Jared McCann and Mason Appleton each scored twice, leading the Seattle Kraken to a 7-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.
Brandon Tanev contributed a goal and two assists, while Carson Soucy and Jaden Schwartz also found the back of the net for the Kraken, who posted their highest-scoring total of the season. Yanni Gourde and Morgan Geekie each added two assists.
“It’s a big confidence boost for a lot of guys, and it shows our depth in scoring,” said Appleton, who notched his first goals of the season after missing the first 11 games with a lower-body injury. “We’ve got 12 guys who can put the puck in the net any night.”
Chris Driedger made 32 saves as Seattle secured their fourth win in five games and their first back-to-back road wins of the season.
“Our team’s commitment level and opportunistic mindset tonight was great,” Tanev said. “They gave us a late push and a couple of late goals, but at the end of the day, we got a great win for our group.”
Jeff Skinner scored twice for the Sabres, who have lost five consecutive home games and six of their last seven overall. Brett Murray had a goal and an assist, Dylan Cozens added another goal, Kyle Okposo recorded two assists, and Dustin Tokarski made 25 saves.
“We didn’t have a sense of urgency at the start, especially with the details,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “We allowed too much, too easily, and then we had to fight the rest of the way because of it.”
Seattle scored the first two short-handed goals in franchise history during a three-goal first period, capitalizing on turnovers by Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin.
“You come into a building and kind of take the energy out of it when you score goals like that,” Appleton said.
Gourde outworked Dahlin in the corner to set up Soucy’s slap shot from the high slot just 16 seconds into a Sabres power play at 5:47. Tanev then stripped Dahlin of the puck and beat him down the ice to score off his own rebound, just 25 seconds after Buffalo gained the man advantage with 5:20 left in the first period.
“Those guys have the green light to go when they can without creating a ton of risk,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “It was a real good read to jump on the first one, and the second was just pure effort all the way up the ice.”
McCann added a third goal off a rebound with 56 seconds remaining in the period.
After Murray scored his first NHL goal at 1:53 of the second, Geekie made a one-handed backhand pass from behind the net to set up McCann’s second goal, restoring Seattle’s three-goal lead.
Appleton extended the Kraken’s lead to 5-2, 42 seconds after Skinner’s power-play goal late in the second period.
Skinner pulled Buffalo within two again, scoring 37 seconds into the third period.
“We definitely had opportunities,” Skinner said. “We just couldn’t sustain any momentum.”
Schwartz made it 6-3 for the Kraken with 6:16 remaining.
Cozens deflected Okposo’s shot past Driedger to bring the Sabres closer, but Appleton sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 25 seconds left.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Kraken: Leading scorer Jordan Eberle left in the third period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Hakstol did not provide an immediate update on Eberle’s status, saying he would be evaluated on Tuesday.
Sabres: Forward Casey Mittelstadt (upper body) has been cleared for contact in practice and could return during the upcoming road trip, according to Granato. Mittelstadt, who was Buffalo’s top-line center before getting injured in the season opener, has missed 21 games. Forward Alex Tuch (shoulder) skated in a non-contact jersey for the first time since being acquired from Vegas in the Jack Eichel trade on Nov. 4. Granato said Tuch is still “weeks away” from playing. Defenseman Jacob Bryson was scratched due to an undisclosed injury.
Game Notes
Kraken defenseman Will Borgen recorded his first NHL point with an assist on Appleton’s first goal. Borgen, Seattle’s expansion draft pick from Buffalo, became the 33rd player to record his first point against the team that drafted him. Gourde’s assist marked his 200th career point. Dahlin notched his 100th career assist on Skinner’s first goal. Will Butcher saved a goal for Buffalo in the second period by lunging with his stick to stop the puck from crossing the line after it slipped through Tokarski’s pads. The Sabres were the last team to score two short-handed goals in the same period in a win against the Flyers on March 31.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Conclude their four-game road trip at Detroit on Wednesday.
- Sabres: Visit Florida on Thursday.
