Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn didn’t earn one of the three stars in Seattle’s stirring 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena.
But he sure deserved one.
Dunn, who’s thought of more as an offensive blueliner than a shutdown defender, made one outstanding defensive effort in each period to preserve the narrow victory.
He started early, not flinching when Oilers superstar Connor McDavid came barreling toward him in the first minute of the game. Dunn calmly separated McDavid from the puck – and how – with a shove that tumbled the dangerous center onto his backside.
The CPA sellout was barely done roaring when Matty Beniers fed Jordan Eberle, who converted an ensuing 2-on-1 for an early Kraken lead. Seattle doubled the margin in the middle frame, again turning defense into offense on the rush. This time, Tye Kartye wired home a Ryan Winterton pass.
Dunn then made the most subtle of his trio of defensive gems. He saw that d-partner Adam Larsson was about to get passed in the neutral zone by Issac Howard. Dunn made a beeline for the defensive zone – in essence, cutting Howard off at the pass. In the process, he diffused what would have been a high-danger scoring chance.
Edmonton goals in the 2nd by Evan Bouchard and late in the 3rd by Darnell Nurse, surrounding Eberle’s second of the night (both set up by Beniers), left Seattle protecting a 3-2 lead.
“Matty’s a smart player,” Eberle said afterward. “I’ve played with him a lot. The thing that impresses me most about him is his 200-foot game. He’s really coming into his own. Defensive plays, faceoffs, being in the right spot at the right time. Matty’s going to be a dynamic player in this organization for a long time.”
That set up Dunn’s final act of heroism – and we do mean final. The Oilers won a draw in the Kraken zone with three seconds left. But Bouchard’s drive never got through to winning goalie Joey Daccord (31 saves), because Dunn blocked it just before the horn sounded.
The game-preserving block stung the defenseman, who stayed down on the ice. Daccord raced from his net for the kind of hugs usually reserved for long-lost relatives. Soon, all his Kraken teammates joined in, celebrating the Kraken improving to 5-2-2 on the young season.
“Vince has been good all year long,” said Kraken coach Lane Lambert after the game. “He’s steady, he makes plays, he’s been good on the power play. He’s hard to play against. That play he made at the end of the game – that’s total commitment. I love to see that.”
Earlier Kraken:
Of interest from the Canucks:
https://youtu.be/Z1qW7QPIYa0
