Seattle Kraken's Ryker Evans (41), Joshua Mahura (28) and Vancouver Canucks' Jake DeBrusk (74) vie for the puck during first period NHL hockey action in Vancouver on Saturday, December 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
VANCOUVER – For about 55 minutes, the Vancouver Canucks had control of the Seattle Kraken on Saturday afternoon. Then suddenly they didn’t.
Trailing 4-1 late in the third period, the Kraken stunned Vancouver by scoring three goals to tie the game. Then Vince Dunn scored his second of the night 2:15 into overtime to give Seattle a 5-4 win that snapped a five-game losing streak.
It was an epic collapse by the Canucks. It was the first time in franchise history, and only the third time in NHL history, that a team fought back for a win after facing a three-goal deficit in the final five minutes of regulation.
“It’s pretty devastating,” said Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk, who had a goal and an assist in his 500th NHL game. “We should never be losing that game, let alone letting it get to overtime.
“It just reinforces the focus we have to have no matter what the score is.”
The Canucks played without Norris Trophy winning defenceman Quinn Hughes, the team’s leading scorer, and centre Elias Pettersson, who were both out with undisclosed injuries.
Head coach Rick Tocchet didn’t provide details of the veteran players’ injuries other than saying their status was day to day. He expected other players to step into the void created by their absence.
“You are going to get guys playing more minutes now,” said Tocchet. “Guys that maybe might not be out there the last two or three minutes are getting opportunities. You’re looking for guys to embrace that.”
Jaden Schwartz scored third-period goals 3:55 apart for Seattle. Dunn’s first goal, with 1:21 remaining and Schwartz’s second, with just 50 seconds left, came with Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer on the bench for an extra attacker.
Tocchet said 55 minutes of solid play by the Canucks was erased in the game’s final minutes.
“We were in control,” he said. “We were good till that point. In that (last) five minutes, you can look at every goal. These are execution plays. I’m sure the guys are upset and pissed about it. You have to execute.”
Twice the Canucks had the puck on their stick with the Seattle net empty and didn’t score.
“I thought a couple guys could have skated with it a little longer,” said Tocchet.
A team usually solid facing an extra attacker late in the game gave up two goals.
“You have to protect the guts of the ice,” said Tocchet. “The guts of the ice were wide open. It can’t happen.”
Matty Beniers also scored for the Kraken (16-19-2). Grubauer stopped 25 shots.
Brock Boeser scored twice for Vancouver (17-10-8).
Conor Garland also scored his first goal in 13 games. Carson Soucy and J.T. Miller each had two assists.
Canuck goaltender Thatcher Demko stopped 16 shots.
The loss leaves Vancouver with just one win in the last five games (1-2-2).
“You’ve got to close out games,” said Garland. “No one is going away easy. Just disappointed to finish the game like that.”
Tocchet saw a lot of things he liked about the Canucks game.
“We can’t throw everything out in the water,” he said. “For the most part, the team played well.
“We needed a couple of composure plays. We didn’t get them.”
DeBrusk hopes his teammates remember the sting of the loss.
“It’s pretty hard to say anything good after it ends like that,” he said. “Take the lessons of how this feels and make sure it never happens again.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2024.
