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National Hockey League
Vancouver 4, Seattle 2
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 23, 2021
Where: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Referees: Kelly Sutherland, Ian Walsh
Linesmen: Ryan Gibbons, Vaughan Rody
Attendance: 17151

Conor Garland scored the tiebreaking goal at 15:58 of the third period, part of a late three-goal flurry, as the Vancouver Canucks defeated Seattle 4-2 Saturday night, spoiling the expansion Kraken's inaugural game at Climate Pledge Arena.

Bo Horvat scored twice for the Canucks, including tying it at 12:52 of the third. Justin Dowling added an empty-netter with 1:00 remaining. Goaltender Thatcher Demko made 29 saves.

Defensemen Vince Dunn and Mark Giordano scored for the Kraken. Goalie Philipp Grubauer stopped 22 of 25 shots.

Garland's winner came after the Kraken turned over the puck at Vancouver's blue line. Garland skated all the way down the right wing and put a wrist shot between Grubauer's pads.

Horvat tied the score at 2-all with a power-play goal. JT Miller dug the puck out of the corner and fed defenseman Quinn Hughes near the top of the faceoff circles. Hughes' shot was stopped by Grubauer, but Horvat was able to poke the rebound into an open net.

The Kraken took a 2-1 lead on Giordano's goal at 5:09 of the third. Jared McCann took a pass from Alex Wennberg and skated over the blue line before sending a pass to Giordano, who had jumped into the play. Giordano's wrist shot from the left faceoff circle snuck just inside the far post.

Dunn opened the scoring at 19:56 of the first period, taking a pass from fellow defenseman Adam Larsson at the point and skating to the top of the left faceoff circle before putting a shot into the upper right corner of the net.

The Canucks tied it at 1-1 at 11:09 of the second. Giordano, the Kraken captain, attempted to clear the puck up the boards from behind his own net but Garland was able to intercept it near the right point and fed Horvat, who was alone between the top of the faceoff circles. Horvat's low snap shot found its way between Grubauer's pads.

Seattle forward Calle Jarnkrok made his season debut after missing the first five games while in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Vancouver   Seattle
Bo Horvat 2 Points Vince Dunn 1
Bo Horvat 2 Goals Vince Dunn 1
J.T. Miller 2 Assists Joonas Donskoi 1
Bo Horvat 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Thatcher Demko .935 Save Percentage Philipp Grubauer .880
Thatcher Demko 29 Saves Philipp Grubauer 22
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Vancouver 26 4 1-4 2-2 4 36
Seattle 31 2 0-2 3-4 8 23
Upcoming Games
  • Seattle will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Kraken have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .250 after a loss.
  • Vancouver will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Canucks have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.