Jordan Eberle had two goals and an assist and Jared McCann added a goal and three assists as the host Seattle Kraken defeated the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Canucks 5-2 Thursday night.
Justin Schultz had a goal and an assist and Vince Dunn also tallied for the Kraken, who extended their point streak to four games (3-0-1). Goaltender Philipp Grubauer, making just his second start since suffering a lower-body injury Dec. 9, made 19 saves.
J.T. Miller and Sam Lafferty scored for the Canucks, who suffered their fourth consecutive defeat. Thatcher Demko stopped 26 of 30 shots.
The Kraken broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of goals 1:11 apart in the latter half of the second period.
Schultz broke the deadlock on a slap shot from the outside top of the right faceoff circle at 13:29 that beat Demko to the far post.
Eberle made it 4-2 at 14:40 after McCann found him in the low slot with a pass from behind the net. Demko stopped Eberle’s initial shot, but the veteran lifted the rebound over the goalie’s glove as he was sprawling to the ice.
Eberle added an empty netter at 17:51 of the third for the final margin.
The Canucks opened the scoring at 4:34 of the first. Brock Boeser’s shot from the left faceoff circle caromed off a defenseman’s skate and the end boards and bounced in front of the net to Miller, who jammed the puck past a stickless Grubauer.
The Kraken tied it at 13:22 on Dunn’s blast from the blue line that beat a screened Demko.
McCann gave Seattle a 2-1 lead on an unassisted power-play goal just 21 seconds into the second period. Canucks defenseman Ian Cole tried to clear the puck from below his own goal line, but the puck went straight to McCann in the slot and he spun and put a wrist shot into the upper right corner of the net.
Lafferty pulled Vancouver even at 4:57 of the period as Pius Suter’s shot from the top of the left faceoff circle took a double deflection off a defenseman and Lafferty’s torso as he drove toward the net.
It was the final regular-season meeting between the rivals. The Kraken won two of the three games.
–Field Level Media
