Defensemen goals help Kraken outduel Sabres

Defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Adam Larsson scored key goals as the Seattle Kraken defeated the visiting Buffalo Sabres 6-4 in a Monday matinee.

Jared McCann had a goal and two assists and John Hayden, Chandler Stephenson and Matty Beniers also scored for Seattle, which improved to 2-0 in its stretch of nine home games over its next 10 overall. Ryker Evans had two assists and Joey Daccord made 25 saves to win for the third time in his past four starts.

Jason Zucker, Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch scored and Peyton Krebs had two assists for the Sabres, who opened a four-game Western swing that continues Tuesday in Vancouver. Devon Levi, recalled Saturday from the American Hockey League with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen dealing with some nagging injuries, stopped 28 of 33 shots.

With the score tied at 3-3, Oleksiak restored Seattle's lead at 16:34 of the second period. McCann skated down the left wing and around the Buffalo net. He sent a pass behind the net to Shane Wright, who spotted Oleksiak cruising into the high slot and fed him for a one-timer that beat Levi to the far post.

Larsson scored on a slap shot that deflected off Thompson's skate at 10:25 of the third to give the Kraken a two-goal advantage. Tuch tallied following a goalmouth scramble at 18:39 with the goalie pulled to pull the Sabres within 5-4.

McCann scored into an empty net at 18:56 to help clinch the victory.

The Sabres opened the scoring at 5:07 of the first period as Quinn took a shot from just inside the blue line that deflected off a Kraken defenseman and into the net.

Seattle tied it just 27 seconds later as Hayden swept a rebound past Levi and just inside the right post. The Kraken took the lead at 11:06 of the period as Stephenson pounced on a rebound and fired a shot off the near post and in.

Seattle extended its lead to 3-1 on the power play at 6:41 of the second as Stephenson found Beniers with a pass in the high slot and Beniers beat Levi with a wrist shot.

The Sabres scored twice to tie it at 3-all. Zucker tallied with a man advantage at 9:31, tipping Rasmus Dahlin's shot from the blue line past Daccord. Thompson evened it at 15:38, ripping a wrist shot off the left post and in.

--Field Level Media