Tyler Motte and his linemates have earned the trust of Vancouver Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau, and they’re converting that trust into confidence and points on the ice.
Motte contributed a goal and an assist as the Canucks defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Monday night.
Motte’s linemate, Juho Lammikko, added two assists, and Matthew Highmore chipped in with another assist, showcasing the productivity of Vancouver’s fourth line.
“When we’re playing with confidence and rolling, it’s a good feeling,” Motte said. “We play a simple, hard, and fast game, creating turnovers and generating offense. But we also focus on our defensive responsibilities, ensuring we don’t give much away.”
Coach Boudreau praised the trio for their responsiveness and work ethic.
“They do exactly what you ask of them, and they can all skate,” Boudreau said. “They’re constantly pressuring the puck, and now they’re scoring goals, which makes them even more valuable.”
Travis Hamonic, Vasily Podkolzin, Bo Horvat, and Tanner Pearson also scored for the Canucks. Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller each had two assists.
Jared McCann, playing in his 400th NHL game, and Mark Giordano scored for the Kraken, who have now lost four straight games.
Vancouver, coming off a 7-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, has a 6-3-1 record over its last 10 games.
Thatcher Demko made 25 saves for the Canucks, while Kraken goalie Chris Driedger faced a season-high 46 shots, stopping 41 of them.
Pearson sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 1:32 left, prompting chants of “Bruce, there it is!” from the Vancouver crowd in honor of coach Bruce Boudreau.
Seattle had a late opportunity to close the gap when Vancouver’s Matthew Highmore was penalized for interference, but the best chance of the power play came from the Canucks. Motte intercepted a pass and set up a two-on-one break with J.T. Miller, but Driedger denied Miller’s shot with a pad save.
The Canucks started the third period with a power play after Alex Wennberg was called for slashing late in the second. Horvat scored just 35 seconds into the period, taking a pass from Miller and firing a shot past Driedger to give Vancouver a 4-2 lead.
“The goal early in the third, that’s one we needed to kill,” said Kraken coach Dave Hakstol. “It’s a big difference between a one-goal game and a two-goal game, making it a steeper hill to climb. We had some good energy in the third, but we couldn’t return it to a one-goal game.”
Vancouver capitalized on one of their four power plays, while Seattle failed to score on four opportunities.
The Canucks dominated the second period, outshooting the Kraken 18-4.
Podkolzin restored Vancouver’s lead at 3-2 with 3:19 left in the second period, knocking in a loose puck after Quinn Hughes’ shot hit a defender in front of the net.
Earlier in the period, Hamonic scored his first goal of the season and the 200th point of his NHL career, tying the game at 2-2 with a shot that squeezed between Driedger and the post.
Driedger acknowledged that the second period wasn’t the Kraken’s best.
“They just outworked us out there,” he said. “We had a decent first period and responded well after the first goal, but we couldn’t sustain it. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an answer in the second.”
Seattle had taken a 2-1 lead into the first intermission thanks to a short-handed goal from Giordano, who intercepted a pass and scored on a breakaway.
Coach Boudreau started Motte and his linemates to set a strong tone from the opening faceoff.
“They all skate well, and I knew if we won the draw and got the puck deep, they’d pressure it hard, which is something we hadn’t been doing in recent games,” Boudreau said.
Vancouver scored just 11 seconds into the game when Lammikko set up Motte for his sixth goal of the season, the fastest goal scored in the NHL this season.
The Kraken tied it at 1-1 just over three minutes later when Marcus Johansson set up McCann for an easy tap-in goal on a two-on-one break.
Game Notes
Miller extended his point streak to four games, with seven points (two goals, five assists) during that span. … Giordano leads all active NHL defensemen with 11 career short-handed goals. … Vancouver recalled defenseman Madison Bowey from the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL on Monday. … This was the Kraken’s first regular-season game in Vancouver.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night to begin a two-game homestand.
- Canucks: Host Calgary on Thursday night to conclude a three-game homestand.
