Kraken use response goals from unlikely sources to take down Sabres 6-4
For all the times this season where the Kraken have done a poor job of handling bad bounces, a soft goal or a defensive breakdown, it’s notable when they provide an immediate response.
The Kraken did just that on Monday in a 6-4 win over Buffalo for their third win in the past four games. Three times the Kraken scored within a minute of Buffalo scoring — the first time erasing an early deficit and the second time taking a lead Seattle would not relinquish.
As a little Seattle band noted with the title of one of its songs off its latest album last year, “React, Respond” indeed.
“It’s huge. I mean, it just shows the belief system it’s probably a lot higher than it’s been a month ago,” defenseman Adam Larsson said. “[We] still believe till the end and now we’ve started the homestretch pretty good so just going to try and keep that going.”
The Kraken also hit their magic number of four goals. Starting with its 4-2 win at Carolina on Dec. 3, Seattle is 10-0-0 when scoring at least four goals and 0-11-2 in the games it doesn’t.
Chandler Stephenson had a goal and an assist and Matty Beniers continued his recent surge scoring for the third time in the past five games.
But the two most important goals of this win belonged by a couple of unheralded and unexpected scorers: fourth-line forward John Hayden and defenseman Jamie Oleksiak.
Hayden scored his first of the year early in the first period finishing a rebound after Ryker Evans’ shot from the blue line was initially saved by Buffalo goalie Devon Levi. Hayden’s goal was an immediate response and came just 27 seconds after the Sabres took a 1-0 lead.
The response on Oleksiak’s goal took a little bit longer — 56 seconds — but was just as important. Buffalo’s Tage Thompson made a skilled play to avoid losing the puck to Jaden Schwartz at the blue line, faked a pass and then beat Joey Daccord with a wrist shot at 15:38 of the second period as the Sabres turned a 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 game.
Less than a minute later, the Kraken were back in front as Oleksiak finished off a play started by the good work behind the goal by Jared McCann and Shane Wright. McCann won a puck away from Buffalo’s Owen Power along the boards, passed to Wright and the young center found Oleksiak flashing between the circles for his fourth goal.
“Big story of the game. The John Hayden response goal for sure, obviously right after they score, and I thought there was a portion in the second period where things got a little sideways after the power play and them drawing even, but the response goal by the [Shane Wright] line making a play there to [Oleksiak] and scoring that goal was huge for us,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said.
The final response goal by Seattle came from McCann with 1:04 left into an empty Buffalo net. Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres with 1:21 left to pull within 5-4, but McCann hit the empty net almost immediately after the ensuing faceoff to complete a three-point day.
It was McCann’s first three-point game since Oct. 17 and 12 different players ended up with at least one point for the Kraken. A player on all four forward lines contributed at least one goal.
Just as important was two goals from defensemen — Oleksiak and Adam Larsson’s third-period goal.
“When our team is going well, our defensemen are out there, they’re making plays, they’re scoring goals and we’ve seen that,” Beniers said. “It’s good to get those guys back up in the play, coming down the weak side, getting shots off. It’s awesome to see them and we’ve got to continue doing that.”
Stephenson scored late in the first period to give the Kraken a 2-1 lead and Beniers’ goal on the power play in the second made it 3-1. Larsson provided some cushion midway through the third period when his slap shot beat Levi with 9:27 left.
The Kraken are tied with Minnesota for the second-most goals by defensemen with 29 — only Columbus has more. Defenseman have scored at least one goal for Seattle in 13 of its 21 wins.
“It’s always fun to score. Both me and Jamie have scored twice lately. That’s probably not something we should get too used to,” Larsson said. “But it’s always fun to score.”
Daccord made 25 saves and two of the four goals allowed came off wicked deflections. Jack Quinn scored five minutes in on a shot that ricocheted off bodies in front of the net. Dylan Cozens scored on the power play in the second period, tipping Rasmus Dahlin’s shot from the blue line.
Daccord now has 16 wins on the season, three shy of his career-high 19 last season. Thanks to the structure of Seattle’s upcoming schedule, Daccord seems likely to get a heavy workload in net as the Kraken face just one back-to-back between now and the two-week break for the Four Nations Faceoff next month.