Draisaitl has goal, assist, Oilers hold off Kraken

SEATTLE — Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to 14 games, and the Edmonton Oilers held off a late push for a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored for the third straight game, and Vasily Podkolzin and Jeff Skinner also scored for the Oilers (24-12-3), who have won their last three. Calvin Pickard had 15 saves.

“Tonight [our execution] was really good, especially in the first period where the pass completion was very high,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “When that happens, you just have the puck, and you’re generating a lot, and ultimately, you don’t have to defend.”

Chandler Stephenson and Jaden Schwartz scored for the Kraken (17-20-3), who have lost their last two (0-1-1). Philipp Grubauer had 28 saves.

“Not good enough,” Seattle coach Dan Bylsma said of his team’s start to the game. “Early on, a little too much standing around, watching their good players, and not putting enough bodies on guys.”

Podkolzin made it 1-0 just 57 seconds into the first period, one-timing Draisaitl’s pass off a rush into an open net from the right circle. Draisaitl’s point streak matches the longest run of his career (14 games in 2018-19).

Skinner pushed it to 2-0 at 5:18 of the first, receiving Kasperi Kapanen’s saucer pass at the bottom of the slot, deking to his left, and lifting it over Grubauer’s blocker.

“It’s a nice play by [Derek Ryan] and 'Kappy',” Skinner said. “I think the last couple games, the line’s been playing pretty well … when you can get to a good start or get a lead early, it’s a good feeling to settle into the game, and obviously, when you’ve got some legs from the night before, it’s nice to try and use that to your advantage.”

Nugent-Hopkins scored to make it 3-0 at 11:52 of the second period. Connor Brown tapped a short pass to him in the slot, and he one-timed it past Grubauer’s glove.

“I got a little too tight,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “I kind of got in-between wanting to drive the backside for him or just stop in that slot for him. I think, ideally, you want to … give him a little more space, but obviously, it worked out.”

Stephenson cut it to 3-1 at 15:56 of the second, three seconds after an Edmonton power play ended, looking off Brandon Tanev on a 2-on-1 rush and snapping it over Pickard’s right pad.

“[We got] a little bit of momentum there, killed the penalty, and I think that’s just … penalty kills or power plays either take momentum from you or give you momentum,” Stephenson said. “So, fortunate enough to get one there, and then we got pushing.”

Schwartz got Seattle to within 3-2 at 7:27 of the third period, finding a Vince Dunn rebound at the side of the net and flipping it into an open net.

Draisaitl scored an empty-net goal at 18:02 of the third for the 4-2 final.

“He’s a guy that we always rely on in many different aspects,” Nugent-Hopkins said of Draisaitl. “But, I mean, he just keeps getting better and better, so it’s fun to see.”

NOTES: Draisaitl became the fifth player in Oilers history to record 10 consecutive 30-assist seasons. The others: Mark Messier (11), Connor McDavid (10), Glenn Anderson (10) and Jari Kurri (10). … Draisaitl (6-19—25 in 11 games) and McDavid (7-11—18 in 12 games) own the most and second-most career points against the Kraken among all players, respectively. … Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson left the game with an upper-body injury at 16:28 of the second period. Bylsma said, “We have to see how it reacts at this point in time.”