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. Necessary Credit score: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Pictures 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 residence exterior 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 won’t get discouraged or get damaging,” Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers stated. “We’re again residence to get some momentum in our personal constructing and we have simply acquired to maintain pushing. You by no means know what can occur.”
The Canucks are again on the West Coast after a 2-2-2 highway journey that concluded with a 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Vancouver performs six of eight video games at residence to shut out the common season.
A conflict with the Kraken, who’ve been formally eradicated from playoff rivalry, is a can-not-lose affair — however the Canucks are doing their finest to not permit the scenario to strangle their minds.
“You understand the large image, clearly,” stated ahead Pius Suter. “However you possibly can solely deal with one after the other and simply battle laborious and ensure the subsequent recreation we get two factors on the market. After which go from there. You may’t actually assume an excessive amount of at this level about all the opposite groups. You’ve got simply acquired to win.”
They’ll 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 targets and 6 assists within the 4 video games since moving into Pettersson’s top-line middle position.
The Kraken (31-38-6, 68 factors) are kicking off a five-game highway 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,” stated Kraken coach Dan Bylsma. “Every (workforce) took some swings. That they had 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 sturdy — taking a lead on Kaapo Kakko’s aim 62 seconds within the conflict — however surrendered a pair of targets 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 stated.
It’s a small constructive, however Kakko’s aim provides him a career-high 41 factors on the season (14 targets, 27 assists). The second general choose within the 2019 NHL Draft has netted 10 targets and 27 factors in 42 video games since being acquired through commerce from the New York Rangers in mid-December.
After struggling below the expectations of being a excessive draft choose with the Rangers, Kakko’s progress bodes nicely for the Kraken’s future.
“I feel I am simply taking part in my recreation extra,” Kakko stated. “I really feel like my recreation is within the O-zone … I can rating targets and possibly discover any individual else for a superb likelihood.”
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