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Kraken Miracle Part Deux: Dunn Final Minute Goal Forces OT But Canucks Win In Shootout, 4-3

Posted on by Glenn Dreyfuss
@Jennthulhu_Photos

Strip away all the line-matching and fancy stats and injuries and hot streaks and tides of the Moon, and the recipe for success for the Seattle Kraken this season becomes remarkably simple.

Score three or more goals.

When the Kraken light the lamp at least three times, their record is 16-2-1. Captain Obvious would chime in, “Duh, score more, win more.” Not so fast. Thursday’s Seattle opponent at Climate Pledge Arena, the Vancouver Canucks, have lost nine times so far despite scoring 3+ goals in those games. The last of those times was Dec. 28, when an epic four-score comeback lifted the Kraken over the Canucks 5-4 in overtime.

The Kraken repeated the 3rd period script, using goals by Matty Beniers – who’s scored in three straight games – and Vince Dunn with 53 seconds left to erase a Vancouver 3-1 lead. A fast-paced OT didn’t resolve matters, but a 1-0 shootout in Vancouver’s favor did, 4-3 the final.

1st Period

The Canucks were unusually blunt about losing a 4-1 lead in the final five minutes to the Kraken in the teams’ last meeting. “Devastating,” Jake DeBrusk described it, while coach Rick Tocchet allowed, “This one hurt.”

Like that game, Vancouver tonight is without both of its top defensive pair, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek. Star forward Elias Pettersson also is missing his second meeting against Seattle. Seattle will be without captain Jordan Eberle well into February, and goalie Joey Daccord is again scratched nursing bumps and bruises.

The Kraken dominate the first two minutes, culminating in Chandler Stephenson’s rising wrister leaking through Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko. If the Canucks are fragile right now, certainly possible, this won’t help.

Demko isn’t fragile, based on fantastic stops on Jaden Schwartz cutting through the slot, and Oliver Bjorkstrand on a semi-breakaway. At the other end, Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer has faced, and stopped, one Vancouver shot in the first 11 minutes.

Excellent communication between d-pair Ryker Evans and Josh Mahura prevents Vancouver from getting a scoring chance on what appeared at first to be a dangerous rush.

Vancouver equalizes after what seemed an overly zealous intentional offside call against Seattle. The ruling meant the faceoff would be deep in the Kraken end instead of the neutral zone. The Canucks win the draw, and Max Sasson converts a pinball bounce at 13:17.

Brandon Montour decks Dakota Joshua following a whistle. Both are still on the ice when play resumes. Joshua decks Montour. The referees, having seen enough, send both off for matching roughing minors.

In short order, Demko makes a nifty pad save on Montour and a niftier glove save on Eeli Tolvanen.

A late Kraken power play doesn’t unknot the score. A Canucks power play will extend into the 2nd period, thanks to a pair of quality Grubauer saves. Shots in the 1st favor Seattle 9-6.

2nd Period

Seattle begins with 1:15 of Andre Burakovsky’s hooking penalty remaining to kill. The Canucks, missing their power play quarterback Hughes, don’t make much happen.

Unimportant but humorous: both Jared McCann and Stephenson overskate the puck in open ice in the Canucks end. Important but not score-changing: Vancouver’s Noah Juulsen hits the post; Seattle’s Bjorkstrand, sprung by Shane Wright, loses his balance and fires into Demko.

When it’s Vancouver’s turn for a breakaway, Connor Garland makes easy work of Grubauer to give the visitors their first lead at 7:49.

It’s not unusual to see a goalie change after a goal – it is when the change is made by the team that scored. The unsuspecting culprit was teammate Noah Juulsen, who collided with his netminder. Demko heads down the tunnel in favor of backup netminder Kevin Lankinen.

More pins than a cork board: the Canucks proceed to pin the Kraken in their zone on consecutive loooooong shifts. After three failed clears, the Kraken do get the puck to center ice, but not long enough for a complete change. Defenseman Adam Larsson’s four-minute shift is mercifully over when Seattle finally gets Lankinen to make a routine glove save for a whistle. Grubauer bailed out his teammates during the sequence with five saves, ranging from good to spectacular.

If the Kraken rally to win, “pin” that Grubauer game-saving sequence.

3rd Period

Dating back to January, 2023, Seattle has won five of the last six meetings with Vancouver. The Canucks have also won just three of their last 10 games, although four of their losses came after regulation.

The climb up comeback hill gets steeper at 5:35. Tyler Myers draws an enthusiastic roar from the Canucks contingent in the CPA stands when he walks in from the point and blasts a shot by Grubauer. A visibly frustrated Larsson smashes his stick into the left post.

The Kraken’s future teams up to draw the home team within 3-2 on the power play at 9:05. Shane Wright takes a pass from Montour behind the goal line, immediately passing to Matty Beniers in the bumper position. Like Wright, Beniers keeps the puck on his blade for only a fraction of a second before wiring his 7th goal past Lankinen.

Seattle gets the tie with Grubauer pulled in the final minute (where have we heard this before?). Vince Dunn scores at 19;07 to tie the game 3-3 and force overtime.

Overtime

In an overtime full of scoring chances but only one SOG for each side, Andre Burakovsky made the defensive play of OT. With his goalie down and out, Burakovsky gently dug a puck out of the crease and cradled it safely behind his own net.

In the shootout for Seattle, Bjorkstrand fired wide, Kappo Kakko slid his shot wide, and Matty Beniers 5-hole attempt didn’t find space between Lankinen’s pads.

For Vancouver, J.T. Miller beat Grubauer glove side for the only goal of the shootout. Grubauer made a glove save on Jake DeBrusk.

Up Next

Seattle is halfway through a four-game homestand, with dates remaining against Edmonton on Saturday and New Jersey on Monday. Remember that in between those two, the PWHL takes to the Climate Pledge Arena ice for a Sunday 1 pm contest between Montreal and Boston.

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