When captain Jordan Eberle eventually returns from the injured list, the Seattle Kraken might need to find another spot for him in the lineup.
Because it appears their top line is set with Jaden Schwartz, Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko.
Schwartz scored three goals and Kakko had three assists Saturday as Seattle opened a lengthy home stretch with a 4-2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kraken, who play eight of their next nine games on home ice, will aim to continue that momentum when they host the Buffalo Sabres in a Monday matinee.
“It can’t be understated, the line of Matty Beniers and Jaden and Kakko, what they keep doing for us, night in and night out,” Seattle coach Dan Bylsma said. “That line has fed off Kakko’s presence in the offensive zone, his ability to hang on the puck. It has allowed Schwartzy to dart into spots, be at the net, and Matty to get to good spots.”
Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft, has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 14 games with the Kraken since being acquired Dec. 18 from the New York Rangers for defenseman Will Borgen and a pair of mid-round draft picks this summer. Kakko is riding a five-game point streak in which he has three goals and five assists.
“He protects the puck well,” Schwartz said of Kakko. “He’s got a really good shot, as you’ve seen, but he’s also really good at making little subtle plays with the puck … he sees the ice very well.”
The addition of Kakko has helped elevate the play of Beniers, the No. 2 overall pick in 2021. He has five goals and three assists since the trade.
“I think our line has been pretty good,” Kakko said. “We’re getting a lot of chances.”
Schwartz, in his 14th NHL season, called the youngsters “fun guys to play with.”
“They’re working really hard right now, doing the little things right, moving it and getting open and just looking to keep building,” Schwartz said.
Kakko tallied twice in the third period at Buffalo on Jan. 11 as the Kraken rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Sabres 6-2. Oliver Bjorkstrand broke the tie early in the third before Kakko scored back-to-back as Seattle pulled away.
The Sabres are opening a four-game Western trip that will also take them to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.
They suffered a 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Friday as the Penguins’ Alex Nedeljkovic not only made 40 saves, but became the first goaltender to score a goal and have an assist in the same game.
“The biggest difference was, first, they out-special-teamed us,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “But when you have the number of opportunities we had to put the puck in the back of the net, like second period from 2-on-1s to breakaways to (Tage Thompson) point-blank two or three times in the slot, backdoor plays, you’ve got to convert.”
Thompson has a team-leading 19 goals and 36 points for the Sabres, who are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Zach Benson, 19, had a goal and an assist for the Sabres on Friday.
“You look in the second (period), we probably had four grade-A’s,” Benson said of the Sabres’ scoring opportunities. “I didn’t think we did a great job getting traffic there by no means, but when you shoot from those spots, as much as you want traffic, we’ve got some elite shooters that can pick their spots from where they’re shooting.”
–Field Level Media
