Mar 30, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet gestures throughout a recreation in opposition to the Winnipeg Jets within the third interval at Canada Life Centre. Obligatory Credit score: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Photographs The Vancouver Canucks are primarily in must-win territory as they put together to host the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.
With their playoff aspirations flickering, the Canucks (34-27-13, 81 factors) return dwelling outdoors of a playoff place and needing to vault a pair of groups to advance to the Stanley Cup chase. They entered Tuesday six factors behind the St. Louis Blues for the ultimate wild-card slot within the Western Convention.
“We will not get discouraged or get detrimental,” Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers mentioned. “We’re again dwelling to get some momentum in our personal constructing and we have simply obtained to maintain pushing. You by no means know what can occur.”
The Canucks are again on the West Coast after a 2-2-2 street journey that concluded with a 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Vancouver performs six of eight video games at dwelling to shut out the common season.
A conflict with the Kraken, who’ve been formally eradicated from playoff competition, is a can-not-lose affair — however the Canucks are doing their finest to not permit the state of affairs to strangle their minds.
“You realize the large image, clearly,” mentioned ahead Pius Suter. “However you possibly can solely deal with separately and simply battle onerous and ensure the subsequent recreation we get two factors on the market. After which go from there. You may’t actually suppose an excessive amount of at this level about all the opposite groups. You have simply obtained to win.”
They are going to once more be and not using a trio of injured — and necessary — forwards in Elias Pettersson, Filip Chytil and Nils Hoglander. One saving grace has been Suter’s play. Suter, who scored Vancouver’s lone aim in Winnipeg, has collected two objectives and 6 assists within the 4 video games since moving into Pettersson’s top-line heart position.
The Kraken (31-38-6, 68 factors) are kicking off a five-game street journey. Seattle, which has managed just one victory in six outings (1-4-1), ended a four-game homestand with a 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday.
The Kraken fell in each halves of a two-game set with the Stars in Seattle, dropping the primary conflict 5-1 on Saturday.
“The script on this recreation, minus the ability play and penalty kill, was just like the final recreation in opposition to Dallas,” mentioned Kraken coach Dan Bylsma. “Every (workforce) took some swings. They’d some possibilities, we had some possibilities within the offensive zone. … It was a hard-fought recreation.”
In a microcosm of their season, the Kraken began robust — taking a lead on Kaapo Kakko’s aim 62 seconds within the conflict — however surrendered a pair of objectives 45 seconds aside by the three:19 mark and by no means regained the higher hand.
“I feel we had sufficient possibilities to win that recreation, however simply could not put it in,” Kakko mentioned.
It’s a small constructive, however Kakko’s aim offers him a career-high 41 factors on the season (14 objectives, 27 assists). The second general decide within the 2019 NHL Draft has netted 10 objectives and 27 factors in 42 video games since being acquired by way of commerce from the New York Rangers in mid-December.
After struggling below the expectations of being a excessive draft decide with the Rangers, Kakko’s progress bodes properly for the Kraken’s future.
“I feel I am simply enjoying my recreation extra,” Kakko mentioned. “I really feel like my recreation is within the O-zone … I can rating objectives and perhaps discover any person else for a very good probability.”
–Area Degree Media
