12/28/2024
(Vancouver, BC)
The Seattle Kraken came into Vancouver on the verge of a six game losing streak. The indicators were plentiful, a 4-1 deficit with five minutes seemed to be fitting for Seattle to chalk up another defeat. But the efforts of Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn, pulled Seattle from the dead to a 5-4 stunning overtime victory over Vancouver.
The Kraken came into this game with Joey Daccord out of the lineup after a lower body injury the previous weekend against Colorado. Vancouver was without defenseman Quinn Hughes and forward Elias Petterson due to injury. The Kraken started Philipp Grubauer in net while Vancouver had Thatcher Demko in goal.
The Canucks scored on a Jake DeBrusk goal late in the first period at 16:08 to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Shot volume was hard to come by in the first with shots and goal even at 6-6 after one.
Matty Beniers 1:18 into the 2nd scored a much needed goal to tie the game. For Beniers, it was his first goal since Nov 14th against Chicago. Vancouver answered the Beniers goal with two of their own, the first from Conor Garland and the second goal from Brock Boeser. Vancouver led at the second intermission 3-1.
The fourth period showed no signs of Vancouver stopping. Jake DeBrusk notched his second goal of the game to put Vancouver up 4-1 in the 3rd at 3:09. Dakota Joshua 20 seconds later scored again for Vancouver, but the goal was waved off after review for being batted into the net.
Jaden Schwartz sneaked a shot off a Vancouver defender at 15:15 to trim the Vancouver lead to 4-2. The Kraken pulled their goaltender Philipp Grubauer and were rewarded when Vince Dunn put the Kraken down 1, with 72 seconds left. Jaden Schwartz crashed the net moments later and scored the game tying goal to tie the game with 50 ticks remaining. For Schwartz, the goal was his 500th point of his NHL career.
In the 3 on 3 overtime, Vancouver broke out on a 3-1 on, but a misfired pass set the stage for Vince Dunn to ride in on a breakaway. The defenseman went top shelf and the Kraken had snagged victory out of the fangs of defeat. The 5-4 overtime win, snaps a 5 game winless streak for Seattle.
Philipp Grubauer earned the win making 18 of 22 saves, Thatcher Demko was dealt the loss making 24 of 29 saves.
The win marks only the third time in NHL history a team has rallied down three goal in the final five minutes to come back and win. The first in 2014 when the Montreal Canadiens rallied down 4-1 to defeat the Ottawa Senators and the second time came this year when San Jose rallied to beat the Utah Hockey Club also trailing 4-1.
Coach Dan Byslma about the win said, “Just the way we came back, time was dwindling down, but the effort should build a lot of confidence in the guys.”
Up Next: The Kraken host the Utah Hockey Club for the first time in franchise history. Puck drop is scheduled for a rare 5pm Monday start time.
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