Given Friday’s looming NHL trade deadline, Seattle Kraken fans could be seeing the final appearances of some of their favorites. It happened last year, when Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde, and Brandon Tanev were dealt during deadline week.
The extent of a repeat bloodletting could well hinge on whether the Kraken could correct the tailspin of an 0-2-0 post-Olympics road trip. Seattle passed the first test Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena, a 5-1 triumph over the woeful Vancouver Canucks.
Defenseman Vince Dunn, playing his 600th NHL game, scored early in the 1st period and later added an assist. Less than three minutes later, blueliner Adam Larsson recorded his 200th NHL assist on a Chandler Stephenson goal, one of three points for Stephenson.
After that, it was the Jordan Eberle show – his team-leading 21st on a 2nd period breakaway, and his team-leading 22nd into an empty net. It appeared for the longest time that the empty-netter had completed a hat trick. But PA man Chet Buchanan, after announcing the empty-netter, informed a stunned CPA crowd that an earlier 3rd period power play goal had been awarded to Matty Beniers – and taken away from Eberle.
The captain has to “settle” for a three-point night of his own. Joey Daccord made 27 saves to win for the fifth time in his last six starts. Though outshot 28-25, Seattle won a remarkable 71% of faceoffs.
1st Period
A pair of grade-A chances early for the Kraken. First, Eberle clanks the inside of the post; on a 2-on-1, Shane Wright feeds cross-ice to Berkley Catton, who is foiled by cat-quick Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankinen.
Dunn gets a luckier bounce to break the Kraken on top. With loads of open ice, the defenseman walks in from the blue line to to the top of the left circle. His shot deflects off a Canucks defender and past Lankinen at 7:36.
Stephenson, who assisted on Dunn’s goal, doubles the Kraken lead at 10:20. Lankinen looks for the rebound of Larsson’s original shot by turning his head to the left. Unfortunately, the puck had ricocheted to the right, where Stephenson deposited it into the unguarded net.
Vancouver’s Conor Garland came tantalizingly close to intercepting the pass to Larsson, which would have set Garland up for a breakaway. But he didn’t.
Elias Pettersson snipes from the left circle, but Daccord picks a peach off a tree (that’s a glove save, guys). Pettersson is left skating away in disbelief. Lankinen denies Stephenson’s breakaway bid for what would have been his second goal and third point of the period.
2nd Period
It’s Daccord’s turn to get the benefit of the goalie’s best friend, as Vancouver’s Drew O’Connor shoots off the left post. Vancouver does break through at 8:28 on a goal by Liam Ohgren. Daccord mildly objects to contact of some kind by Teddy Blueger in front, but the Kraken don’t challenge.
The Kraken goalie is at his best, though, making two fine saves on Garland and Evander Kane to keep the Kraken in front while they’re shorthanded.
Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers has the most goals among active players against the Canucks (29). You know who’s right behind him? Seattle captain Jordan Eberle, who showed both slick hands and wheels to score his 27th all-time goal against the Vancouver franchise. He blocked an Elias Pettersson shot at his own blueline, then turned on his 35-year-old jets to outrace the defender down ice. A backhand finished the spectacular solo effort and regained Seattle’s two goal lead at 13:47.
Seattle has a dominant late-period shift at 4-on-4. It concludes with Matty Beniers doing some fancy o-zone skating, taking the puck straight to the blue paint, but getting denied by Lankinen.
In the dying moments, both teams have great scoring opportunities. Jared McCann bangs the crossbar. The other way, Daccord comes up big on David Kampf breaking in on goal. However, McCann is called for cross-checking Kampf as the horn sounds. Vancouver will start the 3rd on the power play.
3rd Period
Kraken investor and Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch is in the house, alongside Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke.
The Kraken kill McCann’s penalty. Soon after, Lankinen gets just enough of a Beniers blast on a 2-on-1.
Jacob Melanson (the DJ – he plays the hits) crushed O’Connor in the boards; a falling O’Connor actually busted open the door to the Canucks bench. That was Meanson’s 7th hit of the game.
A fine shift for Seattle’s Shane Wright. He backchecks to disrupt Vancouver in the defensive zone, skates up ice, takes a return pass, and fires off the far left post.
Eberle goes hard to the hoop on a Kraken power play – but it’s later determined to be last touched by Beniers – to make it 4-1 Kraken at 11:56.
Make it 28 career goals against the Canucks for the Kraken captain on an empty-netter at 17:00.
Up Next
After facing a pair of NHL cellar-dwellers (#31 St. Louis and #32 Vancouver), the Kraken significantly step up in class of opponent. Monday at CPA, the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes make their yearly visit to Seattle.