Eberle nets Kraken’s 1st hat trick, Seattle tops Buffalo 5-2

SEATTLE (AP) – Jordan Eberle provided the Seattle Kraken with a lot of momentum when he met seconds after the Buffalo Sabers took the lead in the second third.

He was just getting started.

Eberle scored three goals in 9:41 in the second and third period for the first hat-trick in Seattle franchise history, and the Kraken expansion beat the Sabers 5-2 on Thursday night.

“It’s obviously an honor. It’s really cool, ”said Eberle. “I’ve had a few, but you’ll be the first in Kraken history in this arena, it’s pretty special. I’m not going to lie, when (the third one) came in, I definitely thought about it. “

The loss crowned a long, emotional day for the Sabers that began with former captain Jack Eichel joining the Vegas Golden Knights and ended with the third episode of Buffalos on his west coast sweep.

Despite the day’s distractions, the Sabers said they could focus on the game but couldn’t top the trip off with a win.

“Of course we mentioned it that morning. But it’s business time, game day, and I’m sure the guys will think about it and talk about it later, ”said Sabers goalie Dustin Tokarski. “But we know we had a job to try and get done, and that’s what we focused on today.”

Seattle had a two-game losing streak and hit a season high on goals. Morgan Geekie scored his second goal of the season and the first since opening night to give Seattle a 1-0 lead early on. Jaden Schwartz had two assists and added an empty goal in the last few moments. Alex Wennberg also had two assists.

But the star was Eberle, and his goal in the second period was the most important.

“At the end of the second game, we didn’t necessarily do our best. They had a power play goal to take a 2-1 lead so it was good to tie it, ”said Schwartz.

Eberle scored his first goal 26 seconds after Kyle Okposo gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead towards the end of the second period. Okposo hit with a power play to give the Sabers the lead, but Eberle was left alone in front of the net, beating Tokarski.

Less than 2 minutes after the third, Eberle prevailed again against Tokarski and turned a shot over his blocker. He crowned the hat trick at 8:06 a.m. with a moderate slap shot that went through Tokarski and made hats fly onto the ice of the Climate Pledge Arena for the first time.

It was the fourth hat trick in Eberle’s career and the first since February 21, 2020, when he played for the New York Islanders against Detroit. Eberle has scored five goals in the last five games after a frustrating period early in the season.

“The biggest thing is when you get a look or two per game and finish them off, you have the confidence to do it and that’s great,” said Eberle.

Okposo and Tage Thompson scored for Buffalo and Tokarski made 33 saves.

Thompson scored his third goal of the season in the second period, and Okposo’s third goal gave Buffalo a lead that lasted less than 30 seconds.

Seattle’s goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer was rarely tested and ended with 19 saves.

Buffalo played their second straight game without leading scorer Victor Olofsson, who is out for an unknown reason. Olofsson played in the Sabers’ first game of West Coast Swing but missed Tuesday’s loss to San Jose and Thursday’s game.

BATTLE TIME

It took five home games, but the Kraken finally had their first real fight in their home arena. Jamie Oleksiak and Buffalo’s John Hayden dropped gloves late in the first period. The taller Oleksiak landed several shots and put Hayden on the ice. Hayden also received a roughing penalty and Seattle’s first goal came shortly after the power play ended.

NOTES: Rasmus Asplund submitted an assist for Thompson’s goal to extend his streak to five games. … The last hat trick for an expansion team came from William Karlsson for Vegas in the 2017-18 season. Karlsson’s hat trick only succeeded against Calgary in March 2018. … Seattle was 0 for 4 on the power play and is 3 for 36 on the season.

NEXT

Sabers: hosted Detroit on Saturday.

Kraken: Travel to Arizona on Saturday.

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https://apnews.com/article/nhl-sports-buffalo-seattle-hockey-bf8f76c4ceae7e9838cbe450572c664d
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