Jaden Schwartz scored once and added two assists as the Seattle Kraken unleashed four consecutive goals in the second period to secure a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
“It was nice. I thought the way we played, it was good to get rewarded,” said Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson. “There was a lot of emphasis on what happened last game, which made us even more hungry today. From top to bottom, every guy played a solid game.”
Matty Beniers, Yanni Gourde, Jared McCann, and Alex Wennberg also found the net for the Kraken (20-12-4), who have now won two straight games. Goalie Martin Jones made 30 saves for Seattle.
“In the second period, we got that one goal, and it gave us some wings offensively, and we were able to make more plays,” Gourde said. “We kept our game simple, put the puck on the net, and got rewarded.”
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers (20-17-2), who have now lost two straight and five consecutive home games.
“You go up 2-0, and the odds that you win that game are statistically pretty high,” said Oilers forward Zach Hyman. “But, unfortunately, we weren’t able to keep the lead. We fell asleep for 11 minutes in the second period and allowed four goals, and suddenly you are playing catch-up.”
Edmonton’s powerful power play struck first, with 7:13 remaining in the opening period. A Leon Draisaitl shot attempt went through the crease to Nugent-Hopkins, who scored his 19th of the season from a tough angle past Jones.
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner preserved the 1-0 lead with a breakaway stop on Daniel Sprong shortly after.
Edmonton extended its lead to 2-0 just 48 seconds into the second period as McDavid scored his league-leading 33rd goal of the season.
Seattle responded with two goals just 31 seconds apart. The Kraken got on the board 4:44 into the second period with a power-play goal from Beniers, who batted a rebound out of mid-air and behind Skinner.
With another Oiler penalty on the way, Beniers made a perfect long pass to Schwartz, who directed home his first goal in 12 games.
The Kraken continued their onslaught as the Edmonton defense failed to clear a rebound, allowing Gourde to score his first goal in nine games with just over seven minutes left in the second period.
Seattle scored its fourth straight goal in the period with 4:12 remaining, chasing Skinner from the net after allowing four goals on 20 shots. Jack Campbell replaced him.
Edmonton thought it had narrowed the deficit with an early third-period power-play goal by Draisaitl. Still, a coach’s challenge determined Hyman was offside on the play, nullifying the goal.
NOTES
The teams met last Friday, with Edmonton securing a 7-2 victory highlighted by a five-point performance from McDavid. … With eight of their next nine games on the road, the Kraken will spend more time in Edmonton than in Seattle during that stretch. They will return to Edmonton on Jan. 17 after a single home game following their seven-game road swing. … Draisaitl, the league’s second-leading scorer behind teammate McDavid, returned to the lineup after missing two games with an oblique strain.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: At Toronto on Thursday night.
- Oilers: Host the Islanders on Thursday night.
