Grubauer helps Kraken defeat Golden Knights in return

LAS VEGAS --Philipp Grubauer made 20 saves for the Seattle Kraken in a 4-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.

Grubauer was making his first start since Oct. 21 (missed 11 games) because of a lower-body injury. He was the backup to Martin Jones the previous two games.
"He looked confident and comfortable tonight," Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. "He made a couple of good saves."
Andre Burakovsky scored twice, and Adam Larsson had two assists for Seattle (12-5-3), which has won four consecutive games and is 9-1-1 in its past 11.
"It's obviously a huge win. They're ahead of us (in the Pacific Division). We want to chase them down," Burakovsky said. "It was an important game. We lost last time against them (5-2 on Oct. 15), so we were hungry for the win today. It was good to get it done. Obviously, it's always nice to help the team get on the board."

Nicolas Roy and Phil Kessel scored, and Shea Theodore had two assists for Vegas (16-5-1), which had its four-game point streak end. Adin Hill made 24 saves.
"They were quicker than us. They won a lot more races, one-on-one battles. They executed better than us. They were just the better team," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Let's call it what it is, from start to finish, they outplayed us. We can look at different areas and why and what, but we weren't ready to play, (and) that always falls on the coach. I got to get the guys ready to play. We didn't come out of the gate ready to play."
Ryan Donato gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 2:38 of the first period, scoring on a rebound off Larsson's one-timer from the point.
"Lately, we get rewarded when we get pucks on net. That was a prime example," Larsson said. "It was close your eyes and shoot it. It landed pretty much on his stick. It was nice."
Burakovsky made it 2-0 at 8:00 when he beat Hill five-hole with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle.
Roy cut it to 2-1 at 10:46, jamming in a rebound in front on a power play. He had missed the previous three games with a lower-body injury.
"He's been good for us all year. He certainly doesn't lack confidence," Cassidy said. "It was more about getting him into the flow of the game. It was a good goal for us."

Kessel tied it 2-2 at 12:50. He scored blocker side on Grubauer from the bottom of the right circle after Theodore lost the puck to him while trying to cut toward the slot.
Burakovsky put the Kraken back in front 3-2 at 5:20 of the second period when he shot short side from the right face-off dot.
"His second goal of the game was a big one," Hakstol said. "That was a nice play off the entry. He found a way inside. He found the extra step to get into a better shooting spot. He found the short side. It was a good night for him."
Jordan Eberle made it 4-2 at 18:46, scoring on his own rebound after Hill made a lunging stick save to rob him on his initial backhand attempt.
"We needed two points," Hakstol said. "We're not looking for a measuring stick. We're playing the game. We're playing to win games. They're an important two points on the road. We beat a good team here tonight. I'll take the points and move on."

NOTES:It was Seattle's first win in its history against Vegas (1-5-0). … Golden Knights forward Brett Howden was scratched because of a lower-body injury.