Kraken keep hopes alive with win over Sharks

Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and an assist as the Seattle Kraken scored three times in the first period en route to a 4-2 road victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday.

The Kraken are 3-1-0 in their last four games and are still mathematically alive in the playoff race. With eight games remaining on the regular-season schedule, Seattle (31-30-13, 75 points) is 12 points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.

Shane Wright's goal 17:06 into the first period stood as the game-winning tally. Wright was just recalled from the AHL on Sunday, and it was Wright's first goal in four NHL games this season and the second of his career.

Matty Beniers and Jared McCann scored the Kraken's other goals, and Eeli Tolvanen and Jaden Schwartz each had two assists.

Philipp Grubauer stopped 24 of 26 shots for his 12th win of the season.

The Sharks (17-49-8, 42 points) have the fewest points in the NHL and are 2-16-3 in their last 21 games.

Fabian Zetterlund had a goal and an assist and Klim Kostin scored San Jose's other goal. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 28 of 31 shots.

Beniers put Seattle ahead just 29 seconds into the game, helped by a Sharks turnover in their own zone. Bjorkstrand made a canny pass to Beniers, who blasted home a shot from the faceoff dot.

Bjorkstrand also scored from the circle at 11:26 of the first period, as the forward snuck a very well-placed shot over Blackwood's shoulder.

Zetterlund put the Sharks on the board with a power-play goal 14:19 into the first period. Mikael Granlund collected an assist and now has six points (two goals, four assists) over a five-game points streak.

Wright restored Seattle's two-goal lead by combining with Jordan Eberle on a nice passing play. Eberle received an assist on the play for his 700th NHL point.

Kostin's tip-in goal at 5:01 of the second period again brought the Sharks within a goal, though that marked the only scoring until McCann's empty-net tally in the final seconds of the third period.