Kraken win fourth straight by squashing Senators 8-4

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jordan Eberle and Andre Burakovsky led the way with a goal and two assists apiece for the Kraken, who won their fourth straight after defeating the Senators 8-4 on Saturday night.

Seattle got goals from eight different players and 13 had at least one point.

Justin Schultz, Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn and Daniel Sprong each had a goal and an assist. Jared McCann and Oliver Bjorkstrand also scored for Seattle.

Martin Jones made 19 saves for his 18th win of the NHL season.

“I think the strength of this group is in the depth we have. And it’s not just the strikers – it’s the defence, it’s the goalkeepers. “You see teams that have four lines and six (defensive backs) that can contribute and that’s dangerous,” Eberle said.

“In my opinion, a lot of the teams that make the playoffs, it’s because of that (depth).

The Senators (18-18-3) got three goals from Tim Stutzle and another from Brady Tkachuk.

Anton Forsberg started in goal for the Senators, but was pulled in favor of Cam Talbot 15 minutes into the game after allowing three goals on five shots. Talbot missed 14 of 19 shots.

“There is no excuse for me. It was a rough night for both of us. We’ll both deal with it,” Talbot said.

“You score four goals in a hockey game, you have to be able to make the rest of the saves to win the game.”

The Kraken led 5-3 to start the third, but quickly took a 7-3 lead on goals by Dunn and Eberle in the first five minutes. Stutzle completed his hat trick at 5:20 of the period to pull the Senators within three goals, but Burakovsky scored midway through the period for an 8-4 lead.

“We’ve been at our best when we’ve been able to go four straight and not have a big upset every game. That’s how our team is built,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said.

“We’re asking everyone to contribute, play the right way, play responsibly on defense. We weren’t airtight there tonight, but we were good enough at the right times.”

records

Saturday’s game was the first of the season between the Senators and the Kraken. They will meet again at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on March 9. … The only scratches in Saturday’s game were Kraken guard Cale Fleury and forward Ryan Donato. … Stutzle extended his hitting streak to seven games.

NEXT

Kraken: At Montreal on Monday night in the fourth of a seven-game road trip.

Senators: Host Nashville on Monday night to complete a four-game homestand.

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