Daniel Sprong tallied a goal and two assists, leading the Seattle Kraken to a commanding 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
The Kraken started quickly, with defenseman Jamie Oleksiak scoring just 2 1/2 minutes into the game. Goals from Morgan Geekie, Jordan McCann, and Matty Beniers followed, while Martin Jones made 15 saves to secure the win.
“It’s great that we can depend on offense from different players,” said Geekie. “If someone’s having an off night, someone else steps up.”
Dylan Cozens was the lone scorer for the Sabres. Since Seattle joined the NHL last season, Buffalo and San Jose have lost three times to the Kraken. Buffalo remains winless against Seattle.
“We couldn’t find our rhythm,” said Sabres coach Don Granato. “Seattle had more energy, and we struggled to keep up. Many of our players didn’t perform as usual, which made for a tough night.”
Seattle dominated the first period, outshooting the Sabres 12-5 and taking a 2-0 lead with goals from Oleksiak and Geekie. Sprong then made it 3-0 early in the second period, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce.
“It was a lucky bounce that landed perfectly for me,” Sprong said. “I faked out the goalie and had an open net.”
Cozens scored for Buffalo midway through the second period, assisted by Vinnie Hinostroza and Rasmus Dahlin. However, McCann responded with a power-play goal, tying his career high by scoring in three consecutive games.
“We faced some challenges, but we pulled through,” said Kraken coach Dave Hakstol. “The end of the second period was critical. Despite being on our heels, we managed to maintain our lead.”
Jack Quinn appeared to score a power-play goal for Buffalo early in the third, but it was overturned due to an offside review. Beniers extended Seattle’s lead with a power-play goal at 9:45, assisted by Sprong and Justin Schultz.
“We didn’t play up to our potential,” said Sabres captain Kyle Okposo. “Seattle had more energy, and we couldn’t match it. Penalties killed our momentum.”
GRUBAUER OUT
Seattle placed goalie Philipp Grubauer on injured reserve with a lower-body injury sustained in their win against Colorado last Friday. Coach Hakstol mentioned that Grubauer is day-to-day.
Game Notes
- This game marked the first NHL matchup between Buffalo’s Owen Power and Seattle’s Matty Beniers, the top two picks in the 2021 NHL draft and former college teammates at Michigan.
- Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut was recalled from the Rochester Americans and played his first NHL game since March 5, 2020.
- Dahlin entered the game with a five-game goal streak, the longest season-opening streak by a defenseman in NHL history.
UP NEXT
- Sabres: Host Montreal on Thursday.
- Kraken: Host Vancouver on Thursday.
