The Vancouver Canucks fell 3-1 to the Seattle Kraken on Friday night.

The Vancouver Canucks suffered their first loss of the 2024 pre-season, falling 3-1 to the Seattle Kraken. Tyler Myers provided the only goal, while Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves in his first start with the Canucks. On top of Lankinen, this game featured multiple 2024 pre-season debuts, including Sawyer Mynio, who plays his WHL hockey close to Climate Pledge Arena with the Seattle Thunderbirds. 

Starting with a positive, Vancouver did a good job of limiting high-danger chances at even strength. According to Natural Stat Trick, each team finished with six high-danger chances while also recording 16 even-strength scoring chances each. The Canucks also won the blocked shot battle, recording 19 compared to Seattle's 12. 

While it is only a pre-season game, faceoffs were a massive issue for Vancouver all night. The Canucks only won 20 of the 59 faceoffs they took while also finishing four for 24 in the defensive zone. Even for a pre-season game, these numbers are concerning, especially since Vancouver lost all seven faceoffs while shorthanded. 

One player who deserves a ton of praise for his game was Mynio, who was one of the best Canucks all night. The 19-year-old defender played 19:29 and finished the game with two blocked shots. According to the stats sheet, he was also credited with three takeaways, with Vancouver outshooting the Kraken 10-7 at even strength while he was on the ice. 

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As for forwards, Arshdeep Bains and Max Sasson stood out as one of the stronger duos during the game. In the 11:52 of ice time they spent together, the Canucks outshot Seattle 8-1 while recording an xGF% of 71.67. While both are most likely bound for the AHL, these types of strong performances go a long way in helping their cases for call-ups during the season. 

Lastly, Lankinen had a good game, considering this was his first action of the year. He stopped five of the seven high-danger shots he faced, as well as all eight medium-danger shots. Projected to get at least one more game this pre-season, Lankinen should be able to provide stable goaltending for the organization this season. 

Vancouver will not have to wait long for their next game as they travel to Calgary tomorrow for a matchup against the Flames. The Canucks are already 1-0 against Calgary this pre-season, defeating the Flames 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday. Game time is set for 6:00 pm PT.