The Seattle Kraken returned to home ice Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena with a sense of urgency and a bit of pent-up frustration, and it showed. After a sluggish return from the Olympic break that saw them swept in back-to-back games, the Kraken roared back with a 5-1 victory over the struggling Vancouver Canucks, snapping their two-game skid and giving the home crowd something to cheer about—well, almost. Fans tossed hats onto the ice in anticipation of a Jordan Eberle hat trick, but the official scorers had other ideas. For the second time in as many months, the hat toss was for naught, as Eberle’s apparent third goal was reassigned to teammate Matty Beniers after a video review.
“I don’t know what’s happening here,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said with a bemused grin. “But there’s a lot of hats that went for naught in two games here.” The coach’s comment captured the bizarre sense of déjà vu that’s taken hold in Seattle, where fans have now seen two hat tricks overturned inside a month—first Jared McCann’s in January, now Eberle’s in February. Still, there was plenty to celebrate as the Kraken put on one of their most complete performances of the season against a Canucks team mired at the bottom of the standings.
The Kraken wasted no time setting the tone. Vince Dunn, playing in his 600th NHL game, opened the scoring just 7:36 into the first period. Taking a crisp pass from Chandler Stephenson, Dunn fired a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle that sailed past a screened Kevin Lankinen. The Canucks didn’t challenge for goaltender interference, though they may have had a case. Stephenson doubled the lead less than three minutes later, pouncing on a loose puck after Adam Larsson’s point shot deflected off Vancouver’s Marcus Pettersson. Lankinen spun in circles looking for the puck, but Stephenson knew exactly where it was and swiped it into the open net.
“In my mind, we were all business,” Lambert said, underscoring the team’s focused approach after a rough week. The Kraken had dropped a 4-1 decision to Dallas and a 5-1 game to St. Louis in the days prior, uncharacteristically letting games get away from them. Saturday, they made sure not to repeat those mistakes.
The Canucks, meanwhile, have found little to celebrate lately. Liam Ohgren got Vancouver on the board at 8:28 of the second period, taking advantage of a partial Kraken line change. Before Seattle goaltender Joey Daccord could reset, Ohgren’s slap shot wiggled under his skate and into the net. That cut the Kraken’s lead in half, but it wouldn’t last long.
Jordan Eberle, Seattle’s captain and team leader in goals (22) and points (41), restored the two-goal cushion less than six minutes later. He blocked a shot from Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson (the younger of two players with that name), then tore down the ice on a breakaway. Eberle made no mistake, beating Lankinen stick side with a deft backhander. The crowd erupted, sensing the momentum shift and perhaps anticipating more magic from the captain.
The third period brought the night’s most controversial moment. On a Kraken power play, Eberle appeared to tap in his third goal of the night, sending hats flying onto the ice in celebration of his second career Kraken hat trick. But after a video review, the goal was credited to Matty Beniers, as Eberle’s stuff shot had glanced off Beniers’ skate. The in-arena announcement came too late for the hats, and fans groaned at the now-familiar twist of fate. “I felt bad for the fans,” Eberle said with a chuckle. “I think we owe the fans some hats.”
Eberle would get another chance at the milestone. With the Canucks’ net empty late in the third, he fired a shot from distance that found the back of the net—no review necessary this time. But with the official scorer having already reassigned his earlier goal, Eberle finished with two goals and an assist on the night, not the hat trick the crowd had hoped for.
Joey Daccord, who made 27 saves, nearly joined the scoring fun himself. With the Canucks’ net empty, Daccord launched a long shot from near his crease that missed the goalpost by a foot or so. The crowd gasped, and Daccord grinned as he skated back to his net. “He was probably as close as he’s ever come to scoring his much-desired NHL empty netter,” noted Field Level Media.
Saturday’s win was crucial for the Kraken’s playoff hopes. Seattle entered the night clinging to the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference by a single point, with Nashville and Los Angeles hot on their heels and San Jose lurking just two points back. The victory over Vancouver gave the Kraken some much-needed breathing room in the race for a postseason berth. The Canucks, meanwhile, have now lost five straight and are 2-15-4 in their last 21 games, a brutal stretch that has them anchored at the bottom of the league.
The Canucks’ roster reflected their current state. Defenseman Tyler Myers was a healthy scratch for the second straight game as Vancouver looks to move him before the NHL trade deadline on March 6. Kevin Lankinen, who stopped 20 of 24 shots, had little help in front of him. The Canucks’ defense was porous, and their offense sputtered outside of Ohgren’s tally.
The Kraken, meanwhile, saw contributions up and down the lineup. Chandler Stephenson added two assists to his first-period goal, while Beniers, Dunn, and Eberle all found the scoresheet. Forward Jacob Melanson and defenseman Cale Fleury filled in for Ryan Winterton and Josh Mahura, with Melanson recording seven hits and even sending a Canucks player tumbling through the open bench door with a well-timed bump. Blueliner Ryan Lindgren missed his second straight game due to injury, but Lambert said, “He’s trending in the right direction. But as of now, he’s not ready to play.”
The Kraken also saw roster movement off the ice. Forward Tye Kartye was waived earlier in the week and claimed by the New York Rangers. Kartye wasted no time making an impact, putting two shots on goal in his Rangers debut—a 3-2 shootout win—despite not having practiced with his new team.
As the Kraken continue their six-game homestand, they’ll look to build on the momentum from Saturday’s win and solidify their playoff position. For now, the hats may have missed their mark, but the team’s focus and energy were right on target. The fans, hats or no hats, left Climate Pledge Arena with a smile—and maybe a story to tell about the night the hat trick that wasn’t stole the show again.