Vancouver Canucks Gameday Preview #40: Starting 2026 With A Match Against The Seattle Kraken

1 week ago 2

The Vancouver Canucks (16–20–3) will take on the Seattle Kraken (17–14–7) on January 2 for the second-straight season, as these two teams matched up on the same date last year. Vancouver took the win by a score of 4–3 in the shootout. While the Canucks also won against the Kraken on Monday, their most recent matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers ended in a 6–3 loss. Seattle is entering the second-half of a back-to-back, having won 4–1 against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

Vancouver started their game on Tuesday night with an impressive effort, piling chances on the Flyers throughout the first period. After that, however, things started to skid for the Canucks. Their inability to hold onto the pressure they created resulted in their eventual collapse. This marked Vancouver’s 12th regulation loss on home-ice, continuing their run as the worst team in the NHL on home ice.

Seeing as their last game against the Kraken was in Seattle, Vancouver will want to string together a win here so they can hit the five-win mark at Rogers Arena. It’s no secret that fans have been disappointed in the home-ice product — something that’s been reflected in the emptier look of the arena during games as well as the massive drop in student rush ticket prices. To do so, they’ll want to reprise that first-period effort they gave against Philadelphia, but keep it consistent throughout all three periods.

Players To Watch:

Nils Höglander

With Conor Garland and Marco Rossi out for “at least a week,” players such as Aatu Räty and Nils Höglander are the likeliest to slot back into Vancouver’s lineup. Höglander, who made his season debut on December 8 against the Detroit Red Wings, has yet to record his first point on the season. The forward has found himself up and down in the lineup since returning, most recently skating alongside Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson. With Garland’s absence, he may find himself higher-up in the lineup tonight.

Jordan Eberle

Kraken captain Jordan Eberle has found plenty of success against the Canucks throughout his NHL career. The forward has 26 goals and 21 assists in 55 games played against Vancouver and most recently put up an assist against the Canucks on Monday. While currently riding a five-game point-streak, prior to Vancouver and Seattle’s last matchup, Eberle had also scored four goals in the span of three games. He also currently leads the Kraken in points with 26 throughout 38 games.

Vancouver Canucks (16–20–3):

Points:

Elias Pettersson: 9–14–23

Conor Garland: 7–15–22

Filip Hronek: 2–20–22

Kiefer Sherwood: 16–4–20

Evander Kane: 6–13–19

Goaltenders:

Thatcher Demko: 8–8–0

Kevin Lankinen: 6–10–3

Nikita Tolopilo: 2–1–0

Jiří Patera: 0–1–0

Seattle Kraken (17-14-7):

Points:

Jordan Eberle: 14–12–26

Eeli Tolvanen: 7–18–25

Chandler Stephenson: 10–14–24

Matty Beniers: 6–17–23

Vince Dunn: 5–15–20

Goaltenders:

Joey Daccord: 10–9–5

Philipp Grubauer: 7–3–1

Matt Murray: 0–2–1

Game Information:

Start time: 7:30 pm PT

Venue: Rogers Arena

Television: Sportsnet

Radio: Sportsnet 650

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