The two teams entered the third period tied, 2-2, despite a 30-11 shot advantage in favor of the Kraken. The Sabres briefly held a lead after goals from Tage Thompson and Kyle Okposo during the second period, but Jordan Eberle responded with a goal for Seattle just 26 seconds later.
Eberle went on to record the first hat trick in Kraken history, cutting in behind the Sabres' defense for the go-ahead goal at 1:50 of the third period and burying a slap shot on a rush at 8:06. Jaden Schwartz added an empty-net goal late.
Granato placed an emphasis on playing with confidence prior to the game, a trademark of the Sabres through their strong start at home. They strayed from that identity during losses in Los Angeles and San Jose and were unable to rediscover it against the Kraken.
"Any team wants to put some forecheck pressure, make you go back for pucks, make you work as a unit to break pressure," Granato said. "… When we did break it, we didn't take the ice. We were slow to take the ice. We were hesitant. We felt pressure, like I said, that wasn't there anymore."
It may have partially been a result of the atmosphere, which was far more raucous than the three previous stops in California. Granato described is as playoff-like.
"You're perceiving things that are at an intensity level more than they actually are at times," he said. "Our guys will be able to see it and they'll have an opportunity to learn from it. The next time out will be the answer for that."
