This game started with a great pace, and there was a close call for the Canucks early on, as Jordan Eberle hit the crossbar behind Kevin Lankinen after putting the moves on Tom Willander, causing the rookie defenceman to lose his balance.

The rush chances kept coming, as Shane Wright and Berkly Catton broke in, with Lankinen lunging to his right to make a big blocker save off of Catton.

Unfortunately, the Kraken kept coming, and eventually, Vince Dunn opened the scoring in this one.

Less than three minutes later, Seattle struck again, as Chandler Stephenson banged home a rebound to put the Kraken up by a couple.

Despite the early scoreline, Kevin Lankinen made some sharp saves in the opening frame, perhaps none more impressive than these two in rapid succession following a Kraken breakaway opportunity.

After 20, it was 2-0 Kraken.

This game opened up quite a bit in the second frame, and the teams got back to trading chances like they were earlier in the first period.

Drew O’Connor nearly got the Canucks on the board after a great feed from Brock Boeser helped create some space for him in the slot. O’Connor’s shot attempt rang off the post, and the Canucks had to continue to work for their first goal of the game.

It wouldn’t take too much longer, however, as Liam Öhgren let go of a shot that appeared to get deflected and find its way past Joey Daccord.

Ryker Evans was called for holding on to Evander Kane, giving the Canucks the first power play of the game just before the halfway mark of the second. The Canucks’ power play continued to struggle, moving to 2-for-34 over their last 16 games. Not sure what solution there is right now. I’d say the big thing is to get guys comfortable playing in those spots and in those roles, right? It feels like with Boeser, DeBrusk, and Rossi, the Canucks have three players who are great at the net front spot, but you can’t put all three of them at the net front at the same time. Can Rossi transition into a decent bumper option? Maybe?

The Kraken added to their lead in the second, as Jordan Eberle blocked a point shot attempt from Elias Junior Pettersson and moved in on a breakaway as a result. He made no mistake in beating Kevin Lankinen to make it 3-1 Seattle. 

As a result, the Canucks were down by two after two periods.

Something worth noting: Elias Pettersson saw a demotion during the second period, as he was bumped off the top line and got just five shifts in the second (he saw seven in the first period).

One other takeaway I had through 40 minutes: Marco Rossi sure looked noticeable. Had a good jump in his step and made some plays.

The Canucks had another power play opportunity to open the third period. Now, once again, they didn’t score, but there was something worth noting from this power play: Elias Pettersson didn’t see any time on the man advantage. On either unit.

That’s of course noteworthy because as mentioned, Pettersson also saw a demotion at 5v5 in the second period.

The Kraken added another goal, and with five minutes remaining, the Canucks pulled their goaltender. And wouldn’t you know it, Elias Pettersson was not out there. Even after the Canucks changed up their personnel searching for a goal, Adam Foote refused to send out Pettersson. That seems to be a clear message from the head coach, who’s trying to keep his players accountable in a lost season.

Hard to disagree with that decision.

Eberle added an empty-netter for the hat trick, making it 5-1 Seattle.

Elias Pettersson’s final ice time in the third period: 2:18.

Some final takeaways from tonight:
-Liam Öhgren continues to impress me. Really feels like the Canucks could have a very solid middle six winger on their hands with him.
-Saw some flashes from Zeev Buium, but am really looking for him to just take over a game with his elite skill. He’s got the tools, and it’s going to be great to see him put it all together.

What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!

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