Kraken head coach Lane Lambert looking to make the most of 2nd shot leading NHL franchise

SEATTLE (AP) — It would not be difficult for an onlooker at a Seattle Kraken preseason practice to register Lane Lambert’s booming voice.

Yet the new Kraken head coach, who was hired in May to replace Dan Bylsma, is anything but a drill sergeant. Just a few weeks into playing under Lambert, center Matty Beniers would describe him as a straight-shooter, but not somebody who seeks to call out his players for mistakes.

“It’s, ‘Hey, we all got to learn from this. It’s not one guy, it’s the team,’” Beniers said. “And I love it. He’s got a lot of dedication to being a really good team, and being a good team together.”

The Kraken front office, which underwent a bit of a shakeup this offseason, sure hopes for that from the 60-year-old Lambert. He is in his second go-around as a head coach, and will be Seattle’s third in its five years of existence.

In May 2022, he was promoted to head coach of the Islanders following the firing of Barry Trotz, a longtime mentor of Lambert’s. They coached together for 12 years, and won the only Stanley Cup in franchise history for the Washington Capitals in 2018.

“We’ve kind of joked that we were able to finish each other’s sentences, we knew exactly what each other was thinking,” Lambert recalled. “So, his influence on me was tremendous, and just the type of person that he is and the way you handle situations and treat people was really an impressive experience for me.”

Lambert is certainly capable of getting his teams to be difficult to play against, as evidenced by his tenure with the New York Islanders. In the 2022-23 season, for instance, the Islanders deployed a top-10 penalty kill and allowed the fifth-fewest goals in the league that year en route to a playoff appearance.

Amid a lackluster start to the 2023-24 campaign, Lambert was fired in favor of Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy, who remains at the helm for New York. Lambert looks back at his time on Long Island pleased with some aspects of his coaching, while also recognizing there was room for improvement.

Now in his second stint as an NHL head coach, Lambert is focused on doing right by everybody in the organization – and that doesn’t just mean the players he coaches.

“That was one thing that I really sat back (on),” Lambert said. “You can talk all you want about X’s and O’s, and systems and strategies, and we all have very similar ones. But, it’s ‘How do you communicate?’ and ‘How do you have your players all feel important?’ And, it’s that relationship and that communication with them that cultivates that.”

The group that Lambert will seek to cultivate those kinds of relationships with is a bit of a mixed bag. Beniers is one of four 20-goal scorers returning from last year’s squad, and the Kraken added a fifth in Mason Marchment, who they acquired from the Dallas Stars for two draft picks.

However, Seattle doesn’t have much by way of proven talent on the blue line, which could very well make life difficult for goalie Joey Daccord. Regardless, Lambert is eager to embrace the challenge at hand of elevating the play of a team that finished in seventh in the Pacific Division last year.

Whether it be acclimating Seattle, working alongside his coaching staff or learning more about his players, it’s been a positive experience on the whole so far living in the Emerald City for Lambert. Next week in the opener against Anaheim, he will learn if his efforts to communicate with his squad are the beginning of a fruitful partnership.

“When you try and lay a foundation, when you try and build and grow an identity, it doesn’t work if they’re not receptive to it,” Lambert said. “Right from day one, these guys have been fantastic to work with. Each and every one of them.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Seattle Kraken, from left, defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, forward Ryan Winterton, defenseman Joshua Mahura and forward Oscar Fisker Molgaard celebrate a goal during the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Kraken forward Ryan Winterton is congratulated by teammates on the bench after scoring a goal during the third period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen (20) celebrates with forward Matty Beniers (10) after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

FILE - Seattle Kraken head coach Lane Lambert, left, and assistant coach Jessica Campbell, right, watch from the bench during the third period of a preseason NHL hockey game Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer, File)

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Robert MacIntyre added the Valero Texas Open this year to be sharp for the Masters, and he looked every bit of that Friday with four birdies in his last five holes for an 8-under 64 and a four-shot lead over Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Aberg.

MacIntyre felt comfortable with his swing from start, taking advantage of a back nine that included a hybrid that rolled out to 8 feet for eagle on the par-5 14th.

What made the difference was his finish, with all four of the Scot's birdies from 10 feet or closer.

He was in the same group as Aberg, whose 67 included holing out with a wedge from 120 yards for eagle on the par-4 sixth. The Swede's only disappointing was missing the fairway on his final hole at No. 9 and three-putting from 100 feet.

MacIntyre was at 14-under 130.

“I didn’t play last year, just went straight into Augusta. This was an adjustment for that reason,” MacIntyre said. “I wanted to be sharp — or sharper — going into Augusta.”

The Texas Open is the last chance for so many others to get into the Masters with a win, though MacIntyre is starting to make those odds seem a little bit longer.

Tony Finau, who hasn't missed the Masters since 2017, was one shot out of the lead going into the second round when he had three bogeys in six holes at the start. He had to rally for a 69, which included a 35-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th. That put him five shots behind, along with Kevin Roy, Bud Cauley and Thorbjorn Olesen.

“It was nice to make an eagle on the last,” Finau said. “I hit a really good drive, pushed my second shot a little, got lucky, covered the water and was able to roll that one in. Sometimes those are the small little breaks that you need to be towards the top of the leaderboard.”

Mark Hubbard, who led after 18 holes with a 65, followed that with a 77 to make the cut on the number at 2-under 142. He went from one shot ahead to 12 shots behind.

Aberg said he has moved on from his rough back nine that cost him at The Players Championship two weeks ago. He has another chance over the final 36 holes at the TPC San Antonio, and that's all that mattered to him.

“I feel great. I feel like I’ve been playing good golf,” Aberg said. “For me, golf is about putting yourself in situations where you can win tournaments. I feel like I haven’t really done that very well the last 12 months or so, but starting to see it now, which has been really nice. So I’m looking forward to one more shot at it this week.”

MacIntyre is trying to become the third straight left-handed player to win the Texas Open, following Brian Harman last year and Akshay Bhatia in 2024.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Hideki Matsuyama watches his drive during the second round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament in San Antonio, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

Dylan Wu lies down for a better angle during the second round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament in San Antonio, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

Robert MacIntyre hits onto the green on hole 1 during the second round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament in San Antonio, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

Ludvig Aberg waves to fans during the second round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament in San Antonio, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)