4/2/2025

(Vancouver, BC)

Joey Daccord saved all 24 shots he faced and Jared McCann accounted for three assists and five blocks in a 5-0 shutout win over the Vancouver Canucks. The Kraken win dents Vancouver’s diminishing playoff hopes as the regular season nears an end.

Seattle saw goals from Mikey Eyssimont, Chandler Stephenson, Shane Wright, Andre Burakovsky, and an empty net goal from Adam Larsson. Joey Daccord not only saved 24 shots, but his skaters in front of him blocked 24 shots.

“It’s tough to know exactly how many good saves [Joey] made, because we blocked so many shots”, Kraken Head Coach Dan Bylsma remarked postgame.

This game began the final road trip of the season for the Kraken and last road game in Canada. The Canucks came into the night trailing the Minnesota Wild by seven points for the final playoff spot in the West. Kraken forwards Jaden Schwartz and Eeli Tolvanen were unavailable for the game due to injury. Ryan Winterton and Tye Kartye filled the voids of the omitted forwards in the lineup. Vancouver started Thatcher Demko between the pipes, whereas Seattle started Daccord in net.

The road began bumpy for the Kraken, being forced to kill two minor penalties in the first seven minutes. After withholding the storm, Seattle was rewarded.

A turnover on a Vancouver breakout allowed Mikey Eyssimont to barrel left wing, and wrist a shot by Thatcher Demko. The goal at 16:42 was Eyssimont’s eighth of the season, and a sign of the value Seattle got in acquiring the forward. Coach Bylsma said of the goal, “I think tonight, maybe more so than ever, you can see his speed and his tenacity on the rush…the kind of goal he scored on the game winner is all his game, just work and tenacity on the back check, strips the puck, gets it back and then uses the speed wide to go in and get the goal.” Eyssimont’s physicality and speed trademark his time in Seattle, and it’s no surprise his goal was a testament to his play style. His goal was the only scoring in the opening 20 minutes.

Period number two saw choppy play from Seattle and Vancouver. Neither offense developed opportunities to set up their attack. Sustained offensive zone time seemed to be a foreign concept in the middle stanza. The two goals scored were near mirror images of each other. The first coming from Chandler Stephenson on a left winged shot that found the top right corner of the net. Stephenson’s goal was his first in nine games coming at 9:49. At 16:00, Shane Wright put on an encore. Jared McCann dropped the puck for Wright who zinged a left winged shot to the same top right corner. McCann helped on both of the second period goals for Seattle. The Kraken led 3-0 after 40 minutes.

Although he did not score, Jared McCann’s performance may have been his best of the season. His final assist of the evening came when he set up Andre Burakovsky on a brilliant pass at 8:55 of the third. McCann stickhandled down the lane, allowing the Vancouver rush to cave on him to open Burakovsky for a wide open net. Bylsma commended McCann saying, “Jared is known for his shot, but the play making ability has been there for us all year long.” His three assist came and five blocks exemplifies a workman like night at the office.

Adam Larsson buried an empty net goal 16:24 to salt the game away.

The 5-0 shutout win, marks only the second shutout of the season for Joey Daccord. Thatcher Demko made 14 saves in the loss.

With Minnesota earning a point at Madison Square Garden, the Canucks stand eight points out of a playoff spot. Vancouver has seven games left in the regular season.

Up Next: The Kraken continue their five game road trip beginning Saturday against the San Jose Sharks, with puck drop scheduled at 7pm.

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