Kraken close out Canucks with four unanswered for 6-3 win

Kate Shefte, The Seattle Times on Mar 2, 2025

Published in Hockey

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SEATTLE — Kraken 6, Canucks 3 at Climate Pledge Arena

Notable: Matty Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen (two goals) stopped the trend of barely hanging with Vancouver on the scoreboard. Those two forwards scored exactly a minute apart midway through the second period, then defenseman Brandon Montour added an exclamation point on Saturday night. Joey Daccord made 28 saves.

The Canucks needed this one more, as they had a tenuous hold on the last playoff spot in the West. They dropped their fourth of five games coming out of the 4 Nations break, opening the door to the three teams — Calgary, St. Louis and Utah — right behind them. They also lost captain Quinn Hughes to injury.

On the game’s first goal, Seattle’s Shane Wright brought the puck into the Canucks’ zone and tapped a well-placed, last-second pass to Andre Burakovsky, who scored his sixth goal of the season.

Wright earned another assist on Oliver Bjorkstrand tip-in, which tied the game at 2. Bjorkstrand’s stick blade shot out to meet the incoming puck and toughen up Montour’s point shot. Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (18 saves) had no chance.

The Kraken allowed their third shorthanded goal of the season — a number still among the league’s best — to Dakota Joshua. A bad turnover led to a 2-on-1 the other way. Then came the four unanswered Seattle goals, including Tolvanen’s empty netter.

Quotable:“He’s gotta learn to shoot it harder. That was a muffin he shot.” — Kraken coach Dan Bylsma on what it will take for Daccord to get an empty netter. Daccord tried again Saturday.

Player of the game: Montour (one goal, one assist). Honorable mention to Jordan Eberle, who assisted on Montour’s goal for his first point since missing 40 games because of injury.

Goal of the game: Tolvanen’s tip of Ryker Evans’ shot, which made it 4-3 Kraken, changed the tone of the game with 6:52 left in the second period.

On tap: The Kraken host beloved, retiring goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday before heading back out on the road. The trade deadline is Friday at noon.