Bo Horvat and Conor Garland weren’t about to let the Seattle Kraken’s home debut become a night of celebration.
Instead, they fueled the budding Pacific Northwest rivalry between Vancouver and Seattle by spoiling the Kraken’s party.
“It was loud. They got rockin’ there, especially when they scored,” Horvat said. “But I thought we did a great job keeping our composure and not letting it get to us and responding.”
Horvat scored his second goal of the game on a power play with 7:08 remaining, and Garland added a breakaway goal three minutes later as the Canucks handed the Kraken a 4-2 defeat in their first-ever home game on Saturday night.
Garland assisted Horvat’s first goal in the second period, then netted his third of the season to give Vancouver a 3-2 lead, dampening the festive atmosphere at Seattle’s new $1 billion arena.
Justin Dowling sealed the win for Vancouver with an empty-net goal in the final moments, sending disappointed Seattle fans to the exits. The victory capped a successful six-game road trip for the Canucks (3-2-1) to start the season.
“Everyone was excited about tonight,” Horvat said. “Playing in the first game here was exciting, and the fans were loud tonight. It made it that much easier to get up for this game.”
Vince Dunn scored the first goal at Climate Pledge Arena in the closing seconds of the first period, and Mark Giordano gave Seattle a 2-1 lead with his first goal of the season early in the third period. But the Kraken couldn’t hold onto a third-period lead for the second time in six games.
“It was electric in there, then we got the lead in the third, and it stings,” Giordano said. “There’s no other way to put it right now. It stinks to lose the way we did.”
Thatcher Demko was stellar in goal for Vancouver, making 29 saves and keeping the Canucks in the game during a second period where Seattle dominated play but couldn’t score.
Philipp Grubauer made 22 saves for Seattle.
“We had in my mind probably three or four Grade-A chances after it was 2-1, so I like that mentality out of our group,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “It didn’t work out tonight, but we’re not going to do anything other than look at the things we can fix and keep pushing on the areas we were pretty darn good in.”
Opening night in the newly reconstructed billion-dollar arena had been three years in the making and even longer for Seattle sports fans who have been waiting for a new winter sports team since the departure of the SuperSonics.
Fans lined up outside Climate Pledge Arena hours before puck drop, and most were in their seats for warmups. Kraken jerseys dominated the crowd, though some Canucks fans were also present for this first matchup in what could become a fierce rivalry.
Those in Seattle Blue had to wait until the final seconds of the first period to erupt. After a prolonged possession in the Vancouver zone, the puck cycled to Dunn, who flicked a wrist shot past Demko with 4.6 seconds left for the first goal in the new building.
But Demko was determined to prevent the night from turning into a celebration for Seattle. He was outstanding in the second period, particularly during a sequence where he stopped Calle Jarnkrok and, just a minute later, made a remarkable save on Mason Appleton’s breakaway attempt, reaching behind to keep the puck from crossing the goal line.
“It felt like it was two games in a way … and we found a way to win the game in the third,” Vancouver coach Travis Green said.
Game Notes
Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke announced before the game that the No. 32 would be retired in honor of the Kraken becoming the 32nd NHL franchise and the 32,000 season ticket deposits received in 2018 that helped secure the team. Garland has eight points in his first six games for Vancouver after being acquired in an offseason trade with Arizona. He’s the first player in franchise history to start his tenure with a season-opening, six-game point streak.
UP NEXT
- Vancouver: The Canucks begin a seven-game homestand on Tuesday night against Minnesota.
- Seattle: The Kraken host Montreal on Tuesday night.
