The Seattle Kraken wrapped up a pretty successful 4–2 preseason against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday on a high note. Goalie Philipp Grubauer had a 38-save shutout and defenseman Vince Dunn had two goals en route to a convincing 4–0 win.
Vancouver was without several of their big names in their lineup. Brock Boeser, Travis Hamonic, Quinn Hughes, Conor Garland, Elias Pettersson and Brandon Sutter all sat this game out.
Despite the 15–8 shot totals in favor of Vancouver and the several goal posts that were hit, neither team was able to break the scoreless tie in the first period. The Canucks were unsuccessful on their lone power play opportunities, while the Kraken were 0–2 on the power play in the frame, including a double-minor high sticking call just a minute and a half into the contest.
The second period became the Vince Dunn show, as the defenseman scored two goals less than three minutes apart, giving the Kraken all the scoring they would need. Dunn’s first goal was on the power play, with Jack Rathbone in the penalty box, on a one-time feed from Calle Jarnkrok, which beat Thatcher Demko high to the glove side.
Just a few minutes later, Dunn swerved in behind a weaving Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz, who fed the trailing defenseman with a nice pass and a solid look at the net. Dunn snapped another shot past Demko, giving the visitors a 2–0 lead. Later in the period, Ryan Donato cleaned up a Jarnkrok rebound on the power play to give the Kraken a 3–0 heading into the second intermission.
Nathan Bastian put the exclamation point on the game late in the third period with a last-minute goal to send the Kraken home to Seattle with another huge win, this time 4–0, against their rivals over the border.
Anchor points
⚓ Philipp Grubauer was completely dialed in. There was no wasted effort in his performance, and he was in perfect position for just about every shot he faced. If this team is going to be a contender, Grubauer will need to continue to be one of their best players night in and night out.
⚓ Speaking of best players, Vince Dunn will be counted on heavily by head coach Dave Hakstol. If this is any indication of how he will be running the power play, the Kraken will be dangerous. With three goals in the preseason, Dunn looks like he will be in a race with McCann for the biggest breakout player on the team.
⚓ It would have been easy to brush off the Ryan Donato signing, but he has become another very useful player for Hakstol. He is not the type of player to “wow” you with highlight-reel plays, but he will go to the dirty areas and come out with the puck more often than not. His goal was nothing pretty, but it all looks the same on the scoresheet and will be crucial for the Kraken power play. He made the most of his 14:54 of ice time, getting five shots on net, four hits and the aforementioned power play tally.
⚓ One area where Seattle dominated was the face-off dots. Kraken centers won 59% of their draws.
⚓ The Kraken are off for the next week while they transition to regular-season mode. They faceoff Tuesday, Oct. 12, for the season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT.