Vince Dunn again makes most of homecoming as he helps Kraken to third win in a row
TORONTO – Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn hasn’t done his hometown team any favors the few times he plays here.
His first visit to Scotiabank four years ago this month saw Toronto native Dunn, playing for St. Louis, score the winning goal in overtime against a Maple Leafs team he cheered for as a youngster. But there wouldn’t be any such extra sessions needed in Thursday night’s 5-1 win by the Kraken, largely because Dunn scored a go-ahead goal and totaled three points in the second period alone.
That was more than enough for the Kraken to win their third in a row and first game against the Leafs and in the province of Ontario. Dunn’s goal came on a shot from the left point through traffic just 14 seconds after Toronto captain John Tavares had tied the game at 1 midway through the second period.
The Kraken didn’t look back from there, scoring two more to cap a four-goal second period after they’d been held to a franchise-low two shots in the opening period. Jared McCann made it 3-1 just 3 minutes later with his team-leading 18th goal, getting sent in alone on a Jaden Schwartz pass and snapping the puck past goalie Matt Murray.
Matty Beniers capped the period’s scoring with just 2:35 to go until intermission, unleashing a turnaround wrist shot from the left faceoff circle for his 13th of the season to lead all NHL rookies. Just minutes later, both teams at intermission, Beniers was selected to participate in next month’s All-Star Game in Sunrise, Florida.
Kraken goalie Martin Jones won for the 17th time this season, stopping all but the power-play deflection goal by Tavares off a Mitch Marner point shot.
The night didn’t start off looking like the rout it turned into for the Kraken. Toronto held a 9-2 lead in shots that period and Jones had to be alert both early and late to keep his team in the scoreless tie.
Jones made two big stops in the opening minute, then denied Pontus Holmberg on the backhand midway through the period after the Leafs forward was sent in alone on a nice touch pass. It took the Kraken until the 11:29 mark of the first to register their first shot. They didn’t get a second until just more than 3 minutes remained in the period.
But Jones, who stopped 26 of 27 shots, kept the Leafs off the board and the Kraken came out firing in the second period. They had five shots by the 77-second mark of the period and opened the scoring soon after on the power play, with Eeli Tolvanen one-timing a slap shot from the right circle off a cross-ice Dunn feed.
It was the second such power-play goal by Tolvanen off a slapper in three games played for the Kraken.