartz and Jamie Oleksiak.

“Obviously, it would have been nice to get a win,” said Ostman. “But it was a lot of fun out there and a lifelong dream, being out there with those guys and seeing what it was like ... you're always just trying to settle in, and you never know how a game's gonna play out, especially not your first one. But I felt pretty comfortable.”

Parents, Family Members Arrive for Debut

Ostman’s parents and other family members flew in from Stockholm and will return home on Friday. But there is no doubting it was worth it for his mom, dad and others.

“They are the ones that helped me get here, and without them, I wouldn't be here,” said Ostman.  “So to be able to spend this day with them means the world to me. I'm really happy they made it out here. I know it's a long travel from Sweden.”

The first period finished with Ostman turning away 15 SOG or 27 saves and no goals in the first 40 minutes of Ostman’s career. His NHL scoreless streak lasted until late second when a Vince Dunn scrap net-front with Parker Kelly appeared to distract Ostman when tracking a Brett Burns shot from near the blue line that was tipped by the aforementioned Blankenburg. This time it counted, and Dunn went to the penalty box for roughing after the play.

The goal spoiled another excellent period from Ostman. The former NCAA Maine star, enjoying a stellar year with the AHL Firebirds, made stops on three high-danger shots in the first three minutes of the middle frame. He looked confident and comfortable in net.

“He played really well,” said Kraken head coach Lane Lambert about Ostman’s performance. “I liked his size. I liked his rebound control. I thought he swallowed up pucks. It was a really good showing for him in his first NHL start. Very, very well done by him on the back-to-back situation.”

The problem was that the Kraken were not producing much offense, in both scoring chances and offensive zone time. After 40 minutes, the Avalanche had outchanced Seattle, 19 to 3. At game end, the scoring chances count was 24 to 4 with nine high-danger chances for Colorado and three for Seattle, per Natural Stat Trick.

“I thought we competed; certainly, they were quicker,” said Lambert. “As a result, we spent some time in our zone. At times, we looked a little tired. I think the back-to-back we had is ridiculous. Last two games of the year, when you lose a time zone and get in at three o'clock in the morning, playing the number one team in the league. Call it an excuse. Call whatever you want. I thought there were times when we didn't have much in the tank. We did our best and tried to stay committed.”

Backstopping the AHL Firebirds

Ostman and fellow Firebirds goaltending stalwart Nikke Kokko provided strong work this week in the absence of Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer. Ostman’s goalie coach at AHL Coachella Valley, Vince Stalletti, provided some context for an Ostman outing that doesn’t surprise him.

“What Victor is just naturally very good at, and where he has taken strides this season, is being really consistent,” said Stalletti this week. “In executing the game plan, he has played consistently this season, starting quality hockey games almost every night. In the second half of the year, he's gonna give you a chance to win, and you know he's actually. He has stolen a couple of games too [for the Firebirds and with goal support could well have done in Thursday’s finale].”