Grubauer helps Kraken edge Islanders in shootout

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Philipp Grubauer made 26 saves and stopped all three attempts in the shootout, and the Seattle Kraken ended a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday.

“He was really solid tonight,” Kraken coach David Hakstol said. “He did a nice job being real settled and calm in net. Our guys did a really good job in front of him.”

Grubauer was making his first start since Dec. 9, when he sustained a lower-body injury. He was activated off injured reserve on Jan. 23, but Joey Daccord had started each of the previous six games.

“It's not that easy,” Grubauer said about missing so much time and having to take part in a shootout. “The timing is not right always. And obviously, it's a little bit different with game speed and different shooters. You can practice it at home or, with our guys, I know what their speed and their approach is, and with their guys, it's a little bit different. You can only watch so many videos, but if they make a different move in that situation, it's a little bit different. So, yeah, it's pretty tough, but we found a way.”

Matty Beniers scored, and Tomas Tatar had the only goal of the shootout for the Kraken (22-21-10), who are 1-2-0 on a four-game road trip that will conclude at the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

“Kind of panicked, to be honest,” Tatar said about his shootout goal. “I had one move in my head, and I was looking for that spot, and it wouldn’t get open, so I had to switch it last second. Glad it worked out.”

Kyle Palmieri scored, and Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves for the Islanders (22-18-13), who have lost two in a row.

New York was playing its final game before the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.

“There's things we can look at, and I think there are things we can do better offensively to try to create a little more offense,” Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “We have some time here to prepare ourselves and get ready for Sunday.”

Beniers gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 5:27 of the first period. After taking a hit from Pulock, Beniers got up and got back onside before receiving a pass from Jared McCann. He then skated in all alone down the right wing and beat Sorokin blocker side from the circle.

“I was feeling it a little bit. Definitely hurt,” Beniers said. “I was trying to get off the ice. I saw the opportunity and thought, ‘I’m not that hurt.'

“I don't think our battle level was there the last few nights, and that's kind of been our identity since the beginning. So, that was the big emphasis on tonight was that we're not going to get outworked. We're not going to get outbattled.”

Sorokin kept it a one-goal game at 8:12 of the first when he did the splits to make a save before robbing Kraken forward Jordan Eberle on the rebound.

Palmieri tied the game 1-1 with a power-play goal at 14:37 of the second period. Mathew Barzal stole the puck from Adam Larsson behind the net and passed out front to Palmieri, who scored five-hole on Grubauer.

“I thought our guys did a good job trying to recover from our mistakes,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “If we could cut down on those turnovers ... it's hard to win games when you do that. You're shooting yourself in the foot. I think no one in this dressing room can be pleased with this. ... We missed that opportunity. There was no excuse for not playing a better hockey game than what we did.”

NOTES: Beniers' goal was his first since Jan. 9 (eight games). ... Kraken forward Jared McCann had an assist and has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in his past 13 games. ... Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov returned after missing a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday with a lower-body injury. He played 21:03. ... Barzal extended his point streak to six games (three goals, five assists).