Play In Pre-Season Game Not Reflected In Seattle 28-17 Shot Dominance
All that really matters from Thursday night's Seattle Kraken pre-season home game against Vancouver is that winger Andre Burakovsky returned to game action for the first time since tearing his groin last February.
Many of Burakovsky's teammates disappeared for long stretches in Seattle's often listless 3-1 victory over the Canucks at Climate Pledge Arena.
Eeli Tolvanen rescued the Kraken with a pair of third period goals, the first early, on the power play.
Late in the game, Tolvanen's sweet finish converted a tic-tac-toe passing play from Yanni Gourde to Oliver Bjorkstrand.
The Kraken honor roll also includes goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who rebounded from a two-goals-on-six-shots performance over 20 minutes against Calgary Monday night.
Grubauer had to be especially sharp in the middle frame, when the Kraken were sloppier than a spaghetti lunch at a daycare center. One of their many turnovers was converted by Vancouver's Connor Garland to create a 1-1 tie.
The Kraken had broken in front at 9:25 on hard work by a pair of Kraken prospects. Shane Wright fed a backhand pass to Jacob Melanson, who beat Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko.
The Canucks' number one netminder played the entire game. Joey Daccord replaced Grubauer in the Seattle net to begin the third period.
Daccord was sharpest in the game's final minute, rejecting Canucks chaos around his net after Vancouver had pulled Demko for a sixth attacker.