Kraken win 8-round shootout, hand Islanders 7th straight loss

SEATTLE -- Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and an assist and scored in the eighth round of the shootout for the Seattle Kraken, who handed the New York Islanders their seventh straight loss with a 4-3 win at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday.

Yamamoto tied it 3-3 at 4:50 of the third period, scoring on a backhand after a pass from Jaden Schwartz for Seattle’s third power-play goal of the game. He then scored the last goal of the shootout, sending a wrist shot past Semyon Varlamov before Philipp Grubauer made a save against Noah Dobson to secure the win.

“Just to be able to contribute to the team and the team's success, it feels really good,” Yamamoto said.

Matty Beniers and Alex Wennberg also scored power-play goals, and Grubauer made 20 saves for the Kraken (6-8-4), who had lost three in a row (0-2-1) and four of their previous five games (1-2-2).

Seattle lost 4-3 in overtime at the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday after letting a two-goal lead slip away in the third period.

“Coming out of last night, that was a disappointing loss,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “We felt like we did so many really good things there. But you know, true to the group in here, we addressed a couple of things that we felt like we could do better, and then we said, ‘Let's turn the page.’”

Varlamov made 29 saves, and Mathew Barzal had two assists for the Islanders (5-6-5), who are 0-4-3 and have allowed 12 power-play goals in 24 chances during the skid, including three in four Thursday.

“It was a special teams battle,” New York captain Anders Lee said. “I mean, a lot of penalties on both sides, good road game by us, up-and-down hockey. They transition well. They've done that the last few years, so no different tonight.

“We never throw up our hands. It’s frustrating, for sure. But there's no quit in this team, there's no quit in the group. That's why we're playing good hockey; it's just not getting the results.”

Lee gave New York a 1-0 lead on a power play at 3:46 of the first period, redirecting a feed from Bo Horvat. It was his second goal of the season and first since Oct. 24 (11 games).

Beniers tied it 1-1 with his second goal of the season, also on a power play, with a wrist shot from the left face-off circle at 9:54.

Seattle scored again on the power play at 18:29 when Wennberg one-timed a feed from Oliver Bjorkstrand to make it 2-1.

“We shot a lot of pucks,” Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn said. “I think we just kept it pretty simple for the most part in the [offensive] zone. I think even when we weren't scoring, we were creating good momentum for the next guys coming out.”

Casey Cizikas tied it 2-2 at 14:25 of the second period on a backhand after a pass from Barzal.

Dobson put the Islanders in front 3-2 on a power play at 1:48 of the third period, one-timing Barzal’s feed from the point.

“Power play was good, [but the] penalty kill struggled again,” New York coach Lane Lambert said. “It was a hard-fought game. I thought again we did a lot of good things. It comes down to a shootout and we end up on the wrong side of it, but we just have to keep building.”

Bjorkstrand, Jordan Eberle, and Yamamoto scored for Seattle in the extended shootout. Horvat and Oliver Wahlstrom scored for New York.

The Kraken had lost their previous six shootouts; they hadn’t won since April 16, 2022, against the New Jersey Devils. They lost their previous two shootouts this season, 2-1 at the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 14, and 4-3 at the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 7.

"We haven't found a ton of success in shootouts,” Hakstol said. “It was awesome tonight. Guys loosened up, and as soon as one went in for us, you could feel some of that tension go."

NOTES: Lee’s goal was the 11th time in 16 games the Islanders have scored first. … Barzal has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past five games. … New York has been outscored 16-4 in the third period over its past nine games. … Wennberg’s goal was his second in two games after he was held without one for 16 to start the season. … The Kraken tied a franchise record for power-play goals in a game (Oct. 12, 2022, at the Anaheim Ducks; Nov. 29, 2022, at the Los Angeles Kings).