Vancouver Canucks (18-25-3) vs. Seattle Kraken (27-14-5)
The 2022-23 NHL season goes on Wednesday, January 25, with the Vancouver Canucks facing off against the Seattle Kraken in the Pacific Division showdown at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.
Vancouver and Seattle lock horns for the third time this season, and the Kraken search for their first-ever victory over the Canucks. Seattle opens as a -170 home fave with a total of 6.5 goals, so let’s take a closer look.
Tuesday’s games have been excluded from the analysis, and the Vancouver Canucks played the Chicago Blackhawks to wrap up their four-game homestand. The Canucks were looking to stop a three-game slide, and Vancouver has only won two of its previous 12 games overall.
Last Saturday, the Canucks suffered a 4-2 defeat against the Edmonton Oilers. They were down 3-0 midway through the second period. Andrei Kuzmenko scored late in the second to make it 3-1, and JT Miller cut the deficit after just 3:26 of play in the third period, but that was all we saw from the Canucks.
“Every practice is gold. You can't just waste practicing. That's what I told guys today, 'Don't waste a practice… make sure that you're dialled in.'”
? ?? Rick Tocchet following his first practice as #Canucks Head Coach pic.twitter.com/gp6x1mgaUz
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 24, 2023
Spencer Martin (11-12-1; 3.86 GAA; .877 SV%) guarded the cage against the Oilers, yielding three goals on 28 shots. Collin Delia (4-3-0; 3.18 GAA; .897 SV%) was confirmed for Tuesday’s clash against the Blackhawks, so we should see Martin between the pipes on Wednesday. Thatcher Demko (3-10-2; 3.93 GAA; .883 SV%) is still recovering from an injury.
The Canucks rank 31st in the league in goals against (3.96 per game) and 11th in goals for (3.28). They own the worst penalty-killing percentage in the NHL (65.9%) while going 37-for-157 with the man advantage (14th).