Burakovsky, Daccord Come Up Huge At Finish As Kraken Outlast Jets 4-3

The Seattle Kraken on the second of a Canadian back-to-back against the red hot Winnipeg Jets. No Vince Dunn, injured Monday in Calgary. No Alex Wennberg, rumored to be heading to the New York Rangers.

No problem.

Well, maybe a few problems. But the never-say-die Kraken used a late power play goal by Andre Burakovsky, his first in 19 games, and a save of the year* candidate by Joey Daccord to outlast the Jets, 4-3.

*The term "save of the year" isn't just for the Kraken, but for the entire NHL. Considering the circumstance - five seconds left, no goal stick, wide open net, protecting a one goal lead - no words can adequately describe Daccord's desperation effort. See it for yourself below.

In the last three weeks, Seattle has beaten three of the four NHL division leaders.

With Nashville losing in OT to Montreal, the Kraken are within six points of the final Western Conference wild card spot.

1st Period

Hockey number-cruncher Garret Holh has determined that Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has performed below league average in 12 of his last 15 starts. We shall see.

The Jets wait less than 30 seconds to make Kraken goalie Joey Daccord come up big - and he does, saving Sean Monahan's wrist shot.

Also drawing into the lineup, Seattle's oldest player (left wing Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who turns 39 on Wednesday) and second-youngest (defenseman Ryker Evans, 22).

Two testing shots from Winnipeg's Logan Stanley. The first rings loudly off the post; Daccord saves the second.

The Kraken reverse the usual passing pattern for the game's first goal. Winger Oliver Bjorkstrand centers a pass for defenseman Justin Schultz. His 6th goes five-hole at 8:45.

If the goal wasn't a good look for Hellebuyck, he makes up for it with glove-hand robbery on Eeli Tolvanen's dart. Tomas Tatar and Tye Kartye also have SOGs turned aside on two separate odd-man rushes.

Daccord doesn't appear to have accumulated any rust. In his first appearance since being pulled Feb. 24, a home loss to Minnesota, Daccord stops all 14 shots. Seattle scored on one of seven.

2nd Period

Before the game, Jordan Eberle took on ceremonial puck-drop duties.

Seattle is credited with 17 1st period hits, three each from defensemen Will Borgen and Adam Larsson.

Hellebuyck poke-checks Andre Burakovsky before he can release a breakaway shot. The Winnipeg netminder also turns aside an Adam Larsson bomb, bidding for goals in back-to-back games.

Kyle Connor brings the Jets even 1-1 at 8:07, his 26th of the season. It was Winnipeg's second SOG in the first eight minutes.

Mark Scheifele's assist is his 700th NHL point.

Seattle sidesteps disaster when a skate save by Daccord deflects off Tomas Tatar and slithers just wide of the right post.

Jared McCann behind the net feeding Bjorkstrand in the slot; the combination worked for a goal just that way Monday in Calgary. It could have here, too, except for Hellebuyck's lightning-quick glove.

At 16:27, Kartye takes a trip, the first penalty of the game. The 18th ranked Seattle penalty kill will try to snuff Winnipeg's #24 PP - without Vince Dunn.

Attention Kraken fans: you are not watching a replay from last night. Jared McCann converts a shorthanded breakaway for the second time in 24 hours. His 27th on the season puts Seattle back in front 2-1 at 17:56.

Oh by the way, Winnipeg gets zero shots on their power play.

If a hockey period were 19 minutes and 50 seconds long, Seattle would have taken a lead to the dressing room. But it isn't.

Winnipeg captain Adam Lowry, son of Kraken assistant coach Dave, ties the game 2-2 at 19:51. Way to make dad proud - and mad.

3rd Period

The Kraken may trail the Jets by 18 standings points, but you wouldn't know it from the way they've matched their hosts in all three zones.

How about some good playoff race news from Nashville, on as lucky a goal as you'll see.

How about some bad playoff race news from Winnipeg, on a lucky deflection for the home team. Nino Niederreiter - I dare you to find a better current hockey name - has his original shot bounce off Daccord and then him for a 3-2 Jets lead at 1:17.

Lowry and Mason Appleton, a Kraken for 49 games in 2021-22, get the helpers; the second point for each. Not counting intermission, the Jets have scored twice in 1:26 of playing time to take their first lead.

That lead lasts 25 seconds. Deflecting Benier's shot, Tatar's 8th re-ties the game for Seattle 3-3.

Kraken defenseman Will Borgen makes sure the game stays tied, diving to intercept a Connor centering pass headed to Scheifele, standing all by himself in front of Daccord. Justin Schultz had made a similar block earlier.

The Kraken get their first power play with 4:25 remaining, when the Jets' Stanley slashes the stick out of Tatar's hands. On the PP, Burakovsky powers a shot past Hellebuyck's glove for a 4-3 Kraken lead at 17:21.

Evans picks up an assist, as does McCann with his third point tonight.

With 2:01 left, Winnipeg pulls Hellebuyck for a sixth attacker. During a furious scramble, Larsson makes two consecutive blocks and Gourde makes a third.

Gourde takes a hooking call with 24 seconds to go. Winnipeg will skate 6-on-4 in a bid to tie the game.

Bellemare does what he does best; tie up the faceoff, even if he has to lay down on the puck. That reduces the time remaining to 18 seconds.

In the final unbelievable seconds, Daccord loses his goalie stick. That's big trouble, because Neal Pionk shoots the puck from the left circle toward an open net.

Daccord in desperation throws his body in the way. The puck hits him, the clock hits zero, and Seattle has survived for a gut-check victory over the Jets, 4-3.