Final Buzzer: Runaway Win

In the Kraken's most satisfying home win of the season, Seattle's fourth line clicked. The power play clicked. The penalty-kill unit clicked. Video coaches Tim Ohashi and Brady Morgan clicked to erase what would have been Buffalo's second goal to make the game 4-2.
Goalie Martin Jones clicked when needed and got the nod for Third Star of the Game with 15 saves on 16 shots (that's a .938 save percentage, thank you). Matty Beniers' desire to outmatch former NCAA Michigan teammate Owen Power clicked. The start-of-the-third-period fan "hoisting of the colors" clicked.
The end result was a runaway 5-1 win for Seattle with goals from Daniel Sprong (in just his second game), Jamie Oleksiak (matching his total from last season), Morgan Geekie (first of the year), Jared McCann (goals in three straight games) and Matty Beniers (his third of the year and had to feel good beating his friend, Buffalo D-man, Owen Power, picked No. 1 to Beniers' No. 2 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft). Seattle outshot Buffalo in the contest 24-16.

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Sprong Move to the Net

Just when fans were probably thinking, hey, a three-goal lead would feel really good here, the Kraken fourth line Monday night delivered again in the second period, having a hand in each of the opening three goals for Seattle. Daniel Sprong scored his first goal of the season after an impressive assist on the opening goal. With linemate Brandon Tanev getting the assist by forcing a Buffalo giveaway, Sprong did the rest by not one but two dekes to beat Sabres goalie, Eric Comrie. Sprong said after the game he doesn't necessarily practice such dekes but that Comrie was pretty far out of the net, so he decided to use the fakes to pull more out of position.

Sprong came to training camp on a professional tryout after scoring six goals in 16 games after coming over in the trade with the Washington Capitals. He is highly respected by opponents and teammates alike for his elite shot. Dave Hakstol praised Sprong's camp work, emphatically saying "he worked his ass off" after a particularly strong preseason game.
Monday was Sprong's second game and his third game is highly likely to be Thursday when Vancouver comes to town. The former first-rounder selected by Pittsburgh got derailed with customs issues in Canada as the preseason concluded. Sprong said he "saw a lot of Calgary" but missed being with his teammates and kept working hard in practices to keep his timing when it came time for him to play. Mission accomplished. He finished the night with a goal, two assists, and First Star of the Game fish-yeeting honors.

Power Play Success

After Buffalo broke the Martin Jones shutout, a late-second-period power play goal retrieved the three-goal lead before intermission. It's the eighth Seattle power-play goal of the season and paired nicely with a late-period penalty kill (Tanev, who had two assists on the night, was outstanding on the PK) to help erase bad memories of losing leads and games in Chicago and Anaheim.
The power-play goal was started by quarterback Vince Dunn moving a puck to Andre Burakovsky, who is a shoot-first-guy when it makes sense, but he clearly liked an open Jared McCann on the left side of the zone. One crisp pass later, McCann quick-released a shot past Sabres goalie Comrie on the short side. That's three goals in three straight games for McCann, who now leads the club with four goals.

Stellar Seven Minutes

The Kraken started strong for the third straight game, scoring the game's first and second goals against Buffalo, just like Friday in Denver and Sunday in Chicago. This time fueled first-of-the-year goals from defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and center Morgan Geekie.
Dave Hakstol inserted Daniel Sprong in the lineup for Ryan Donato and it produced the opening score when Yanni Gourde (back in the lineup after missing Sunday) took a hit after caroming the puck off the boards in the neutral zone resulting in the puck going to open space at Buffalo's end. Sprong hunted it down, shot on net (well, side of the net), grabbed his own rebound skated by and around three Sabres, then spotted Oleksiak moving into the upper slot.
Oleksiak powered a partially-screened shot past BUF goalie Eric Comrie to rouse Seattle-worthy noise out of the Climate Pledge Arena crowd. He scored one goal and added 16 assists in 72 Kraken games last season. Good to see him score early. He's a defenseman's defenseman, which pairs great with partner Justin Schultz's offensive prowess, but getting such D-men in the scoring mix always frets advance scouts on opposing teams.

Morgan Geekie's goal came compliments of a back-handed loft pass from Brandon Tanev, who has more touch on the puck than sometimes assumed by fans smitten by his "Turbo"-charged shifts and high-volume personality. It's a pleasure seeing Tanev back in the lineup and bringing up-tempo vibes to all he does with teammates. His willingness to play fourth-line minutes when the lineup card forces it is not lost on the coaching staff.
Geekie didn't squander the opportunity to make his case to stay in the lineup (he's been scratched three times in the first seven games before Monday). He was quick in on Comrie, then took the extra second or two that veterans-in-the-making learn to deploy. He sent a surehanded wrist shot past the Sabres goaltender with vaunted rookie defenseman Owen Power in his wake.

"Yes, I called for [the puck]," said Geekie when asked post-game if he anticipated the sweet pass from Tanev. "He yells at me all the time, so I thought I could yell at him back. He heard me tonight. it's good, he made a heck of a play over the defenseman. I just tried to use my speed and my size to gain some ground on it."