Andre Burakovsky scores twice as Kraken take down division-leading Vegas

LAS VEGAS — The Seattle Kraken got to see how they measured up against the Pacific Division’s best Friday night and liked the findings. Andre Burakovsky scored twice and Philipp Grubauer experienced a win for the first time this season on his 31st birthday. He made 20 saves in a 4-2 victory at T-Mobile Arena.

The Vegas Golden Knights sit first in the Pacific Division at 16-5-1, six points ahead of the second-place Kraken (12-5-3).

The divisional opponents met for the second time this season. The last time in Seattle on Oct. 15, the Kraken were in the middle of a slow start, but have gone 11-4-2 since that 5-2 pounding. They’ve now won four straight.

Seattle dropped all four games to Vegas in regulation last season, so this was the franchise’s first victory against the Golden Knights.

Jamie Oleksiak got the puck out of the corner to Burakovsky, who scored his second of the night from the right faceoff dot and made it 3-2 with just over five minutes gone in the second period. Team scoring leader Burakovsky has five points (three goals, two assists) in his past two games and 20 in 20 games since signing with the Kraken in the offseason.

The Golden Knights had already erased a bigger lead, and Jordan Eberle added needed insurance when he dragged the puck around Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez and put a shot off Adin Hill’s outstretched goalie stick. Eberle had just enough runway for a second chance and he poked it over the hurdle.

Again the Kraken resisted the easy route, giving up a two-goal lead in a second straight game. Ryan Donato was rummaging around the crease for Adam Larsson’s rebound and put it back 2:38 into the game. Larsson got another primary assist on the next goal. Burakovsky’s low shot trickled through Hill’s pads. The Vegas goalie glanced behind him, saw that he hadn’t gotten all of it, then crumpled.

It had worked well for Seattle, so Vegas’ Nicolas Roy duplicated the first goal of the game. He parked himself in front of Grubauer, who made the initial save on William Karlsson’s redirection. Roy scooped up the rebound and put it in.

Thirteen minutes in, Seattle’s lead was gone. Grubauer rolled the puck up the boards to the point, with two teammates missing it on the way by. The Kraken allowed Shea Theodore to carve his way from the point to the net. The puck spit out to Phil Kessel, who put it right past the butt of Grubauer’s stick.