By Canadian Press

Vince Dunn scores twice as Kraken wrap pre-season with 4-0 win over Canucks

Oct 5, 2021 | 10:48 PM

VANCOUVER — Vince Dunn scored twice and the Seattle Kraken ended their pre-season with a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. 

Philipp Grubauer saved all 25 shots he faced for the shutout for Seattle.

Ryan Donato and Nathan Bastian also scored, while Calle Jarnkrok and Morgan Geekie each registered a pair of assists in the Kraken’s inaugural visit to Rogers Arena. 

Thatcher Demko stopped 21-of-24 for the Canucks. 

Seattle (4-2-0) iced a lineup full of veteran NHL talent while Vancouver (2-3-0) included a number of players auditioning for roles on the team. 

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Vancouver kept Grubauer busy, outshooting Seattle 35-28, but the Canucks couldn’t get a shot past the former Colorado Avalanche goalie. 

Bastian capped the scoring with just 36 seconds left on the clock. 

Carson Soucy sent a shot into traffic and Basitan picked up the rebound, tipping it in past Demko to make it 4-0. 

The home side’s best chance of the night came later in the second frame when rookie Vasily Podkolzin used some deft stick handling to trick Grubauer in tight, then sent a shot wide of the open net. 

Tyler Myers had a chance to claw a goal back late in the third when he picked up the puck as he left the penalty box and streaked down the ice on a breakaway, but the Kraken goaltender stopped the ensuing wrist shot. 

Penalties came early and often Tuesday. Seattle was 2 for 7 with the man advantage while Vancouver went 0 for 4.

McCann tied up Jason Dickinson on a breakaway in the second period and the Canucks forward responded by shoving McCann into glass, earning a penalty for boarding. 

The Kraken capitalized. Jarnkrok blasted a shot on net and Demko made the stop but couldn’t control the rebound. The puck popped out to Donato at the side of the net and he sailed a shot in over leg of the sprawled-out netminder to give Seattle a three-goal lead 14:22 into the second period. 

The centreman now has two goals in pre-season action. 

Dunn’s second of the night came at full strength following some crisp passes by the Kraken midway through the second. 

Schwartz sliced the puck to McCann deep in Canucks’ territory and McCann quickly dished it off to Dunn in the slot. The defenceman riffled a wrist shot in past Demko at 6:57 for his third goal of the pre-season. 

Seattle snapped a scoreless deadlock earlier in the period with a power-play goal after defenceman Jack Rathbone was called for cross checking Donato. 

Using Donato as a screen, Dunn unleashed a slapshot from the blue line, clanking the puck off the cross bar and in at 4:31. 

The Canucks went down a man less than two minutes into Tuesday’s game when Dickinson was booked for a four-minute double minor at 1:36 of the first for catching Carson Soucy with a high stick. 

Vancouver weathered the penalty with some help from the posts. 

A shot from Dunn ticked off the cross bar before sailing up and out of play, and just over a minute later, Geekie’s shot ricocheted off the far post. 

The Canucks will close out the pre-season with a home-and-home series against the Oilers, starting with a trip to Edmonton on Thursday. The Kraken’s inaugural regular-season campaign will begin on Oct. 12 when they take on the Golden Knights in Vegas. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2021.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press