Oleksiak's goal gives Kraken 4th straight win, 3-2, over Islanders

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 16: Brandon Tanev #13 of the Seattle Kraken reaches for the puck after it crosses the goal line during the third period of a game against the New York Islanders at Climate Pledge Arena on November 16, 2024 in Seattle, W (Christopher Mast / NHLI / Getty Images)

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SEATTLE - Jamie Oleksiak scored his second goal of the season with 3:13 left to play to lift the Seattle Kraken to a fourth straight victory, 3-2, over the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Joey Daccord denied Brock Nelson on a short-handed breakaway chance with just under two minutes left to play for his 22nd and final save of the game to help the Kraken preserve the victory.

Yanni Gourde scored his first goal of the season, and Jared McCann netted his team-leading ninth of the year. The Kraken have now bounced back from a four-game losing streak on the previous road trip with a four-game winning streak at home to get back on track.

"I think we just stuck to what has been giving us success, right?" Oleksiak said. "That Gourde-(Brandon) Tanev-(Tye Kartye) line has been really good for us. Game-winning goal, didn't do anything crazy, just worked hard, got the puck to the point, got to the net and it went in for us."

Oleksiak's shot deflected off Nelson in front of the New York net and slipped through Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin. Tanev's drive to the net caused some traffic in front of Sorokin as the puck deflected through for the winning tally.

"We've taken the game to them and they came back and took it to us a little bit, you just had to stay with it for 60 minutes to try to get a win in this one," head coach Dan Bylsma said.

A lucky bounce got the Kraken on the board and gave Gourde his first goal of the season. Brandon Tanev circled behind the net and threw the puck on the net. It deflected off Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin and then off Gourde's chest at the back post and into the net to give Seattle a 1-0 lead.

Gourde enthusiastically celebrated the goal after going scoreless for the first 17 games of the season.

"Honestly, it was challenging," Gourde said. "It's tough to be out there and feel like you don't help out that much your team to win games. There's certainly other areas where I thought my game was good, but offensively, I wanted to help out my team win every single night, and I haven't been able to do that, and it's wearing on me. And getting the first one tonight felt very good."

The line of Tanev, Gourde and Kartye was easily the team's most consistent on Saturday afternoon, and has been a consistent performing unit throughout the season. Even if the goals haven't been there for Gourde, the line has been playing well.

"It's good for the individual, but it's good for the team as well," Bylsma said. "I think Yanni in particular, and his line has been playing a really good for us, counted on a lot of situations. We've seen, you know, Turbo, score some goals, Karts score two games ago, but really, that's a line goal. Yanni has been around the net a lot lately. He's had some opportunities to score, but it's only when it goes over the goal line that you get the satisfaction of being playing the right way."

New York answered back five minutes later. Oliver Bjorkstrand was unable to tie up the stick of Pierre Engvall in front of the net as he was able to clean up a rebound of a Ryan Pulock shot to bring the game level at 1-1.

Despite a few power play chances for Seattle, the Islanders controlled much of the play throughout the middle portion of the game. Then, even with New York short-handed, they managed to grab the lead early in the third.

Maxim Tsyplakov picked up a holding penalty on Matty Beniers on a near breakaway look to give the Kraken the man advantage. Instead, Nelson converted a short-handed goal as he picked up a puck played off the wall past Ryker Evans and tapped home a rebound just by a sprawled out Daccord to give the Islanders the 2-1 advantage.

But the Kraken managed to respond right back to tie the game once again. André Burakovsky fired a puck from off the side wall to a flying Jared McCann at the Islanders blue line all alone. McCann snapped a shot by the blocker side of Sorokin just 37 seconds after Nelson's goal to make it a 2-2 game.

Burakovsky has yet to score himself this season, but he's started to look more like his old self and has assists in two of Seattle's last three games.

"I'm feeling confident having the puck," Burakovsky said. "That was something I was maybe struggling with before that. Got nervous, didn't really know what to do, didn't see the ice as well. But that's all up here (points to head), it's nothing that you just forget and that's something that I really think has been coming back. I'm feeling like I really want the puck a lot. I want the puck on my stick, I want to make plays and skate with it and create chances for my line mates and teammates and that's something I really think has been coming back to me."

Burakovsky called the pass to McCann an instinct play.

"That's also one of those plays that maybe I didn't see earlier on in the season, that are coming back, that I kind of know somewhere in my head that he's going to be there, because that's the way we play and and just trust your gut," Burakovsky said. "I mean, I got it and turned and that just sent it there and it was on his tape."

Oleksiak's goal was reviewed for goaltender interference as Brandon Tanev was in the crease as the puck got to Sorokin. However, if there was any contact between Tanev and Sorokin, it was exceedingly minimal and the goal stood upon review. That gave the Kraken one more power play chance. And it led to yet another short-handed opportunity for Nelson.

Nelson sprung free and picked up the puck just inside the blue line with Daccord able to block the shot away into the corner to deny the tying effort. Bylsma said he yelled for Daccord to come play the puck himself when it was sent ahead for Nelson, but Daccord didn't hear him with the noise in the building.

"The save is what a good team needs to have., is a big save from a goaltender at a huge time in the game, and Joey's been giving it to us," Byslma said.