Eeli Tolvanen and Chandler Stephenson each had a goal and an assist as the Seattle Kraken rallied to defeat the host San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Defensemen Ryker Evans and Ryan Lindgren scored 2:32 apart early in the third period for Seattle, which won for just the second time in its past 12 games (2-9-1). Goaltender Joey Daccord made 34 saves.
Adam Gaudette and Collin Graf scored for San Jose, which lost its second straight following a three-game winning streak. Yaroslav Askarov stopped 28 of 31 shots.
With the score tied 1-1 after two periods, the Sharks took the lead on Graf’s unassisted goal 36 seconds into the third. Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn’s pass from behind the net hit the side of the cage and the puck fell to Graf in the low slot.
His shot hit the right post and the puck dropped into the crease. Daccord tried to collect the puck with his stick to freeze it under his prone body, but it deflected off his left leg pad and trickled over the goal line.
Evans tied it at 1:55 on a shot from the left point that sailed over Askarov’s shoulder and into the far upper corner of the net as the goalie was screened by his teammate Shakir Mukhamadullin.
Lindgren scored what proved to be the winner at 4:27 on a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle that also found the far upper corner of the net as Askarov was again screened by Mukhamadullin.
Stephenson scored into an empty net at 18:36 to help clinch the victory.
The Kraken outshot San Jose 17-12 in a scoreless first period. It was the seventh straight game Seattle failed to score in the opening 20 minutes.
Tolvanen opened the scoring at 6:52 of the second period after collecting a loose puck just outside the blue line. Tolvanen’s wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle deflected off the tip of defenseman Vincent Iorio’s stick and slipped through Askarov’s pads.
The Sharks tied it with a man advantage at 11:22 of the period. Macklin Celebrini’s shot from the top of the left faceoff circle went off the skate of teammate Igor Chernyshov at the top of the crease. Gaudette outmuscled Seattle defenseman Jamie Oleksiak near the right post and backhanded the puck into the open side of the net.
Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft, with an assist extended his point streak to five games (three goals, eight assists) despite playing without injured linemates Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev. Celebrini ranks third in the league with 54 points.
–Field Level Media
