Three Power Play Goals, Eight Round Shootout Lead Seattle Kraken To 4-3 Home Victory Over NY Islanders

Kraken Improve To 3-5 At Climate Pledge Arena, Send NYI To 7th Straight Defeat

If it were up to Alec Baldwin's character in the movie classic Glengarry Glen Ross, the Seattle Kraken and New York Islanders wouldn't be drinking much coffee these days.

Why? As Alec explained, "Coffee is for closers." Coming into Thursday's showdown at Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle had lost nine games in which it held a lead, New York seven.

It took eight rounds of a shootout, but the Kraken outlasted the Islanders, and rewarded their home fans with an uneven but ultimately satisfying 4-3 victory.

It's the Islanders who can't hold the first lead, as both teams trade power play goals in the first 10 minutes.

Brandon Tanev is off for high-sticking when Anders Lee puts the visitors on top 1-0 at 3:46.

Teams on six game losing streaks, like the Islanders, incur self-inflicted wounds. In this case, Scott Mayfield sending the puck over the glass in the defensive zone.

Matty Beniers collects his second goal of the season on the Kraken power play, for a 1-1 tie at 9:54, with Vince Dunn assisting.

Uh-oh, Kraken fans. Seattle scores another power play goal at 18:29, and now THEY have to protect a 2-1 lead. As to the particulars: Alex Wennberg, who hadn't scored all season, now has tallied in back-to-back games.

Watch the replay below, and you'll understand perfectly why assists are so prized in hockey. Jordan Eberle expertly keeps the play alive, then Oliver Bjorkstrand walks the goal line before feeding Wennberg.

Stats after 20: Scott Mayfield (NYI) two penalties; Seattle, two PP goals. Shots were heavily tilted the Kraken's way, 16-6.

By the time the period is five minutes old, the teams have traded successful penalty kills for a change.

A low-event period suddenly gets a game-altering event. A sloppy Seattle line change leads to New York's tying goal. Casey Cizikas gets behind the defense and solves Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer at 14:25.

The Islanders' Brock Nelson contacts Yanni Gourde's helmet. Because he's ruled to be following through on a pass, he's not called for a penalty. Gourde is, for tripping Nelson at 18:45.

13-on-13 violence: Seattle's Brandon Tanev flattens New York's Mathew Barzal in the Kraken zone, then conveniently leans on Barzal while the Islanders have to rag the puck at center ice.

New York will have 45 seconds of power play time remaining when the 3rd period starts. In the middle 20, shots were 10-6 NYI, 22-16 Kraken after two.

Seattle kills off the rest of Gourde's penalty, but less than a minute later, Dunn dumps Oliver Wahlstrom. Just eight seconds later, Noah Dobson's long-range blast cleanly beats Grubauer at 1:48. Both teams now have two PP goals, and the Islanders once again lead, 3-2.

Among the hundreds of amazing things NHL players can do is exercise a second of patience, when mere mortals would pull the trigger immediately.

Exhibit A is the Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto, scoring Seattle's third PP goal to re-tie the game 3-3 at 4:50.

New York now leads Seattle in blown leads, 2-1.

Yamamoto commits an offensive zone hooking penalty at 15:21. His Kraken teammates bail him out; the best scoring chance a shorthanded rip by Jared McCann, requiring a dandy glove save by NYI netminder Semyon Varlamov.

We're headed to overtime, and for the first time tonight, the next lead will definitely hold up.

New York dominated the OT, but didn't score.

In the eight round shootout, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jordan Eberle, and Kailer Yamamoto scored for Seattle. When Grubauer stopped Noah Dobson in round eight, Seattle had its hard-fought W.

Seattle is next in action Saturday in Vancouver, completing a 3-games-in-4-nights stretch.