McCann, Eberle lead way as Kraken beat Canucks 5-2, extending Vancouver’s skid to 4
By Cameron Van Til, The Associated Press on February 22, 2024.
SEATTLE (AP) – Jared McCann had a goal and three assists, Jordan Eberle added two goals and an assist and the Seattle Kraken beat NHL-leading Vancouver 5-2 on Thursday night, handing the Canucks their fourth straight loss. Vince Dunn and Justin Schultz also scored for Seattle, which took the season series against their Pacific Northwest rival and is 3-0-1 since a 2-7-1 skid. Philipp Grubauer made 19 saves in his first home start and second overall since suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 9. J.T. Miller and Sam Lafferty scored for Vancouver, which is 3-5-1 since a 12-game point streak. Thatcher Demko made 26 saves. The Canucks fell into a tie with Boston – which lost to Calgary 3-2 in overtime on Thursday – atop the NHL standings at 80 points. Prior to their current four-game skid, they hadn’t lost more than two straight all season. Vancouver went scoreless on all four power-play opportunities. They are 1 of 28 on power plays over their past nine games. Miller opened the scoring 4:34 into the first period, when he poked in a loose puck after Grubauer lost his stick behind the net. It was Miller’s 29th goal of the season and fifth in his past three games. Dunn tied it at 13:22 of the first, one-timing a slap shot from the point. McCann, who has 11 goals and 11 assists in his past 15 games, gave Seattle a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal 20 seconds into the second. He snagged the puck off a clearance attempt and fired his team-leading 25th into the upper-right corner. Vancouver tied it 2-2 at 4:57 when Pius Suter’s shot pinballed into the net off Schultz’s skate and Lafferty’s shoulder. Seattle regained the lead when Schultz fired a slap shot from the right point at 13:28 of the second. Eberle gave Seattle a 4-2 lead just 1:11 later, burying his own rebound after a nice pass from McCann behind the net. Eberle, who has eight goals in his past 15 games after just four in his first 37, added an empty-netter. UP NEXT Canucks: Host Boston on Saturday to begin a three-game homestand. Kraken: Host Minnesota on Saturday night. __ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl 17-16
