Andre Burakovsky netted a power-play goal with 2:39 left in the third period, lifting the Seattle Kraken to a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.
Jared McCann contributed a goal and two assists, while Justin Schultz and Tomas Tatar also scored for the Kraken, who have won four of their last five games.
Joey Daccord made 30 saves for Seattle, which was coming off a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday. The Kraken have earned at least a point in eight of their last 10 games, going 7-2-1 in that span.
Schultz emphasized the importance of back-to-back victories for the team’s playoff push.
“We’re still in the fight here,” said Schultz. “Guys want to be in the fight and we’re not giving up, so these are two big wins for us. We need a lot more of them, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
Jets forward Mason Appleton had just blocked a shot when Burakovsky gained possession and fired it over goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s glove.
“It’s been a battle,” said Burakovsky. “With all the injuries and the missed time, I think I’ve been playing some really good hockey lately. … It was nice to finally see one go in.”
Kyle Connor, Adam Lowry, and Nino Niederreiter scored for the Jets, who had won their previous two games, and Appleton added a pair of assists. Hellebuyck made 20 saves.
“That’s a frustrating loss,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said. “It certainly wasn’t our best.”
Seattle led 1-0 after the first period, with the score tied 2-2 following the second and 3-3 early in the third.
Niederreiter scored at 1:17 of the third, but Tatar quickly responded 25 seconds later to tie it.
Seattle scored when Schultz went on the rush and fired a low shot past Hellebuyck at 8:45 of the first period.
Winnipeg capitalized on a Seattle turnover, with Connor scoring his 26th goal of the season off a cross-ice pass from Mark Scheifele at 8:07 of the second period.
It was Scheifele’s 700th career point in his 778th game, making him the second player in franchise history to reach that milestone, behind Blake Wheeler, who has 812 points in 897 games.
“It’s a very humbling thing and obviously exciting and proud. There’s lots more work to do,” Scheifele said to reach the milestone.
Winnipeg went on the power play late in the second period, but McCann scored short-handed, going on a breakaway and beating Hellebuyck with 2:04 remaining. McCann became the first player in Kraken history to score short-handed in back-to-back games.
The Jets tied it at 2-2 with nine seconds left in the period when Appleton fed Lowry from behind the net, and Lowry fired the puck past Daccord. Lowry’s ninth goal of the season snapped a 21-game goal drought.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Host the Jets in the second game of a home-and-home on Friday.
