Vince Dunn’s three-point performance powers Kraken past Maple Leafs 5-1
TORONTO — Vince Dunn scored the eventual winner and added two assists to lead the Seattle Kraken 5-1 past the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Jared McCann had a goal and an assist as Seattle (21-12-4) won its third straight win.
TORONTO — Vince Dunn scored the eventual winner and added two assists to lead the Seattle Kraken 5-1 past the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Jared McCann had a goal and an assist as Seattle (21-12-4) won its third straight win.
Eeli Tolvanen opened the scoring for the Kraken on the power play, with Matty Beniers and Alex Wennberg also intervening.
Martin Jones stopped 26 shots for the win at the net.
John Tavares answered the power play for Toronto (23-9-7).
Goalie Matt Murray made 21 saves in his first start in 2023 for the Maple Leafs.
Despite Toronto dominating the game in the first half of the game, even overtaking the Kraken 10-3 in the opening stages, Seattle batted first.
Tolvanen cabled a wrist shot from the point past an unhindered Murray in the middle of the first with Toronto defender Morgan Rielly in the box for a counter check.
Nearly four minutes later, Tavares equalized on a power play for the Maple Leafs. Mitch Marner sent a pass into Seattle’s net where Tavares and Michael Bunting were ahead of Jones. Tavares deflected Marner’s pass between his legs, past Bunting and Jones and into the net.
Just 14 seconds later, Dunn handcuffed Murray, who fell off the Toronto goalie’s arm onto the ice and slid across the goal line to once again put the Kraken by a goal.
A streaky McCann made it 3-1 shortly after by scoring an opener pass from Jaden Schwartz for a clean breakout. He fired a shot past Murray and pumped his fist as he rolled past goal. It was McCann’s team-leading 18th goal of the season.
Beniers continued to gain as the second third wound down, spinning sharply with the puck on his racquet near the faceoff circle and whipping a shot past Murray.
In the third period, it took less than three minutes for the Kraken to extend their lead. Wennberg finished his partial breakout with the puck on his backhand and shoved it past Murray.
Like the goals from McCann, Dunn, and Beniers, it was evenly matched and contributed to Seattle’s league-leading 5-on-5 goal tally.
MARNER ALL-STAR — Marner was named to his third straight All-Star team Thursday night. The 25-year-old Toronto forward from nearby Thornhill, Ontario, is on track for a career season with 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) in 39 games.
SAMMY BREAK — Murray got the start over Ilya Samsonov in the Toronto net after the 25-year-old Russia goaltender scored five goals on 32 shots in the Maple Leafs’ 5-6 loss to St. Louis on Tuesday. Despite conceding an average of 2.38 goals this season, Samsonov has struggled in his last four games, conceding a total of 17 goals in that span with a 2-1-1 record. Murray has given up 13 goals in his last five games, with a 3-2-0 record.
UP NEXT — Toronto will finish its three-game home stand on Saturday when the Detroit Red Wings come to Scotiabank Arena. The Maple Leafs have 10 of their 14 games at home in January. Detroit has back-to-back games this weekend and hosts the Florida Panthers before traveling to Toronto.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on January 5, 2023.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
