Three-goal third period propels Kraken past Devils
Former first-round picks Matty Beniers and Berkly Catton scored 18 seconds apart to break a third-period tie as the Seattle Kraken defeated the visiting New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Sunday afternoon.
Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist and Ryker Evans also scored for Seattle, which improved to 2-2-0 on its six-game homestand, which concludes with matchups Tuesday against Washington and Thursday against Toronto. Goaltender Joey Daccord made 27 saves to snap a personal three-game losing streak.
Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist apiece and Connor Brown added two helpers for the Devils, who were attempting to sweep their four-game Western swing after 2-1 wins in Calgary and Edmonton and a 5-4 victory in Vancouver. Goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 15 of 18 shots.
Beniers, the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, broke a 1-1 tie at 7:04 of the third. Beniers, playing in his 300th NHL game, took a pass from Eberle in the slot, turned to his backhand and lifted a shot over Markstrom's catching glove.
Catton, selected eighth overall in 2024, made it 3-1 at 7:22. Eeli Tolvanen's shot from along the left-wing boards was knocked down in front of the net. Chandler Stephenson collected the puck and fed a backhanded pass across the top of the crease to Catton, who tapped it into the open side of the net.
Hughes snapped a 15-game goalless drought with a power-play goal at 8:11 on a wrist shot from just outside the left faceoff dot that deflected off the knee of Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson.
Eberle, the Kraken captain, clinched the victory with an empty-netter at 18:48.
The Devils scored first as Hamilton tallied with the man advantage at 8:11 of the first period on a wrist shot from just inside the top of the right faceoff circle. That extended Hamilton's point streak to eight games (one goal, eight assists).
The Kraken tied it on defenseman Evans' unassisted goal at 7:37 of the second on a wrist shot from the right point that deflected off defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic.