Andre Burakovsky netted two goals, and Philipp Grubauer celebrated his 31st birthday with 20 saves as the Seattle Kraken defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Friday night.
This matchup between the Pacific Division’s top teams highlighted the NHL’s most recent expansion squads and marked Seattle’s first victory over Vegas since joining the league last season. The Kraken, now winless against only eight teams in the league, have won four consecutive games, including three straight against divisional opponents.
Ryan Donato and Jordan Eberle also scored for Seattle, which improved to 6-1-1 on the road.
Nic Roy and Phil Kessel scored for Vegas, with Adin Hill stopping 24 shots.
Burakovsky, who entered the game with two career goals against Vegas, scored both goals with powerful shots past Hill—once in the first period to give the Kraken a two-goal lead and again in the second to regain the lead after Vegas had tied the game.
“It’s obviously a huge win,” said Burakovsky, who recorded his second straight multi-point game and third of the season. “They’re ahead of us. We want to chase them down. It was an important game. We lost last time against them. So, we were hungry for the win today. It was good to get it done. It’s always great to help the team get on the board.”
Seattle dominated early, outshooting Vegas 8-2 and securing a two-goal lead in the first period.
“They were quicker than us, won more races and one-on-one battles, and executed better—they were just the better team,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “From start to finish, they outplayed us. We can look at different areas and why, but we weren’t ready to play. That always falls on the coach. I gotta get the guys ready to play.”
Donato started the scoring less than three minutes into the game with a slick move around Hill, followed by Burakovsky’s goal from a pass by Adam Larsson, firing a wrist shot from the top of the right circle.
The Golden Knights cut Seattle’s lead in half when Roy, returning from a three-game absence due to a lower-body injury, scored on a rebound. Kessel, playing in his 1,004th consecutive game, tied it shortly after with a shot from Shea Theodore’s pass.
Burakovsky reclaimed the lead for Seattle by receiving a pass from Jamie Oleksiak, skating through the right circle, and snapping a wrist shot over Hill’s glove.
“His second goal of the game was a big one,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said about Burakovsky. “That was a nice play off the entry. He found a way inside, got an extra step to get into a better shooting spot, and found the short side. It was a good night for him.”
Eberle provided the night’s highlight, initially stopped by Hill but reaching back to flip the puck into the net, extending Seattle’s lead back to two goals.
“We needed two points,” Hakstol said. “We’re not looking for a measuring stick. We’re playing the game. We’re playing to win games. These are important two points on the road.”
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Visit Anaheim on Sunday.
- Golden Knights: Host Vancouver on Saturday.
