Jordan Eberle, Kraken Right the Ship Against Rival Canucks in 5-1 Victory

SEATTLE, Wash. - The Kraken got off to a slow start following the Olympic break. They dropped back-to-back games on the road to come out of the break, by a combined score of 9-2. After entering the Olympic break in a strong playoff spot, Seattle’s position in the Western Conference looked tenuous out of the gate following the games in Milan.

Luckily for the Kraken, the worst team in the NHL showed up at Climate Pledge Arena, in the Vancouver Canucks.

Jordan Eberle was the standout performer for Seattle, tallying two goals and an assist to lead the offensive charge. At first, it was believed that Eberle had secured a hat trick, which led to Kraken fans peppering the ice with hats, per tradition. However, after a review, the official scoring changes denied him the milestone.

A late-third-period power play tally where Eberle seemed to tap in the Kraken's fourth goal of the game sent fans at Climate Pledge Arena into a frenzy. Eberle almost became the first Kraken player with multiple hat tricks in franchise history. However, post-goal review and official scoring adjustment credited that goal to Matty Beniers instead, due to a slight deflection by Beniers. This happened after the empty-net goal was scored, so the hats were already on the ice when the change was announced.

Eberle addressed it lightheartedly post-game, saying something along the lines of feeling bad for the fans and that "we owe some fans some hats." He still had a strong three-point night and helped snap the Kraken's mini-slump.

Chandler Stephenson added three points of his own, with a goal and two assists.

Seattle took control early, notching two goals in the first period. Both coming before the 11-minute mark in the period.

Vancouver’s Liam Ohgren briefly cut Seattle’s lead to 2-1 in the second period. Eberle’s goal made it 3-1 a few minutes later. Seattle held Vancouver at arm’s length the remainder of the game.

Between the pipes, Joey Daccord stopped 27 of 28 shots faced over the full 60 minutes, posting a stellar .964 save percentage.

A fun near-miss added some personality to his night. Late in the game, with Vancouver's net empty, Daccord took a long shot from near his own crease aiming for a rare goalie goal. The puck sailed just wide by inches, drawing groans from the crowd and laughs from teammates like Jared McCann. It was as close as he's come to that elusive empty-netter milestone.

When the final horn sounded, Seattle earned the 5-1 victory. While the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks own the last two playoff spots in the Pacific Division, separated by two points from Seattle, the Kraken own the final Wild Card spot, three points ahead of the Kings and Predators.

Seattle hosts the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, March 2 as they look to build on the losing-skid snapping win.