SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Lindgren had the tiebreaking goal early in the third period for his first score with Seattle, and the Kraken beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Chandler Stephenson had a goal and an assist, and Eeli Tolvanen and Ryker Evans also scored for the Kraken, who won for just the second time in 12 games (2-9-1). Joey Daccord finished with 34 saves.
Adam Gaudette and Colin Graf scored for the Sharks, and Yaroslav Askarov had 28 saves.
Graf gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead 36 seconds into the third period with some help from the Kraken.
Seattle's Adam Dunn lofted a clearing attempt from behind the net that Igor Chernyshov intercepted in the left circle and sent a pass in front to Graf. Graf tried to lift it over Daccord down on the ice, but the puck deflected off the left post and in front as the goalie, on his back, tried to pull it in. However, Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson skated into the goalie and knocked the puck in.
Evans tied it again at 1:55 with a long shot from the left point through traffic.
Lindgren put the Kraken ahead 3-2 at 4:27, beating Askarov from the left point for the defenseman's first goal in 33 games since signing with with Seattle in the offseason. Stephenson had an assist on the play to extend his point streak to eight games.
Stephenson then scored with 1:24 remaining to push Seattle's lead to two goals and extend his goal-scoring streak to four games.
Tolvanen gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 6:52 of the second period, picking up a loose puck, skating into the right circle and firing a shot past Askarov.
Gaudette tied it with a power-play goal with 8:38 left in the middle period. Celebrini fired a shot at the net from the left point that deflected off teammate Igor Chernyshov in front of Daccord and off Gaudette down onto the ice for an easy backhand poke from the right doorstep.
Celebrini extended his point streak to five games on the play with eight assists and 11 points in the stretch.
Kraken: At Anaheim on Monday night.
Sharks: At Vegas on Tuesday night.
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/nhl
San Jose Sharks right wing Collin Graf (51) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the Dallas Stars during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Seattle Kraken's Chandler Stephenson, centre, celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames, in Calgary, Alberta, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — First baseman Josh Bell and the Minnesota Twins have finalized their $7 million, one-year contract.
The sides agreed to terms Monday, pending a physical exam, and the Twins announced the deal Friday.
Bell gets a $250,000 signing bonus payable by Feb. 1 and a $5.5 million salary in 2026. The contract includes a $10 million mutual option for 2027 with a $1.25 million buyout for Bell, who also gets a hotel suite on road trips.
A durable switch-hitter with power, Bell projects to help fill a void at first base and designated hitter for the Twins in his 11th major league season. He hit .237 with 22 home runs and 63 RBIs this year for Washington.
The Dallas-area native has played in at least 140 games in each of his eight full big league seasons, topping 600 plate appearances five times.
Bell was selected in the second round of the 2011 amateur draft out of high school by Pittsburgh and made his major league debut in 2016. His best season came with the Pirates in 2019, when he made the All-Star team while hitting .277 with 37 home runs, 116 RBIs and a .936 OPS.
He has 193 homers and a .785 OPS over his career, almost entirely in the National League. Bell had stints with Miami, Arizona and San Diego, too. His only prior American League experience came in 2023 with Cleveland.
Over the last five years, Bell has switched teams seven times — including four trades. The Twins will be his sixth team in less than four years.
This is the third straight offseason the Twins have used free agency to find a stopgap first baseman, with the 33-year-old Bell following Ty France and Carlos Santana. After France was traded to Toronto on July 31, one of nine deals the Twins made that week leading up to the deadline, Kody Clemens took most of the playing time at first base.
Clemens, who hit 19 home runs in 112 games while also filling in at second base and every outfield spot, will likely slide into a utility backup role.
Though the Twins remain in a state of flux around their payroll for 2026 and beyond, with team ownership working on adding two new investment groups to help pay down debt, president Derek Falvey said last week at baseball's winter meetings that the front office won't shed any more salary and has a modest budget to work with to supplement the roster.
That means the Twins won't be forced to trade any of their All-Stars, center fielder Byron Buxton and starting pitchers Pablo López and Joe Ryan. Now that Bell is on board, the next target for Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll will be rebuilding the bullpen for new manager Derek Shelton after it was torn down during the trading spree last summer.
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - Washington Nationals' Josh Bell hits a double during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Sept. 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr., File)
