Jared McCann scored the game-winner late in the third period to lift the Seattle Kraken to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night.
Jordan Eberle and Ryan Donato also found the net for the Kraken, while Philipp Grubauer made 15 saves. Both Winnipeg goals came on power plays.
The Kraken ended a two-game losing streak and recorded their second win in the last seven games.
“Just a bit more grit. I think we lost that the last couple of games,” McCann said. “We haven’t played with that jam, that relentlessness, and I feel like we had that tonight.”
Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored for the Jets. David Rittich made 32 saves, but the loss snapped Winnipeg’s five-game road winning streak, tying a franchise record.
The Jets were on the second night of a back-to-back after a win in Vancouver on Saturday and were playing their seventh game in 11 days.
“We were half a step behind physically, and mentally, we complicated the game a little bit,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. “When you do that, you’re back on your heels.”
Seattle generally held an advantage throughout the night in even strength and outshot the Jets 34-17, although Winnipeg capitalized on power play opportunities.
The Jets managed only three shots in the first period but still took a 1-0 lead. Seattle was whistled for a pair of penalties less than a minute apart. Winnipeg took advantage of the five-on-three, scoring off the initial faceoff after the second penalty when Scheifele redirected a shot by Josh Morrissey past Grubauer.
Eberle tied the game in the second period with a nice spinning backhand from the left circle. Still, the Jets quickly regained the lead with another power play opportunity as Dubois tapped in a rebound with about seven minutes left.
Donato tied the game again just 16 seconds into the third period, redirecting a Yanni Gourde shot past Rittich. It was the third straight game with a goal for Donato, tying his career best.
McCann gave the Kraken the lead with 4½ minutes left in the game, putting the puck over Rittich’s shoulder from the right circle. It was McCann’s team-leading 14th goal.
“We’ve got to be really comfortable staying with games like this and winning games like this,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “The offense doesn’t come easy. The goals don’t come easy. We had to work hard tonight to get the three we got.”
GOING STREAKING
Morrissey’s first-period assist extended his point streak to nine games, setting a franchise record for the longest streak by a defenseman. “It’s definitely something I don’t take for granted. It’s a pretty cool achievement,” he said. Morrissey also became the first defenseman to reach 30 assists this season. Kyle Connor extended his scoring streak to nine games with a second-period assist, tying Morrissey for the longest Jets streak this season.
NOTES
Seattle defenseman Justin Schultz returned to the lineup after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. The Kraken reassigned defenseman Gustav Olofsson to Coachella Valley. Kraken rookie Shane Wright was named captain for Canada’s team in the upcoming World Junior Championship.
UP NEXT
- Jets: Return home to host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
- Kraken: Host the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
