Kraken score five unanswered to beat Canucks 5-2, on brink of playoff berth
VANCOUVER, CANADA - APRIL 4: Brandon Tanev #13 of the Seattle Kraken celebrates scoring a goal during the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on April 4, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The Seattle Kraken rallied from a two-goal deficit with five unanswered goals as they moved within reach of clinching a playoff berth with a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.
The Kraken can now clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night back in Seattle.
"It's a character win down the stretch here when there's not many games left and two points mean that much more," said Brandon Tanev, who had a short-handed goal in the second period.
Yanni Gourde, Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz and Matty Beniers all joined Tanev on the scoresheet for the Kraken as they won in Vancouver for the first time in four tries since joining the NHL last season.
Martin Jones made 16 saves on 18 shots in net for the Kraken.
"A lot of times when you do come out of the gates and you are playing the right way, even if you get into a little bit of a hole, you still have a chance to dig out," head coach Dave Hakstol said.
Seattle holds the tiebreaker over the Nashville Predators and would clinch a spot with a win over Arizona.
They could also clinch a spot with a Predators regulation loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night combined with a Calgary Flames loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night.
"We just gotta focus on those five games (remaining) and be ready for the playoffs," Gourde said. "Starting Thursday we've got a big game. Don't focus about the two points. Focus on what we can do to get our game better and get ready for playoffs."
The Kraken did seem a tad sluggish out of the gates on Tuesday night, which isn't a shock considering they'd played the prior night in Seattle. With the Kraken stuck in a lengthy shift on the ice, the Canucks held possession in the offensive zone and pressure built. Elias Pettersson found space in front of the Kraken net and redirected a pass from Andrei Kuzmenko behind him into the net behind Jones for a 1-0 Canucks lead.
A shot from center ice from Nils Aman was redirected off the end boards by Jones and straight to Conor Garland, who zipped a pass back across the crease to Anthony Beauvillier and a 2-0 Vancouver advantage.
Seattle got one back late in the period as Yanni Gourde's shot from the top of the right circle caught Collin Delia by surprise as it sped through the legs of Aman and over Delia's left pad for Gourde's 12th goal of the year.
"The goal at the end there by Gordo was huge," Eberle said.
The Kraken then found their legs and their game in the second period after surviving a pair of early penalties. A tripping on Vince Dunn and a high-sticking call on Alex Wennberg gave the Canucks a 5-on-3 chance. But instead of Vancouver extending the lead, the Kraken managed to tie the game.
A clearance attempt from Carson Soucy was unable to be held in the offensive zone by Garland as Brandon Tanev broke into open ice for a 2-on-1 with Jared McCann. Tanev ripped a shot through Delia on the blocker side to tie the game at 2-2.
"That was definitely a momentum swing for us," Eberle said. "And then obviously another big kill, the four-minute there in the third (on Wennberg's high-sticking double minor). Our kill has been doing a really good job and then chipping in offensively too, which you don't expect. So those are key moments in games where you're able to swing the momentum of the game and we've been able to do that."
The Kraken have been a top five team in the NHL since mid-January on the penalty kill at over 86 percent entering Tuesday night.
"Anybody who is on the other team's power play is a pretty good player that has a lot of skill and maybe can shoot the puck. So, you know, when you take away time and space from those players and make things difficult, the game becomes a little bit tougher and those are the circumstances that we want," Tanev said of the penalty kill.
Five minutes after Tanev's goal, Beniers managed to win the puck off Kyle Burroughs on the forecheck and it came free. Eberle collected the puck and fit the puck in the far side of the net to give Seattle its first lead of the night.
Beniers also had a fantastic effort to pressure J.T. Miller on a breakaway look in the second period as well.
"Exceptional for such a young guy," Eberle said of Beniers. "I know he wants to be a 200-foot player and that's not things you hear really too much out of a 20-year-old center and so he's wise beyond his years."
It was then time for the Canucks to get sloppy. Pettersson took an interference call as he impeded Morgan Geekie from exiting the defensive zone. It took just 40 seconds on the power play before a Daniel Sprong shot was tipped home by Jaden Schwartz for his 20th goal of the year and a 4-2 lead.
It's the fourth straight game with a power play goal for Seattle.
Seattle survived another Wennberg high-sticking penalty that led to a four-minute Vancouver power play. The Canucks didn't get a shot on net during the power play, though a Garland slap shot rung off the post.
Beniers then added his 22nd goal of the season on an empty net as Seattle moves to the brink of their first playoff berth in team history.
"A lot of guys playing some tough minutes for us, you know, especially on a back-to-back. Everybody got going there and it's a huge two points for our group," Tanev said.
Notes:
– Forward Oliver Bjorkstrand was not in the lineup on Tuesday night as he returned to Seattle. Bjorkstrand is expecting the birth of a new child and was replaced in the lineup by Jesper Froden.