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      BUF at SEA | Recap

      In a win that seemed in doubt well into the third period, the Kraken tapped yet again into the unsung scoring of another stalwart defender, this time Adam Larsson, who scorched a mid-range shot past valiant young Buffalo goaltender Devon Levi to make it a 5-3 margin with nine-and-half minutes left. Seattle and goaltender Joey Daccord held serve from there, sending fans out to brisk but suddenly brighter Martin Luther King Jr. Day later afternoon.

      Buffalo did make everyone a bit unsettled with an extra attacker goal with 1:20 left but Jared McCann’s empty-net goal 27 seconds later (the third Kraken response goal of the game) cemented the 6-4 victory

      Larsson’s third goal of the season and his second in the last eight games was the game-winner. Larsson’s encore act came after fellow crease-clearout expert Jamie Oleksiak scored a key go-ahead goal for his second recent goal, this one in the last four games.

      “It's probably not something we [he and Oleksiak] should get too used to,” said Larsson, smiling frequently in the post-game locker room. But no, it's always fun, so fun to score.”

      Along with the D-men goals – and it shouldn’t be lost that Ryker Evans notched assists in earlier scoring – Kraken coach Dan Bylsma pointed to the squad’s quick response goals as a team highlight, one within 27 seconds after falling behind 1-0 and the second after Buffalo tied the match 3-3 in the second period.

      “There was a portion of the second period where things got a little sideways,” said Bylsma, beating his former Buffalo employer twice this season this season in the home-and-away series. “The response goal by the Wrighter line [Shane Wright fed the puck for the primary assist] and Rig supporting that with a goal was huge for us.”

      For Larsson, the response goals went even deeper: It shows the belief system. It's a lot, probably a lot higher than it's been a month ago ... now we've started the home stretch pretty good, so just gonna try to keep that going.”

      The offense from the defense was welcome to make it three wins in the last four games for Seattle. The Kraken are now 21-24-3 in their mission to first get back to NHL .500. Next up is Eastern Conference leader Washington at Climate Pledge Arena Thursday night.

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          BUF@SEA: Larsson scores goal against Devon Levi

          Righting the Wrong-Way Start in a Hurry

          The Kraken did not get off to the fast start they desired Monday afternoon, giving up the first goal just five minutes into this home matinee. But the response shifts following the goal proved both outstanding and productive. The first line out after the Buffalo go-ahead goal was the current fourth line of fan-favorite Brandon Tanev with veteran Mitchell Stephens at center and John Hayden on the other wing. Both Stephens and Hayden are prime examples of NHL-caliber players who are stocked at American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley as injuries (Yanni Gourde in this case) and disappointing play (Daniel Sprong placed on waivers) prompt the need for call-ups.

          Stephens and Hayden clearly embrace the Dan Bylsma message to continue being physical in all zones, forecheck, backcheck, net-front, neutral zone, you name it as the Kraken look to play fast and keep the standings points coming. The two forwards were battling behind the Buffalo net for an extended scrum with three Sabres. The result was the puck going up the boards to Ryker Evans at his usual left point inside blue line. The young Kraken D-man sent the puck net-front, where it caromed off bodies and onto the stick of Hayden. He buried it to tie the game just 27 seconds after Buffalo’s tally.

          “They have an elite D-corps, a lot of skill, so we tried to be hard on them,” said Hayden, who Kraken might recall was looking to be a factor in the 2023 postseason before getting hurt. “I think it paid off there for us, being good below the [faceoff] dots and then getting to the net to pay a dividend.

          Bylsma liked the total effort of his fourth line, which fans can expect will stick together: “You want the fourth line to provide energy. You want them to provide physicality. You want them to put the other team back on their heels when they get the opportunity. But tonight ... it's an offensive zone shift. They are crashing the net, being around the net, and banging one home.”

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              BUF@SEA: Hayden scores goal against Devon Levi

              Stephens earned and deserved the secondary assist. It marked Hayden’s first goal of the season in a Kraken uniform but make no mistake that he has contributed to recent wins and is praised by Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal and CVF head strength and conditioning coach as a role model for pursuing a pro career, impressing every prospect down in the southern California desert.

              After the goal, the Matty Beniers line took the next shift and kept the pressure on 23-year-old Buffalo goalie Devon Levi, appearing in his ninth NHL game of the season after posting a 12-3-2 record in 17 games with AHL Rochester. Regular goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is out day-to-day basis with an undisclosed injury. No goal was imminent from the Beniers line but any momentum from the Buffalo goal had vanished.

              “Wrighting” a Second-Period Wrong Turn

              Seven minutes into the second period, the Kraken held a 3-1 lead on a Matty Beniers power play goal (his 10th of the season) on a Chandler Stephenson picture-perfect setup from behind the goal line. But in this rare instance, Joey Daccord couldn’t hold off Buffalo’s own power-play goal and then a third score by the visitors to knot the game at three goals apiece.

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                  BUF@SEA: Beniers scores PPG against Devon Levi

                  But the Kraken cashed in a daily-double on the response-goal concept (scoring within two minutes of another goal) when rookie center Shane Wright waited patiently with the puck behind the Sabres goal line. For the second time this week, Kraken stalwart defender Jamie Oleksiak skated into the high slot, taking a pass from Wright to wrist home a clutch goal. Oleksiak scored the tying goal against his former Pittsburgh team in what converted into a Seattle road win.

                  Oleksiak doubled his season goals total in the past week. More importantly, 56 seconds after Buffalo tied the game. Seattle was back in the lead. Good on the Kraken skaters for fortifying Daccord heading into the second intermission with a one-goal lead.

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                      BUF@SEA: Oleksiak scores goal against Devon Levi

                      Stephenson Now at Five Goals Last 10 Games

                      The first Kraken lead of the game materialized when the Chandler Stephenson line with wingers Andre Burakovsky and Oliver Bjorkstrand continued their own brand of physicality, with Bylsma specifically praising Burakovsky this week for being “harder on the puck” deep into the offensive zone in recent wins. The line jammed up Buffalo later first period and creating a Bjorkstrand shot on goal that was blocked but retrieved by Stephenson who curled around the net to be positioned bad-angle to Levi’s left side, but catching the young goaltender not in perfect position. Stephenson snapped in his fifth goal in the last 10 games. The free-agent center picking up pace on his goal-scoring is a trend all Kraken fans can appreciate.

                      Along with scoring on the power play, Matty Beniers’ wicked shot on a feed from Stephenson puts Beniers on a heater of his own. He has six goals in the last dozen games. Joining the Kraken’s top two centers, on the afternoon were, ahem, fellow hot goal scorers Oleksiak and Larsson.

                      “When our team's going well, our defensemen are up there,” said Beniers, who is frequently trading stretch passes with Larsson during warmups. “They're making plays [“and not just Dunner and Monty,” said Bylsma post-game]. They're scoring goals. We’ve seen that. It's good to get those guys up in the play, coming down the weak side, getting shots off ... we're going to continue doing that, letting them shoot some into the back of the net.”

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                          BUF@SEA: Stephenson scores goal against Devon Levi