<p><p>BUFFALO, N.Y. — This hardly began like the night Jaden Schwartz and his Kraken teammates would notch more than four goals for the first time in nearly four weeks and only the second time since before Thanksgiving.</p></p><p><p>In fact, barely eight minutes into Tuesday night’s 5-2 win over the Sabres, the Kraken had already given up 14 shots, the game’s opening goal and netminder Joey Daccord was doing somersaults in his crease just to keep them in it. But keep them in it Daccord did, buying time for the defense to wake up and a reinforced offense, helped by Schwartz returning from a six-week injury layoff, to erupt in the middle frame for a seventh consecutive victory.</p></p><p><p>In doing so, the Kraken extended their franchise record points streak to 11 games, a run of 9-0-2 that’s vaulted them back into the Western Conference playoff picture.</p></p><p><p>The Kraken actually got the offense going before a second period in which Schwartz set up Alex Wennberg for a go-ahead breakaway goal that snapped a 2-2 tie, then scored an insurance marker by batting a Brandon Tanev shot out of midair. By period’s end, Matty Beniers had also beaten Devon Levi with a wrist-shot between the legs from the left faceoff circle, putting the visitors up by three and causing the fans at KeyBank Center to boo the Sabres off the ice at intermission.</p></p><p><p>Daccord’s first period play, in which he made 18 saves on 19 shots and stopped breakaways by Tuch and Jeff Skinner, bought the Kraken time to fix their defensive leaks and start finding some offense. It would be Yanni Gourde erasing an earlier Jeff Skinner goal by knocking home a rebound at the 13:55 mark after the Kraken were afforded multiple chances in front of Levi.</p></p><p><p>And then, right after Daccord stopped Tuch’s breakaway on a Kraken power play chance, it would be Vince Dunn putting his team ahead 2-1 right back down at the other end on the very same shift.</p></p><p><p>Tuch would enact some revenge 50 seconds into the middle period with a snapshot from the top of the left circle Daccord would probably like to have back. But the Sabres barely had time to enjoy being tied again before Schwartz spotted Wennberg all alone in the middle of the ice, sprung him on his breakaway and watched him deke rookie Levi.</p></p><p><p>Buffalo is now the only NHL team the Kraken have beaten in all five of their lifetime games. But the Sabres, despite a disappointing campaign in which more was expected from its developing core, had entered the night with consecutive victories and looking for their first three-game win streak of the season.</p></p><p><p>As for the Kraken, this is the healthiest they’ve been since opening night — with only center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare still on injured reserve — and it showed as they posted their first game of more than four goals since beating Chicago on Dec. 14 and their second since defeating San Jose on Nov. 22.</p></p><p><p>Andre Burakovsky would draw a primary assist on Dunn’s go-ahead power play goal late in the first period. The offensive depth gained by having both Burakovsky and Schwartz back in the fold is such that team scoring leader Jared McCann started the game on the fourth line alongside Burakovsky and Tye Kartye.</p></p>
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