The big question heading into today’s matinée affair with the Kraken was undoubtedly how the Canucks would fair without Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson.
This game was tight-checking to start. In other words, it was boring. Neither side could generate much, plays died in the neutral zone, and it took five minutes for there to even be a shot on goal.
Vincent Desharnais brought some action to the game when he got caught flat-footed in the neutral zone and nearly gave up a breakaway chance early on. Thankfully, Erik Brännström was quick to react and come over to bail Desharnais out.
Kiefer Sherwood was throwing the body early (because of course he was), but aside from the gaffe and the Sherwood hits, the first ten minutes of this game didn’t have very much to it.
Through 12 minutes of play, there were just four shots on goal, and Thatcher Demko had to be sharp after a couple defensive breakdowns in front of him.
The biggest breakdown came from a Noah Juulsen miscue that led to a 3-on-1 with JT Miller as the only Canuck back. Demko was brilliant on the play, and this was hands down the only noteworthy highlight of the first period to that point.
Max Sasson drew a penalty with four minutes to go in the first when Shane Wright got his stick into Sasson’s midsection as Sasson tried to drive to the middle of the ice.
This was our first chance to see Erik Brännström at the point on the Canucks’ power play, and although he didn’t get a point on the goal, Brännström slid the puck to Miller, who rifled a pass to Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk then let go of a shot that Philip Grubauer got a big chunk of the puck, which fluttered up into the air. Brock Boeser battled for body position in front, and was ready to bury the loose puck to make it 1-0 Canucks.
Carson Soucy took an interference penalty late in the period, but the dreadful Seattle power play struggled to even get set up. The Canucks entered the second period up by a goal.
Matty Beniers got Seattle on the board when he ripped a shot from the point that somehow ate up the typically surehanded Thatcher Demko.