ANAHEIM – There was no lack of intensity this time around as the Kraken squared off against the Ducks for the second time in two weeks in a game with heavy Pacific Division implications.

Unlike the prior game, the Kraken this time came out strong in the first period and were down by only a goal entering the final minute of the middle frame when Jacob Trouba scored through a screen from the blue line. That proved too heavy a blow for the Kraken to rally from in a 4-2 defeat that would see plenty more blows and punches delivered before this contest was done.

Alex Killorn added a third Anaheim goal just 24 seconds into the third period with a shot through Grubauer’s legs from the right circle with Ryan Poehling giving the goalie all kinds of problems in front of the net. The first three goals against Grubauer resulted from heavy traffic in front, with Cutter Gauthier opening the scoring in the middle period with a quick snapper from the right circle through another screen.

Grubauer then lost the puck behind his own net with six minutes to play, and it came right in front to Ryan Johnston for an easy goal on an open cage.

Jordan Eberle prevented the third Kraken shutout of the season and first in more than two months when he redirected a Jared McCann slap shot with just more than four minutes to go. It was the 20th goal of the season for Eberle and his first time reaching that plateau since the 2022-23 campaign.

Shane Wright then had a puck deflect in off his body for a goal two minutes later that made for a more exciting finish than anticipated.

The loss snapped the Kraken’s win streak at four games and knocked them out of third place in the Pacific and into the second Western Conference wild card spot. That sets up a crucial game on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings, who are just one point behind the Kraken, as the pre-Olympic schedule draws to a close.

Anaheim’s second goal on the Trouba slapper from 65 feet away came at a point in the game where the Kraken had outshot the Ducks by a 7-1 margin in the latter half of the period. Prior to that, the Ducks held a 21-10 edge in shots by the game’s midpoint and had been taking over the contest after Gauthier’s opening goal.

But Trouba’s marker shifted the momentum right before the period’s end.

The Kraken were already seething from the fact they felt the Ducks had at least two extra players on the ice during a line change when Trouba blew his shot past Philipp Grubauer from the right point right near Anaheim’s bench door with 35 seconds to go. Then, just as the period ended, Jacob Melanson delivered a hit on Ducks forward Troy Terry – just recently back from injury – that set off a wild scrum involving all 10 players on the ice.

It took a while to restore order as Melanson was escorted briskly off the ice by officials amid a bevy of threats being directed his way by Anaheim players. Ryan Lindgren was right in the middle of the scrum pile and did his share of physical and verbal jousting with opponents all around him.

By the time it was done, it was clear there is little love lost between two fast-growing division rivals now separated by two points, with Anaheim in the lead. The Ducks also moved just a point behind division-leading Vegas and Edmonton with the win.

The Kraken had recorded wins in five of their last six games, with only the prior matchup against the Ducks as a blemish, but they struggled to solve goalie Lukas Dostal despite some solid early chances. Grubauer kept the game scoreless with a big save off Mikael Granlund on a partial breakaway and then made a big glove stop on Beckett Senecke with five minutes to go in the first.

But the Kraken couldn’t hold the Ducks off forever, and now will need to regroup quickly against the Kings to head to the break with a winning road trip and positive momentum.