The Vancouver Canucks fell 5-1 to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.
The Vancouver Canucks fell once again, this time losing 5-1 to the Seattle Kraken. Liam Öhgren scored the only goal while Kevin Lankinen stopped 20 of the 24 shots he faced. With the defeat, Vancouver has now lost five straight and have just one win in their last nine games.
Saturday's loss was the same story that has haunted this Canucks team all season. They were unable to generate second-chance opportunities, had defensive breakdowns and despite some strong play from Lankinen, could not find a way to capitilize on their opportunities. It really has become a rinse and repeat situation with Vancouver as they fail to score more than two goals for the eighth straight game.
To give Adam Foote some credit, he was trying to get his team going by mixing up lines during the games. Defensive pairs were changes while forward lines were shuffled in an attempt to find some level of spark. In the end, it did not seem to matter as the Canucks seemed to struggle regardless of who was on the ice.
Faceoffs were also a story in this game as Vancouver went 15 for 48. The only player who finished above 41% on the night was Drew O'Connor, who won one of his two draws. Ultimatley, Teddy Blueger was the team leader at 40%, while David Kämpf, Elias Pettersson and Marco Rossi all fell below the 35% mark.
As for the biggest story from this game, that would be Pettersson's ice time. He played just 14:20 and did not see the ice for the final 9:47 of the game. As reported by Thomas Drance of "The Athletic", Pettersson was benched by Foote, with the Canucks coach saying "He's got to be better and he knows that."
Ultimatley, there were very few positives to take away from this game. Yes, the Canucks had more shots, but they were outplayed by a Kraken team that is fighting for their playoff lives. The only real positive is that another loss helps the tank as Vancouver remains in 32nd place.
Feb 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) makes a save on a shot from Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak (24) during the second period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Blake Dahlin-Imagn ImagesStats and Facts:
- The Canucks have now lost 18 games this season while outshooting the opposition
- Vancouver wins just 31% percent of their faceoffs
- Filip Hronek led all players in ice time at 23:59
- Defenceman Elias Pettersson led all players with four shot blocks
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
7:36- SEA: Vince Dunn (9) from Chandler Stephenson
10:20- SEA: Chandler Stephenson (14) from Adam Larsson and Jaden Schwartz
2nd Period:
8:28- VAN: Liam Öhgren (5) from Conor Garland and Pierre-Olivier Joseph
13:47- SEA: Jordan Eberle (21)
3rd Period:
11:56- SEA: Matty Beniers (15) from Jordan Eberle and Chandler Stephenson (PPG)
17:00- SEA: Jordan Eberle (22) from Jared McCann (16), Jamie Oleksiak (ENG)
Up Next:
The Canucks return home for a Monday night matchup against the Dallas Stars. Vancouver has faced Dallas twice this season already, with each team picking up a victory on the road. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
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