ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Matty Benniers had a goal and two assists, Daniel Sprong scored a tie-breaking goal early in the third period and the Seattle Kraken set a franchise record with their fifth straight win, 5-4 over the Anaheim Dax” Sunday evening.
Jared McCann, Alex Wenberg and Vince Dunn scored in the first period for the Kraken, who then blew a two-goal lead late in the second period before rallying for their 10th win in 12 games. Martin Jones made 25 saves in his 11th win of the season for Seattle, which has lost just once in regulation in the last four weeks during a surge that began with the first of the 2-year-old Kraken’s five-game winning streak.
Troy Terry scored his pops on the night and Derek Grant scored in his return from a 10-game injury lay-off for the bottom-placed Ducks, who took advantage of the Kraken’s sloppiness to score a game-high three goals for season. Mason McTavish and Adam Enrique scored 1:19 apart in the second to tie Anaheim’s highest total in 10 games.
Trevor Zegrass had three assists and John Gibson stopped 14 shots before leaving early in the third period with an apparent injury. Anaheim has lost five of six.
The Kraken aren’t just winning, they’re scoring at a high rate, with Seattle scoring 23 goals in five games. The Ducks are the NHL’s worst defensive team, and Seattle cashed in early and often, improving to 7-1-1 on the road this season.
McCann scored 33 seconds after the kickoff and Seattle took a 3-1 lead after Dunn’s fourth goal late in the first period, despite Terry’s ninth goal of the season in the game. The Kraken led 4-2 late in the third before sloppy penalties led to goals from McTavish — who converted a superb pass from Zegrasso — and Enrique.
Spring, a former Ducks forward, gave the Kraken the lead 3:41 into the third after an Anaheim turnover. Anthony Stolarz replaced Gibson, who went to the locker room immediately after the goal with an apparent injury sustained when Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk fell on him during the play.
WOUNDED
Seattle forward Morgan Gickey limped off the ice in the second period after a head-on collision with teammate Adam Larson. He didn’t come back.
Anaheim defenseman John Klingberg missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury.
FURTHER
Kraken: In Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
