Kraken vs. Canucks PREVIEW: Vancouver Still Dangerous Despite Recent Loss

The Need to Knows

• The Time: 7pm PT
• The Place: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
• Place to Watch: ROOT Northwest, ESPN+/SportsNet+
• Place to Listen: KJR 93.3 FM
• An Opposing Viewpoint: Nucks Misconduct, Nucks on Goal

Know Your Enemy

Stumbling into the good graces of the hockey gods to put up once-in-a-lifetime shooting and save percentages has given the second place Vancouver Canucks a hefty leg up in the standings, touting 27 points in 20 games. Recent trends indicate their joyride may be nearing its end, however, as trouble may be brewing with injuries and slowly waning offense to blame.

Converting shot quality to concrete production has become tougher for Vancouver, who’s expected goals for percentage has spent the last nine games declining, resting now at 59.74% (2nd). And while control over nearly 60% of the on-ice production still makes for a fearsome advantage, it’s one that could fall through at a moment’s notice, as was the case in the Canucks’ last game. Vancouver surrendered three unanswered goals, and eventually two points, to the Colorado Avalanche on Nov 22, subsequently dropping to an even .500 winning percentage over their last six games.

Regardless, Vancouver’s still a lethal offensive team, who’s average 3.66 goals per game in that span. Three skaters are also riding point streaks into Friday night’s tilt: Nils Höglander (four games), J.T. Miller (nine games), and Quinn Hughes (nine games); all three scored the last time these two teams met.

Game Preview

Seattle will have to do more than hope Vancouver’s offense gets stuck at the border if they want to escape this showdown unscathed. Odds are, the Canucks will come out firing, and do so successfully. Given the Kraken are fresh off a 7-1 win over the San Jose Sharks, a final score overshadowing a troubled defensive performance, the threat of a barnburner looms.

Shutting down key contributors and playing a strong second period will be absolutely necessary. Sixty-minute efforts are perennially the expectation, but Vancouver’s +18 goal differential in the middle frame adds extra emphasis to staying competitive in the face of an opposing offensive swarm. Shutdown defensive performances from Adam Larsson, Vince Dunn, Will Borgen, and Brian Dumoulin in particular— who matched up the most against the piping hot Höglander and Miller back on Nov 18— will likely be called upon to accomplish this.