Ryan Donato scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period during his return to San Jose, helping the Seattle Kraken secure a 3-1 victory over the Sharks on Tuesday night.
Donato capitalized on a rebound, sending the puck off Sharks defenseman Radim Simek’s skate and past goalie James Reimer. Donato, who played for the Sharks last season before departing as a free agent, was pleased to score against his former team.
“Of course, it feels good to score against your old team,” Donato said. “It was fortunate how the puck bounced in, but I’m just happy it went our way.”
Brandon Tanev added a crucial insurance goal, which became even more significant when Logan Couture scored for the Sharks with their net empty and just 2:07 left in the game.
Chris Driedger made 33 saves to help the Kraken snap a three-game losing streak. He also received critical support from defenseman Adam Larsson, who made a pivotal save in the second period by blocking Matt Nieto’s shot on the goal line.
“I felt really confident out there,” Driedger said. “We did a great job locking things down, limiting their odd-man rushes, and only having one penalty kill. It was a solid team effort, which made it easier for me to do my job.”
Calle Jarnkrok sealed the victory for Seattle with an empty-net goal.
James Reimer made 27 saves for the Sharks, who fell to 2-2 on their longest homestand of the season, a seven-game stretch.
“It felt like the first goal was going to decide the game,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. “When they got the 1-0 lead, we needed to keep it that way and push to tie it up. Instead, we gave up a second goal, and that was frustrating. We knew they worked hard and had a balanced lineup, but we couldn’t generate enough offense.”
Both teams struggled to create high-quality scoring chances during the first two periods. Most of the 38 shots came from low-danger areas, and none found the back of the net.
The Sharks had the game’s only power play, but they failed to maintain pressure in the offensive zone, and the Kraken easily killed it off.
“In the beginning, we were trying to be a little too fancy,” Sharks forward Timo Meier said. “We need to focus on playing a straightforward game, getting pucks to the net, and crashing it with bodies.”
The best chance of the game for San Jose came early in the second period when Nieto had an open net after a rebound, but Larsson made a game-saving stop with his stick on the goal line.
“That was the save of the year,” Driedger said. “It’s always a relief when your defense bails you out like that.”
HOMECOMING
The Kraken began the game with a line composed of former Sharks players, with Alexander True centering Ryan Donato and Joonas Donskoi. Seattle selected True in the expansion draft, while Donato and Donskoi joined the team as free agents.
STEPH SHOUTOUT
The biggest cheers of the first period came during a stoppage when the arena displayed a replay of Stephen Curry’s record-breaking 3-pointer. Curry made history by hitting his 2,974th 3-pointer in the Golden State Warriors game against the New York Knicks, breaking Ray Allen’s all-time record.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Visit Anaheim on Wednesday.
- Sharks: Host Vancouver on Thursday night.
