Eberle scores twice for Kraken in win against Canucks

Jordan Eberle had two goals and an assist for the Seattle Kraken in a 5-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Saturday.

Chandler Stephenson had a goal and two assists, Vince Dunn scored in his 600th NHL game and Joey Daccord made 27 saves for the Kraken (28-22-9), who had lost back-to-back road games coming out of the Olympic break. Seattle improved to 6-3-0 in its past nine games.

“That was a big win for us,” Eberle said. “We obviously came a little bit sluggish out of the break, tough back-to-back, but came home here and played well so it was a big win.”

Seattle lost at the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues by a combined score of 9-2 and was outshot 64-43 in those first two games after the break. But against the Canucks, the Kraken looked more like the team that won five of the previous six games prior to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

“We were moving, winning battles, seeing plays, making plays, shooting the puck,” Stephenson said. “That's how we were playing before the break. It’s how we want to play, and we're just looking to get back to that.” 

Liam Ohgren scored and Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves for the Canucks (18-34-7), who have lost five in a row and have two wins in their past 21 games (2-15-4).

“We had a couple mistakes early that they capitalized on. We know we can't do that, but we did," coach Adam Foote said. “We were around and it was closer than the score.”

Dunn put Seattle ahead 1-0 at 7:36 of the first period with a wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle that went past Lankinen’s glove after Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz made contact with it as he skated past the goalie outside the top of the crease.

Seattle went up 2-0 at 10:20 after a similar shot from Adam Larsson hit Canucks defenseman Marcus Pettersson at the left edge of the crease and bounced to the right to Stephenson, who had an open net with Lankinen looking to his left for the loose puck.

“Getting shots and people to the net, we did a pretty good job of getting two quick,” Dunn said.

Ohgren pulled the Canucks to within 2-1 at 8:28 of the second period by one-timing a cross-ice pass that bounced off the boards to him at the top of the left face-off circle. The shot went between the pads of Daccord, who seemed distracted by Teddy Blueger to his left atop the crease.

"I think we played a pretty good game overall,” Ohgren said. "A few mistakes but I think we were in it pretty much the whole game."

Eberle made it 3-1 on a breakaway that started by blocking an Elias Nils Pettersson point shot at the other end and finished with a quick deke to his backhand and a shot over the pad at 13:47.

“A little bit lucky, it went under his blocker, but I'll take it,” Eberle said. “It was a big goal in the moment. They were kind of pushing a little bit and that kind of sealed it a bit.”

It was a big momentum swing for the Canucks too. 

“Second period we had under control and we had a shot blocked and they went down and got a breakaway and put one in,” Foote said. “We deserved more that period but it didn't happen.”

Eberle set up Matty Beniers’ power-play goal at 11:56 of the third period to make it 4-1, taking a pass on the goal line, skating out and across the top of the crease before beating Lankinen to the far post with a low shot that glanced off the skate of Beniers on its way into the net.

The goal was originally credited to Eberle but changed shortly after he scored again into an empty net at 17:00 for the 5-1 final, giving him 28 career goals and 51 points in 57 games against the Canucks, his most goals against any opponent.

“I'm sure if you ask a lot of guys, there's some teams the puck seems to go in for,” Eberle said. 

Canucks top center and leading scorer Elias Pettersson was benched for the final 9:47, including a lengthy 6-on-5 after Lankinen was pulled for an extra attacker with 5:23 left in the third. 

“He's got to be better and he knows that. He's aware of that,” Foote said of Pettersson. “He's got to play with more zip, like with more pace to his game, more engaged, and good things will happen when he gets his motor going, and he's aware of it. So, I'm sure we'll see it next game.”

NOTES: Stephenson has 20 multipoint games since signing with Seattle on July 1, 2024, second to Jared McCann’s 21 on the Kraken in that time. … It was Eberle’s 11th multigoal game with the Kraken, trailing only McCann (12) for the most in team history. It was his 10th three-point game with Seattle, which is also second to McCann (14) in team history. … Larsson’s assist was his 200th in the NHL in his 989th game. … Vancouver held defenseman Tyler Myers out of the lineup a second straight game for “roster management purposes” amid reports of a possible trade.