The Kraken couldn’t solve a rookie goaltender for five and a half periods in the last two games. The goaltender is on the same team called up in the American Hockey League as Logan Thompson in goal for Vegas, who made 26 saves for his seventh win in his first 11 NHL starts.

Kraken Center Alex Wennberg broke the chain scoreless midway through the third period with assists from Jared McCann and Will Borgen. McCann, who brawled in the second period, is now tied with Yanni Water Bottle for the team leader in scoring (goals and assists).

“Frustration,” McCann said, when asked what made him fight, admitting it wasn’t the strongest part of his game. .”

McCann’s performance was appreciated by his teammates on all levels, like the batting against the boards of the Kraken bench.

“To see a guy like ‘Canner’ do that, he’s got such a big heart,” said rookie forward kole lind, who scored his first NHL goal late in the third period. “I can watch him and learn from him.

“The guys fought hard throughout the hockey game,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “I thought it was important to get that push in third.”

Hakstol said Vegas’ second and third goals were the result of errors by Kraken, including the fall of defenseman Jamie Oleksiak as he cleared the puck near the Seattle net. If you eliminate those mistakes, he said, the game looks more competitive than the final score. Hakstol added that he thinks his side have reduced turnovers significantly from Wednesday’s loss.

“It’s cliche,” McCann said after the game. “We just have to stay positive. It’s been a tough year, we have to pull through and play for each other.”

Seattle’s effort to cut the margin to a one-goal deficit was hampered by an inadvertent game-delay penalty on the alternate captain Adam Larson with less than six minutes remaining, although fellow D-man Carson Soucy fired a wicked wrist shot on a shorthanded attempt that challenged rookie Thompson.

Vegas 27-goal scorer Jonathan Marchessault scored his second empty-net goal in two games to make it 4-1 at 17:44 of the third period.

Not a team to give up, playing to the end, Seattle fought back with rookie Lind scoring his first NHL goal at 18:22 of the third period to make it 4-2. Skating and rolling to the slot with time and space, Lind landed an instant shot he’s thrown since his recent call-up from the AHL Charlotte.

Vegas forward William Karlsson scored a second goal into an empty net with 31 seconds left to make it 5-2.

Video: [email protected]: Wennberg gets a pass and buries it

Playoff pointers

Vegas entered the night one point in the Western Conference wildcard Game 2 standings, behind the Dallas Stars. Victory over the Kraken puts Vegas in the coveted second wildcard spot.

But Dallas has two games in hand, playing in San Jose on Saturday night and here in Seattle on Sunday. Vegas heads to Vancouver for a Sunday game.

Video: [email protected]: Lind shoots the Kraken within 2 goals

Eichel scores twice, ex-Thunderbird Star makes it 3-0

Philippe Grubauerback in the net after two consecutive starts for Chris Driedger, was strong at first. He made a goal save on Vegas forward Evgenii Dadonov after a minute and a half of play, avoiding any disappointment from either the team or the crowd. Instead, a resounding chant of “Gruuuuuuu” enveloped Climate Pledge Arena.

But midway through the period, Jack Eichel, the NHL’s most talked about trade headliner this season, scored his eighth goal for Vegas in 21 games to open the scoring. He benefited from the stellar play of defender Zach Whitecloud and Chandler Stephenson (former top center now on the wing with Eichel).

Stephenson started with the puck away from the Kraken net and slipped a pass to Whitecloud. Stephenson came out of the offensive zone, to quickly return towards the goal. Whitecloud fed Stephenson, who found veteran defender Alec Martinez joining play near the right side of Grubauer’s crease.

Martinez, just recently back in the VGK lineup, fired/passed a puck in front of the net which Grubauer couldn’t handle cleanly and Eichel was there to score the game’s first goal. Grubauer saved seven of eight shots in the first 20 minutes, including four Category A chances.

The problem is that Thompson was even better for the first 20 minutes. He posted his fourth straight period without a goal against the Kraken. It would reach five and a half periods of zeros before Wennberg ended the spell.

Video: Condensed Gameplay: Golden Knights @ Kraken