J.T. Miller scores in shootout as Canucks beat Kraken 4-3

SEATTLE (AP) — J.T. Miller scored in the shootout and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Seattle Kraken 4-3 on Thursday night.

Conor Garland, Tyler Myers and Max Sasson scored in regulation for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko started and stopped 11 of 12 shots before leaving with back spasms in the second period. Kevin Lankinen came on and finished with 13 saves.

Vince Dunn and Matty Beniers each had a goal and an assist, Chandler Stephenson also scored and Andre Burakovsky had two assists for Seattle. Philipp Grubauer finished with 19 saves.

In the tiebreaker, Miller snuck one past Grubauer in the first round. Lankinen denied Oliver Bjorkstrand, Kaapo Kakko and Beniers to secure the win.

The victory evened the Canucks' crushing 5-4 overtime loss to the Kraken on Saturday. In that one, Seattle tied it with three goals in the final five minutes of regulation, before winning on Dunn's goal in OT.

Dunn tied this game with 53 seconds left in regulation.

Canucks: Vancouver seems to have recovered from a midseason offensive slump, as the Canucks have now scored three goals or more in four of their past five games.

Kraken: Beniers has goals in each of Seattle's past three games after snapping a 19-game goal-less streak.

Miller shootout goal put the Kraken on their heels, and powered the Canucks to a much-needed victory over their arch-rival.

Vancouver had lost it's last five games beyond regulation. The Canucks' last win in OT or a shootout came against Detroit on Dec. 1.

Canucks host Nashville on Friday, and the Kraken will host Edmonton on Saturday.

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Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko saves a shot against Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Vancouver Canucks right wing Conor Garland reacts to scoring against the Seattle Kraken during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Vancouver Canucks right wing Conor Garland, center, celebrates his goal against the Seattle Kraken with teammates Vincent Desharnais, left, and Phillip Di Giuseppe, right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Guillaume Brisebois (55) clears the puck against Seattle Kraken left wing Tye Kartye, back center, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer blocks a shot as defenseman Jamie Oleksiak (24) defends against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers, left, celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Canucks with teammates during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen makes a save against Seattle Kraken right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) during a shootout in an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. The Canucks won 4-3 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Vancouver Canucks right wing Conor Garland celebrates his goal against the Seattle Kraken with left wing Phillip Di Giuseppe (34) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers, center, celebrates his goal with left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) and defenseman Guillaume Brisebois, right, during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen makes a save against Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) during a shootout for a 4-3 Canucks win in an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen, far right, is greeted by teammates, including defenseman Noah Juulsen (47) as they celebrate a 4-3 win in a shootout over the Seattle Kraken in an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 21 people, including at least two children, on Saturday in Gaza, hospital staff said, while a new effort at ceasefire talks was underway in Qatar after nearly 15 months of war.

Thousands rallied again in Israel to press for a ceasefire deal, hours after Hamas released a video showing one of the hostages still held in Gaza. Such videos, like an uptick in airstrikes, have been seen as attempts to assert pressure during talks.

A small boy cried over his father in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, and a woman draped herself over one of the bodies wrapped in white plastic. Three airstrikes in the city hit a car, a house and people on the street, according to staff at Nasser Hospital.

The Civil Defense, first responders affiliated with the Hamas-run government, said an airstrike destroyed a residential area behind the Saraya complex in Gaza City, killing at least five people.

And Israeli strikes on Saturday evening killed three people in Bureij and three others in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were taken. One child was among the dead. A young man leaned against a hospital wall and wept.

Israel's military said it targeted Hamas militants with a strike near Salah al-Din in southern Gaza overnight and with a strike on a vehicle in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. It also said Hamas fired a projectile that hit near the Erez crossing into Gaza.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 59 people had been killed and more than 270 others were wounded by strikes in the past 24 hours.

There were no immediate statements on the indirect negotiations toward a ceasefire. The talks have repeatedly stalled as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press on in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Fighters with Hamas, which wants Israeli forces out of Gaza completely, continue to regroup in areas where Israeli forces withdraw.

The talks are mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, which plans a $8 billion weapons sale to Israel, U.S. officials say.

The war is by far the deadliest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas. It began when Hamas and other militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Around 100 hostages are still in Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead.

Families of hostages and others have rallied weekly to press Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal that would bring loved ones home, saying time is running out. At Saturday night's rally in Tel Aviv, police carried away some protesters who staged a sit-in on a street.

In a video released by Hamas before the latest rally, Israeli soldier and hostage Liri Albag, speaking under duress, expressed anguish over her situation and mentioned being held 450 days.

“Today is the beginning of a new year; the whole world is celebrating. Only we are entering a dark year, a year of loneliness,” she said. She also said a fellow captive had been wounded by the fighting in Gaza, adding, “We are living in an extremely terrifying nightmare.” She didn't name the injured person.

Netanyahu's office said he spoke with Albag's parents and told them that “efforts are ongoing, including at this very moment” to bring hostages home. Albag's family in a statement said that “It’s time to make decisions as if your own children were there!”

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 45,717 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the dead. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. It says uncounted bodies remain beneath rubble or in areas where emergency responders can't reach.

Israel’s military says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths, because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army says it has killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has caused widespread destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, many of them multiple times. Winter has now arrived, and hundreds of thousands are sheltering in tents near the sea. A small number of children have died from exposure to the cold.

Gaza's Health Ministry said in a statement that Indonesian Hospital was no longer operational after Israeli operations in the area, and said all public hospitals in the north, largely isolated by a monthslong Israeli offensive, were now out of service. Access to the north is heavily restricted and claims can be difficult to verify.

Meanwhile, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, relatives mourned an 18-year-old Palestinian who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was killed Friday during clashes with Israel’s army in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. The ministry said that nine other people were wounded.

Palestinian health officials have said Israeli raids throughout the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, have killed more than 800 Palestinians. Israel says most of these are militants, but youths throwing stones and people not involved in confrontations have also been killed.

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has held up for more than a month, although its terms seem unlikely to be met by the agreed-upon 60-day deadline. Israel and Hezbollah had exchanged fire almost daily since the war in Gaza began.

Associated Press writer Natalie Melzer contributed to this report from Nahariya, Israel.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A man mourns the death of his relatives at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following Israeli army airstrikes in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A wounded child receives treatment at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following Israeli army airstrikes, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Jan. 4, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A man reacts while carrying a wounded girl to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following Israeli army airstrikes in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Jan. 4, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians is set up amid destroyed buildings in the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians is set up amid destroyed buildings in the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Relatives mourn during the funeral of Palestinian Muhammad Abu Amer, 18, who was killed at night in an Israeli army raid, in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Nablus, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Relatives mourn over the body of Palestinian Muhammad Abu Amer, 18, who was killed at night during an Israeli army raid at his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Nablus, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Muhammad Abu Amer, 18, who was killed at night in an Israeli army raid during his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Nablus, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestinians carry white sacks containing the bodies of those killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians attend funeral prayers for two of the ten people killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes, during his funeral in the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect a car targeted in an overnight Israeli airstrike that killed its occupants in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Relatives of a Palestinian killed in overnight Israeli strikes, mourn over his body outside the morgue of Nasser hospital in the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)