VANCOUVER, BC – In their second pre-season game, the Kraken headed north to Vancouver to face off against the Canucks. These are two teams that want to play faster this coming season and you could feel that from the first drop of the puck. Seattle generated seven of the first ten shot attempts and was effective at jumping on loose pucks as both teams looked to add speed through the pass.

Both teams also brought a tenacity to their games. There was the physicality you’d expect from John Hayden and Brandon Tanev – both of whom got into skirmishes as the primary or secondary aggressor. And the Kraken showed pushback against an aggressive Canucks squad.

When play was at even strength, the Kraken had the advantage in both shot quantity and quality, and Andre Burakovsky and Brandon Montour both made their Kraken pre-season debuts.

But multiple penalties limited that even strength time for the Kraken, and while Ben Meyers would add a goal at the top of the third period, the Kraken were unable to find the equalizer and fell 2-1 in Vancouver.

How did it all go down? Let’s dig in.

Man in the Box

As to the aforementioned penalties, in the opening period, Hayden challenged Mark Friedman after the Canucks crashed in on Joey Daccord after a save. Less than two minutes later, Vilmer Alriksson had Hayden answer in a scrum, and both headed to the box for fighting.

Hayden wasn’t the only Kraken to take a penalty. At the same time, Seattle was called for what would be the first of two too-many-men penalties and that window of opportunity allowed the Canucks offense to build momentum.

Seattle survived the first penalty kill, but the second, which came seven minutes later on a Ty Nelson cross-check, allowed Vancouver to get on the board. Brandon Tanev challenged Nils Hoglander for the takeaway at the blue line, but Vancouver was able to maintain possession and move the puck low, where Linus Karlsson was able to feed Hoglander in the slot for the first goal of the game.

The first period ended 1-0 Canucks.

Short Work

The Kraken penalty kill got more time in the second, with three penalties called in the course of play. Tanev, Yanni Gourde, Borgen, and Jamie Oleksiak, backstopped by Joey Daccord, took on the bulk of the work and survived the first two penalties before Daccord was dinged for handling the puck in the restricted zone (for newer fans, rule 27.8 states that a goaltender can’t play the puck outside of the designated area (the trapezoid) behind the net).

The Canucks power play moved the puck with speed from low in the zone up the left flank before a quick give-and-go between Filip Hronek and Brock Boeser at the top of the zone set up Hronek for a long shot that beat Daccord setting the score at 2-0.

Even Battles Meyers

Coming into the game, Meyers was playing on a line with Jaden Schwartz and Andre Burakovsky – an adjustment Dan Bylsma made heading into tonight’s game. Bylsma had smiled about knowing the player well from having to play against him. “He brings speed, intelligence…he brings a lot in his own way to compete. I don’t have to fear it anymore. I can expect it.”

And Meyers made good on the choice to put him in the lineup. Just eight seconds into the final frame, Burakovsky, who was active offensively all game, created a mini-odd-man rush by tipping the puck up to Schwartz, who backhanded a pass through the legs of Friedman to Meyers, who beat Artus Silovs for the first time in the game. 2-1 Canucks.

The Kraken would get two power plays of their own in the second half of the final 20 minutes (one, of course, coming after another fight – this time between Tanev and Friedman), but couldn’t capitalize.

And even with late high-quality looks coming off the sticks of first Schwartz and then Burakovsky, Seattle couldn’t find the equalizer. Pius Suter added a late empty net goal to set the final score at 3-1 Canucks.