Matty Beniers drops the gloves for Jared McCann, and Kraken fans did not see it coming
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Jonathan Ouimet
Mar 11, 2026 (1:28)
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Photo credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Matty Beniers fought Justin Barron after a hit on Jared McCann, and the Seattle Kraken suddenly looked a lot meaner at Climate Pledge Arena.
This was Beniers' first career fight, the kind of moment that snaps a bench to attention.
It came from pure protect-the-room instinct, not some staged heavyweight routine.
McCann took the kind of contact that makes teammates pop up, and Beniers answered it immediately, even though that's not his usual brand.
The timing was wild because Seattle was already clawing for every inch in a tight game against the Nashville Predators.
You could feel the building change when Beniers grabbed Barron, like the crowd realized, oh, he's doing this for real.
The official sheet even has it plain as day, «Matty Beniers Fighting against Justin Barron.»
Matty Beniers gives the Seattle Kraken a backbone
Kraken fans have wanted more pushback for years, so seeing their skilled center throw down felt like a long-overdue line in the sand.
And it wasn't empty energy, Beniers also scored in the first period, his 17th goal of the season.
He's now sitting at 16-23-39 on the year, and that's why this fight hits different, it's not your fourth-line policeman sending the message.
McCann's fingerprints were on the goal too, with the primary assist, a reminder he's still a driver at 16-17-33.
Seattle still lost 4-2, even after jumping out 2-0, which makes the emotional part sting a bit more.
Juuse Saros saw 45 shots and stopped 43, and that's basically the story of the night in one sentence.
But the fight is what will travel, because it's a sign of what Seattle wants to be when the games tighten up.
If McCann is going to take heat in the tough areas, the Kraken need their top guys to respond, not just glare from across the ice.
Beniers just showed everyone he'll pay that price, and that's the kind of thing that carries into the next game.
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