SEATTLE — Ryan Donato extended his goal streak to four games, and the Seattle Kraken defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-2 at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday.
Brandon Tanev had a goal and an assist for the Kraken (18-10-3), who won for the second straight game. Morgan Geekie had two assists and Martin Jones made 22 saves.
“Not a lot of time and in our D-zone in the first two periods,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “There’s two or three occasions where they got inside because we were up to a little too loose on our return. … the way we play we need doubles, we need help down low killing plays, we need stops and starts inside. We did a pretty good job of that but against this team, if you don’t do it every time. It’s coming inside. We saw that a little bit in the second. We got good saves from ‘Jonesy’ on those.”
Pavel Buchnevich and Colton Parayko scored, and Thomas Greiss made 28 saves, including a penalty shot, for the Blues (16-16-1), who had won four in a row.
“We didn’t manage the puck very well,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “They checked well, we didn’t have time or space and we didn’t do the right things with the puck. That’s probably what the bottom line was. … They got behind us too much and they were on us and we didn’t.” t make very good plays and we didn’t compete very hard, we lost a lot of puck battles.”
Donato gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 16:27 of the first period Adam Larsson found him with a stretch pass to break him free and he scored on a backhand-forehand move.
“That was a spectacular pass from him,” Donato said. “I mean, I saw it coming a little bit but with him going backwards and momentum carrying him that way, to be able to get it all the way across his body and up that far, that was awesome and then going on a breakaway, I just kind of close my eyes and hope it goes in.”
Video: STL@SEA: Donato gives Kraken lead in 1st period
Carson Soucy made it 2-0 Seattle at 10:00 of the second period when he put back a rebound off a Will Borgen shot with a one-handed sweep.
Daniel Sprong made it 3-0 at 16:58 on a breakaway after Geekie spotted him at the blue line during a line change.
Jared McCann made it 4-0 with an unassisted goal at 19:16 by picking up his own rebound and banking it in off Greiss’ pad.
“They’re playing well,” Parayko said. “They’ve got players with a lot of speed, they’ve been playing with speed. They play a style when they get their forwards out there and get pucks to them… it’s hard to play against them.”
Video: STL@SEA: Sprong increases Kraken’s lead in 2nd period
St. Louis cut the lead to 4-1 at 5:59 of the third period on a snap-shot goal from Parayko. Buchnevich scored from the left face-off circle to make it 4-2 at 10:54.
Tanev scored an empty-net goal at 15:47 for the 5-2 final.
“We’re playing great as a team,” Jones said. “I think when we check like that, makes [the goalies] jobs easier and then we just have to be solid and then maybe make one or two key saves that definitely simplifies things for us.”
NOTES: The Blues played without a forward Jordan Kyrou (upper body) who was a late scratch a night after scoring a hat trick during a 5-1 win at the Vancouver Canucks. … Donato’s goal streak is an NHL career high and ties the longest in Seattle’s two seasons (Jordan Eberle last season, McCann earlier this season).
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