Jamie Oleksiak scored a goal and recorded the 100th assist of his NHL career, and Adam Larsson scored the game-winning goal in the third period as the Seattle Kraken beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-4 on Monday afternoon.
Jamie Oleksiak scored a goal and recorded the 100th assist of his NHL career, and Adam Larsson scored the game-winning goal in the third period as the Seattle Kraken beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-4 on Monday afternoon.
While the Kraken are used to getting offensive contributions from their blue line, it's not typically Oleksiak and Larsson the ones doing so. Oleksiak's goal was his fourth of the season, and Larsson's third. However, Oleksiak has two goals in Seattle's last four games, and Larsson has two in their last eight.Matty Beniers scored his 10th goal of the year on the power play, and Chandler Stephenson, John Hayen and Jared McCann also scored for Seattle. McCann finished with an empty net goal and two assists."The D-men were huge in the game for us," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "Obviously, we get the goal from , game-winner goes to Lars, but Ryker is on the scoresheet with a couple assists. They're leading the way. … It's not just , it's not just , it's the group back there."The Kraken had five different players with at least two points in the victory – three of them defensemen. Oleksiak and Larsson each had a goal and an assists, while Evans had a pair of assists."It's always fun to score," Larsson said. "I mean, both me and Jamie have scored twice now lately and that's probably not something we should get too used to, but it's always fun to score."Seattle also had three goals come within a minute of goals by the Sabres. Hayden's opening goal, Oleksiak's goal, and McCann's empty-netter all came in direct response to Buffalo goals."It just shows the belief system is probably a lot higher than it's been a month ago," Larsson said. "Still believe until the end and now we've started the home stretch pretty good and try to keep that going." The Sabres grabbed the lead just over five minutes into the game. Jack Quinn's wrist shot from the blue line deflected off the backside of McCann and redirected by Joey Daccord for a 1-0 lead.The advantage lasted just 27 seconds before the Kraken responded. John Hayden fought for space in front of the net and was able to toss a rebound of an Evans shot by Buffalo goaltender Devon Levi for the tying goal. It was his first of the season and third goal in 14 career games for the Kraken."We had an emphasis with net front presence going into the game," Hayden said. "I thought we all did a good job of that even beyond the goal. It was a focus throughout the game and I feel like it paid off."Stephenson scored for the second straight game for Seattle to give the Kraken the lead less than six minutes later. Stephenson corralled a blocked Oliver Bjorkstrand shot and snapped it inside the right post for a 2-1 Seattle advantage.After a penalty free first period, the second period saw two penalties taken by each team with a power play goal each way.Seattle's first power play was entirely ineffective with Daccord needing to stop a short-handed break chance from Beck Malensyn to preserve the lead. But on their second power play of the period, the Kraken extended the lead.Beniers made a terrific play to keep offensive zone possession for Seattle, digging the puck out of the skates of Bjorkstrand and Sabres defenders to avoid a clearance. Later in the shift, he worked his way to the slot and buried a pass from Stephneson by Levi for a 3-1 lead."We get a shot and did a great job battling it out, and giving me time to get back and poke it back to Dunner. And that's when goals are scored," Beniers said. "They're an aggressive kill, they come at you hard and when you get pucks back after shots, then that's when things kind of start opening up and they're scrambling a little bit.Said Bylsma: "That power play goal was an example of all of that execution and movement and motion and finding the open man. Getting the result was, I think, huge for the power play and their feeling that they're having success, because that's exactly what we're looking for."Then, with Eeli Tolvanen in the box for a hooking penalty, Jason Zucker tipped a Rasmus Dahlin point shot by Daccord to trim the lead to just a single goal. Tage Thompson then delivered the tying goal six minutes later. Thompson worked the puck through Jaden Schwartz at the top of Seattle's zone and fired a perfectly placed wrist shot past Daccord's blocker.But like with the opening Sabres goal, the Kraken responded quickly. Just 56 seconds after Thompson's tally, Oleksiak scored to re-take the lead. McCann and Shane Wright delivered the assists to set up a driving Oleksiak for a one-timer by Levi for a 4-3 Seattle lead.The Kraken offensive push continued throughout the third period. A prime look for Tolvanen had Levi completely beat if not for the handle of his stick, which went flying into the corner out of Levi's grasp. Eventually, Larsson delivered his goal with a slap shot that deflected off the skate of Thompson and through the legs of Levi for a 5-3 Kraken advantage.Alex Tuch got a goal back for the Sabres with Levi on the bench for an extra skater with 1:21 left to play, but McCann scored on the empty net just 17 seconds later as the Kraken got the 6-4 victory.The Kraken will continue their home stand on Thursday night at 7 p.m. as Alexander Ovechkin and the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals come to town.To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
10 Most Popular Shows on Netflix Right NowJamie Foxx on stage talking into a mic for Netflix&39;s What Happened Was
Read more »
Adam Back Says MicroStrategy (MSTR) Is 'Stupidly Cheap'MicroStrategy (MSTR) short-sellers will fail, according to Back
Read more »
Kirk Cousins Future Decided According to NFL Insider Adam SchefterNFL Insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport disagree slightly when it comes to Kirk Cousins's future with the Atlanta Falcons.
Read more »
Jamie Lee Curtis' Prom Night: A Classic Slasher Streaming for FreeProm Night, a cult classic high school slasher film starring Jamie Lee Curtis, is now available for free streaming on Tubi. Despite a low critical reception, the film achieved cult status thanks to its low budget and effective scares.
Read more »
‘Back in Action’ Review: Cameron Diaz Deserves a Better Comeback Than This Netflix Action-ComedyJamie Demetriou, Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, and Jamie Foxx in Back in Action.
Read more »
Kraken Sink Sabres, 6-4, Fueled by Oleksiak's Go-Ahead GoalSeattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak scored the decisive goal in the second period, leading the Kraken to a 6-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
Read more »