Written by Marcus Sledge
Saturday:
LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, defeating the Seattle Kraken 6-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
Mark Stone led the charge for Vegas (22-8-3), tallying a goal and two assists, while Jack Eichel contributed two assists. Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar each notched a goal and an assist, as the Golden Knights secured their third straight win and their seventh victory in eight games. Goalie Ilya Samsonov stopped 21 shots for the hosts.
For the Kraken (15-18-2), Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz each scored, but the team dropped its fourth straight game. Philipp Grubauer made 29 saves in a tough outing.
Seattle struck first, with Dunn converting on a power play just 2:34 into the game with a shot from the right point. Vegas quickly responded when Kolesar finished off pass from Victor Olofsson at 12:39 to tie it 1-1.
The Golden Knights took the lead less than two minutes later when Howden fired home a one-timer off an Eichel feed from behind the net at 13:50. Nicolas Hague extended the advantage to 3-1 with a wrist shot from above the left circle at 17:48, capping a dominant first period for Vegas.
William Karlsson made it 4-1 in the third period with a highlight-reel goal, redirecting a between-the-legs pass from Kolesar at 8:09. Noah Hanifin added to the onslaught with a one-timer from Stone at 11:28, giving the Golden Knights a 5-1 cushion.
Seattle’s Schwartz pulled one back on a power-play rebound at 13:58, but Stone sealed the 6-2 final with an empty-net goal at 18:49.
Sunday:
DENVER — Joel Kiviranta recorded his first regular-season NHL hat trick as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Sunday at Ball Arena.
Cale Makar contributed a goal and two assists, Valeri Nichushkin scored, and both Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen had two assists for the Avalanche (21-15-0), who have now won three straight and seven of their last nine games. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood made 17 saves in the win.
Jared McCann and Kaapo Kakko scored for the Kraken (15-19-2), who dropped their fifth consecutive game, including a 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Joey Daccord stopped 24 shots in goal for Seattle.
“I liked how we stayed in the fight the whole game,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “This is a good team we faced. There were some positives, but we gave them one or two too many chances. We’re looking for growth, and I think we took a step tonight despite the result.”
Game Recap
Makar opened the scoring at 10:05 of the first period with a power-play goal, his wrist shot from the blue line threading through Valeri Nichushkin’s screen in front of the net.
McCann tied the game 1-1 at 17:55, burying a top-shelf wrist shot off a feed from Shane Wright, who maneuvered below the red line to set up the play.
Kakko gave Seattle a 2-1 lead early in the second period with his first goal for the Kraken, snapping a shot off the faceoff past Blackwood. Kakko was acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
“It feels good to get the first one out of the way,” Kakko said. “It was a quick play off the faceoff, and I just shot it right away. Surprised it went in, but it was a big moment for us.”
Nichushkin responded 11 seconds later to tie the game 2-2, pouncing on the rebound from MacKinnon’s shot and scoring past a sprawling Daccord.
Kiviranta put the Avalanche ahead 3-2 at 12:01 of the second period, finishing a 2-on-1 rush with Rantanen by ripping a one-timer over Daccord’s glove.
Kiviranta sealed the victory with two empty-net goals late in the third period, completing the natural hat trick and securing the 5-2 final score.
Notes:
Yanni Gourde earned his 200th career assist on McCann’s goal, becoming the sixth active undrafted player to reach the milestone.
Next up: Kraken head to Vancouver to face the Canucks, Saturday the 28th. Pick drop scheduled for 1pm.
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