Matty Beniers, Kraken slip past Canucks in shootout
Matty Beniers scored the lone shootout goal to end the third and final round as the Seattle Kraken defeated the host Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Friday.
Seattle won for the first time in five shootouts this season while the Canucks dropped to 4-1 in those situations.
Cale Fleury, Chandler Stephenson and Ben Meyers scored in regulation for the Kraken, who improved to 6-0-1 in their past seven games. Goaltender Joey Daccord made 20 saves through regulation and overtime and stopped all three of Vancouver's shootout attempts.
Jake DeBrusk had a goal and two assists for the Canucks, who dropped their fifth straight home game (0-4-1). Vancouver's Kiefer Sherwood and Linus Karlsson also tallied, and Thatcher Demko stopped 25 of 28 shots.
The Kraken's Vince Dunn appeared to score the winner with 2:15 left in overtime, but rookie Berkly Catton was called for interference on the play. The Kraken killed off the ensuing power play to send the game to a shootout.
Karlsson scored the tying goal at 6:15 of the third period, backhanding a rebound past Daccord. Karlsson signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract extension earlier in the day.
The Kraken opened the scoring on Fleury's slap shot from along the boards at the top of the right faceoff circle at 17:34 of the first past a screened Demko. It was the little-used defenseman's first goal since his rookie season with Montreal on Nov. 16, 2019.
The Kraken made it 2-0 on Stephenson's power-play goal at 8:53 of the second. The Canucks misfired on a 2-on-0 short-handed rush, and Jared McCann took the puck the other way. He left a drop pass for Jordan Eberle, who weaved through the high slot and found Stephenson for a one-timer from the right faceoff circle.
Sherwood pulled the Canucks within 2-1, scoring on a rebound with a man advantage at 13:06.
The Kraken restored their two-goal lead at 18:13 of the middle frame. Meyers tipped the puck past Demko from the top of the crease off Ryan Winterton's centering pass from the right corner.
The Canucks converted again on the power play at 19:22 of the second. Brock Boeser fired a pass from the left corner across the top of the crease for a DeBrusk tip-in. DeBrusk, who was a healthy scratch when the rivals met Monday in Seattle, had just one goal in his previous 17 games.