Final Buzzer: Buffa-WHOA 

BUFFALO, NY - It may have taken a minute for the Kraken to get back in the groove after four days with no game action, but once they did there was no turning back.

In another display of Seattle’s depth of talent, five different skaters scored goals and 11 had at least one point (three had two!) on the way to a 5-2 win in Buffalo. That extends the Kraken’s win streak to seven games and their point streak to 11 contests.

“Depth is a big, big strength of our team,” Jaden Schwartz said. “We feel very confident in our matchups. (We have) a lot of good players who can play in different positions, (have) a lot of skill, guys who. . .work hard. first and then make plays after. Each night you see different guys chipping in and each line or defense (pair) chipping in with game winners and that's what makes it fun: having everyone involved and everyone excited for each other.”

Gourde Check

Buffalo started out with better puck management and offensive juice, and they were rewarded with the first goal of the game thanks to Jeff Skinner. But Eeli Tolvanen told ROOT Sports’ Piper Shaw that the tally woke up the team. The re-committed to their style of play and that paid off. The first Seattle goal was Kraken-esque through and through. Brian Dumoulin sent the puck into the attack zone and Yanni Gourde was after it with his typical aggressive forecheck. Oliver Bjorkstrand came in support of the play and gathered the loose puck in the slot and began the offensive attack. First the 2024 All Star shot at Devon Levi, next came a shot from Tolvanen, and that rebound went right to Gourde who stereotypically put in the work to get net front and put the puck in the net for his third goal in as many games and his 299^th NHL point.

Dunn it Again

Less than five minutes later, the Kraken claimed their first lead of the game. After Henri Jokiharku was called for slashing Tomas Tatar, Seattle got the first power play of the game. Buffalo didn’t make it easy. Alex Tuch grabbed the puck and raced down the ice on a breakaway, but Daccord said no and, to show their appreciation, the Kraken’s power play got to work sending crisp passes skater to skater. That opened up the Sabres’ penalty kill just enough that after Andre Burakovsky sent the pass across the slot, Vince Dunn’s got the puck off his stick quick to make it 2-1 Kraken heading into the first intermission.

“It’s a big goal and a great play,” Alex Wennberg said.

Wenn You Come Back, Schwartz

The Sabres’ top line of Skinner, Tuch and Casey Mittelstadt were dangerous. They scored again in the opening minute of period two to tie it again, but the Kraken responded.

For the seventh time this season, within two minutes of an opponent’s goal, Seattle scored themselves. The Kraken were on the attack and Brandon Tanev played the body to take Rasmus Dahlin out of the play creating a 2-on-1 for his linemates. Jaden Schwartz in his first game action since Nov. 28 passed to Alex Wennberg who was all alone in the slot and he beat Levi with a nifty forehand to backhand deke.

Schwartz then added a goal of his own in the latter half of the middle frame when he executed the second tip (Tanev had the first) of a Will Borgen shot to push the Kraken lead to 4-2.

“That line was credited on the score sheet for a couple of goals,” Dave Hakstol said. “But I give them a lot of credit for (the next) goal as well. They had a heck of a shift in the offensive zone, they change one at a time out of the offensive zone. They set the table for the next line up.”

Roommate Goals

Speaking of which…Borgen wasn’t done setting up his teammates. With just under four minutes to play in period two, the defender corralled a puck in the neutral zone, entered the offensive zone with control, and then passed to his roommate of two years, Matty Beniers. The 2023 rookie of the year pushed down the left flank, gained the advantage on Dahlin and shot the fifth puck of the game past Levi.

Daccording to Plan

The Kraken provided the offensive push, but Buffalo wasn’t going away quietly. The home team had the overall advantage in offensive volume through all three periods of play with 74 shot attempts to Seattle’s 49. The Sabres also had the edge in shot quality, but Joey Daccord once again was a difference maker for his team with big saves like the aforementioned Tuch breakaway at critical times throughout the game.

By The Numbers

Check out our Post Game Instant Analysis HERE