Alex Wennberg, Jaden Schwartz, and Matty Beniers scored second-period goals, propelling the Seattle Kraken to a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, marking their seventh straight win.
Yanni Gourde and Vince Dunn also scored for the Kraken, while Joey Daccord made 36 saves.
“We went through a rough patch and had a talk about needing to step up. We’ve responded well and now we’re riding this wave,” Wennberg said.
Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres, and Devon Levi made 21 saves.
“Our mistakes cost us,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “Credit to them, they’re a good team playing with confidence, but we made errors and pressed too much.”
Skinner opened the scoring 4:57 into the game, finding himself alone in the right circle and putting a shot through Daccord’s legs for a 1-0 lead.
Gourde tied it up with 6:05 left in the first period, capitalizing on a rebound after a Sabres turnover.
Dunn gave Seattle a 2-1 lead on the power play with 1:10 left in the first period. Following a smooth passing sequence, Dunn fired a wrist shot from the left circle to put the Kraken ahead.
The teams traded goals quickly to start the second period. Tuch tied it at 2 just 50 seconds into the period by redirecting a shot from Skinner. Two minutes later, Wennberg restored Seattle’s lead with a breakaway goal, beating Levi with a backhand shot.
The Kraken then controlled the game, capitalizing on Buffalo’s mistakes and slowing the pace.
Schwartz, returning after missing 16 games with an upper-body injury, made it 4-2 with a redirection goal with 8:26 left in the second period.
“You always want to contribute,” Schwartz said. “Seeing different guys chip in each night makes it fun. Everyone’s involved and excited for each other.”
Beniers increased Seattle’s lead to 5-2 with 3:47 left in the second period, sending a shot to the glove side. Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin smashed his stick in frustration after the goal.
Upcoming Games
- Kraken: Travel to Washington on Thursday night for the second game of a six-game road trip.
- Sabres: Host Ottawa on Thursday night.
