Tomas Tatar scores in shootout, lifts Kraken to 2-1 victory over Islanders
By Scott Charles
Tomas Tatar scored the lone goal in a shootout and the Seattle Kraken beat the New York Islanders 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Matty Beniers scored in regulation, Philipp Grubauer made 26 saves and the Kraken snapped a three-game losing streak.
Kyle Palmieri scored and Ilya Sorokin stopped 29 shots in New York’s second consecutive defeat.
Tatar used a series of dekes and a forehand shot to beat Sorokin. Islanders forwards Oliver Wahlstrom, Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal were all denied in the shootout.
“I kind of panicked, to be honest,” Tatar said about his shootout move. “I had one move in my head and I was looking for a spot, it wouldn’t get open and I had to switch it last second. Glad it worked out but like I said, it was more of a panic move.”
The Islanders were whistled for tripping in the offensive zone and Palmieri was sent to the penalty box at 3:11 of overtime. Jayden Schwartz negated the power play when he was penalized for slashing at 4:28.
Palmieri scored a power-play goal to even it 1-all at 14:37 of the second period. Barzal found his teammate all alone at the top of the crease and Palmieri extended his point streak to a career-high six games. New York defenseman Noah Dobson also assisted.
Sorokin stopped Brandon Tanev on a short-handed breakaway moments before Palmieri tied the game.
“I don’t think any one of us could be happy about this performance,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “We missed that opportunity. There was no excuse for not playing a better hockey game than what we did.”
Beniers gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 5:27 of the opening period when he beat Sorokin on the blocker side. Jared McCann got the primary assist.
“I don’t think our battle level and compete were there the past few nights,” Beniers said. “That’s been our identity since the beginning. The big emphasis on tonight was, we’re not going to get outworked, we’re not going to get outbattled.”
Grubauer started his first game since Dec. 9. The Seattle netminder sustained a lower-body injury against Minnesota and was activated off injured reserve earlier this week. He dressed as the backup the past few games.
“Really solid tonight,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said of his goaltender. “He did a nice job, being real settled, calm in net. First 10-15 minutes of the hockey game, guys did a nice job in front of him, allowed him to see some shots. … That’s a nice win for him coming back.”
STADIUM SERIES LEGACY PROJECT
The Islanders, Islanders Children’s Foundation and NHL announced a multiyear commitment to various forms of adaptive hockey. The Special Olympics New York, Long Island Rough Riders (sled hockey) and Long Island Blues (special hockey) received funding, with the latter two organizations also getting ice time at The Park at UBS Arena.
UP NEXT
Kraken: Complete a four-game trip Thursday against Boston.
Islanders: Host the rival New York Rangers outdoors Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey as part of the 2024 Stadium Series.
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