Quinn Hughes scored a goal and added two assists, setting a franchise record for points by a Vancouver defenseman, as the Canucks defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Tuesday night. However, the Canucks were eliminated from playoff contention.
The Dallas Stars ensured Vancouver would miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored a goal and an assist for Vancouver, while Sheldon Dries, J.T. Miller, and Luke Schenn scored. Conor Garland contributed three assists. The Canucks played without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko, who coach Bruce Boudreau said had a “little bit of an ouch.” Spencer Martin made 31 saves for his second NHL win.
Jordan Eberle and Morgan Geekie scored for the Kraken in a penalty-filled second period. Joey Daccord made 22 saves for Seattle, which lost its third straight game.
Hughes capped his milestone night with a goal four minutes into the third period. Garland passed across the slot to Hughes, who tapped it in for his eighth goal of the season and 66th point.
Hughes has 64 points, surpassing the record set by Doug Lidster in the 1986-87 season. Hughes also set a franchise record for assists by a defenseman with 56 on Saturday.
A fortunate bounce helped the Canucks score their fourth goal of the night. Daccord stopped a close-range shot from Matthew Highmore, but the puck bounced off his stick, over his head, and landed in the crease. Schenn knocked it over the goal line at 13:08 of the third to make it 4-2.
Vancouver took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission but struggled to maintain it. The Canucks were outshot 26-14 in the second and third periods.
Penalties disrupted the Canucks’ game in the second period, as they were called for five infractions and had to endure three minutes and 42 seconds of five-on-three play.
The Kraken cut the deficit to one goal at 9:12 of the second. Riley Sheahan passed the puck to Geekie, who sent a shot over Martin’s glove to make it 3-2.
Seattle got on the board with a power-play goal at 4:59 of the second period after Brad Richardson was called for tripping. Eberle sent a shot into the top corner for his 20th goal in a Kraken jersey.
Vancouver went 1 for 3 on the power play, while Seattle went 1 for 8.
Ekman-Larsson gave the Canucks a 3-0 lead with a power-play goal midway through the first period after Carson Soucy was called 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 his 200th NHL regular-season game. The Canucks played their first game in Vancouver since the death of Guy Lafleur on Friday and honored the hockey legend with a video tribute.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
- Canucks: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
