The Vancouver Canucks wrap up their five-game road trip on Saturday night with a Pacific Division battle with the Seattle Kraken.
Saturday’s game will be the third matchup between the Canucks and Kraken this season. Both of their previous two games required overtime, and each team won a game in extra time.
Jake DeBrusk has a goal and two assists in the two games against the Kraken this season. DeBrusk leads the Canucks with 21 goals through 59 games played.
The Kraken come into Saturday’s game on a two-game losing streak. They have given up 11 goals over those two losses but have had some practice and rest time, with their last game being Tuesday.
Seattle and Vancouver have played 13 games since the Kraken came into the league, and the Canucks’ record against their I-5 foe is 8-4-1.
Conor Garland (6g-8a-14 in 13 games) and Elias Pettersson (4g-7a-11p in 11 games) are the two Canucks players who are over a point per game and have played more than 10 games against the Kraken.
These two teams will play four times this season, and though the Kraken are falling out of the playoff race with their 25-31-4 record, they always provide a tough match for the Canucks.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Kraken are getting goals from many different parts of their lineup. Nine players have scored double-digit goals through their opening 60 games played.
- Jaden Schwartz leads his club with 19 goals, five of which have been game-winners.
- Shane Wright leads with six power play goals.
- They are 14-6-3 when scoring the first goal and are 11-25-1 when the opposition scores the first goal.
- Joey Daccord has been the number-one starter for most of the season – he has started 38 of their 60 games this season. Daccord has a 20-15-3 record with a .914% save percentage, 2.55 goals-against average, and one shutout this season.
- Seattle’s power play ranks 25th in the league with an 18.3% conversion percentage.
- On the penalty kill, they rank 23rd with a 76.1% kill rate.
- The Kraken are 9-0-0 on home ice when leading after two periods.
The Story: Nils Höglander Earned Recent Promotion Through Strong Play
Nils Höglander has been trending up since mid-December. He has been on the ice for 13 goals for and four against in his last 28 games. Höglander scored his fifth goal of the season in Los Angeles on Wednesday and is currently on a line with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk.
