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Vancouver Canucks fall 4-3 to Seattle Kraken for second straight loss

Canucks will host the San Jose Sharks on Monday
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Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers (10) and Vancouver Canucks’ J.T. Miller (9) vie for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Jordan Eberle had a goal and two assists as the visiting Seattle Kraken handed the Vancouver Canucks their second straight loss, 4-3, on Saturday night.

Jamie Oleksiak, Yanni Gourde and Matty Beniers added the others for Seattle (7-8-4), which has won back-to-back games for the second time this season.

Philipp Grubauer made 21 saves.

J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes and Nils Hoglander scored for Vancouver (12-5-1).

Thatcher Demko stopped 22-of-26 shots.

Miller and Hughes are now tied with teammate Elias Pettersson for the NHL lead in points with 27 apiece.

Eberle set up Beniers at 6:47 of the third period for the eventual game winner that put Seattle ahead 4-2.

Hoglander scored with just nine seconds left in the game, tipping in an airborne puck in front.

Gourde restored the Kraken’s lead at 4:19 of the third. Eeli Tolvanen sent a cross-ice pass to Will Borgen, who popped it in front of net for Gourde to convert on a tap-in.

Hughes netted his seventh of the campaign to tie the game at 2-2 for the Canucks at 15:47 of the second period. Vancouver won the faceoff in Seattle’s defensive zone, with Hughes and Filip Hronek playing a one-two that ended with a Hughes slapshot.

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Eberle gave Seattle its first lead at 13:04 of the middle frame, one second after a Kraken power play ended. He tipped a shot by Oliver Bjorkstrand, and the puck got stuck in Demko’s gear before falling out and trickling over the line.

Oleksiak made it a 1-1 contest at 5:43 of the second. He took a pass from Beniers at the point and scored on a slapshot in the slot.

Miller opened the scoring at 5:34 of the first period. After Tyler Myers’s point shot was partially blocked by Grubauer, Miller slipped in behind to tap it in for this 10th of the season.

NOTES

Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko returned to the lineup after leaving Wednesday’s win over the New York Islanders after taking a Miller slapshot to the chin. … This is the first time Seattle has won this season after trailing in the first period.

UP NEXT

The Kraken head home to play the Calgary Flames on Monday.

The Canucks will host the San Jose Sharks on Monday.

Nick Wells, The Canadian Press