Quinn Hughes notched a goal and two assists, setting a franchise record for points by a Vancouver defenseman, as the Canucks defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Tuesday night. Despite the victory, Vancouver was eliminated from playoff contention.
Dallas secured Vancouver’s playoff absence for a second consecutive year by edging out the Vegas Golden Knights in a 3-2 shootout win.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson contributed a goal and an assist for Vancouver, while Sheldon Dries, J.T. Miller, and Luke Schenn also found the net. Conor Garland added three assists. The Canucks played without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko, who was sidelined with what coach Bruce Boudreau described as a “little bit of an ouch.” Spencer Martin made 31 saves, earning his second NHL win.
Jordan Eberle and Connor Geekie scored during a penalty-filled second period for the Kraken. Joey Daccord recorded 22 saves, but Seattle suffered its third consecutive loss.
Hughes capped off his milestone night by scoring with four minutes remaining in the third period. Garland delivered a cross-slot pass to Hughes, who tapped it in for his eighth goal of the season, giving him a total of 66 points. This broke the previous franchise record of 63 points for a defenseman, set by Doug Lidster in the 1986-87 season. Hughes had already set a franchise record for assists by a defenseman with 56 earlier in the season.
The Canucks sealed their fourth goal of the night with a fortunate bounce. Daccord stopped a close-range shot from Matthew Highmore, but the puck bounced off his stick, looped over his head, and landed in the crease. Schenn knocked it over the goal line at 13:08 of the third period, extending the lead to 4-2.
Vancouver entered the first intermission with a 3-0 lead but struggled to maintain their advantage, as they were outshot 26-14 in the second and third periods.
The second period was particularly challenging for Vancouver due to penalties. The Canucks took five penalties, enduring three minutes and 42 seconds of five-on-three play.
Seattle narrowed the deficit to one goal at 9:12 of the second period. Riley Sheahan passed the puck to Geekie from the end boards, and Geekie lifted a shot over Martin’s glove to make it 3-2.
Seattle’s first goal came on the power play at 4:59 of the second period after Brad Richardson was penalized for tripping. Eberle scored his 20th goal of the season, firing a shot into the top corner.
Vancouver converted one of their three power-play opportunities, while Seattle went 1-for-8 with the man advantage.
Ekman-Larsson extended the Canucks’ lead to 3-0 with a power-play goal midway through the first period after Carson Soucy was penalized for cross-checking.
NOTES
Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn missed the game and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Kraken right-winger Daniel Sprong played in his 200th NHL regular-season game. The Canucks paid tribute to hockey legend Guy Lafleur, who passed away on Friday, with a video tribute before the game.
UP NEXT
Kraken: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Canucks: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
