The Vancouver Canucks have allowed 15 goals on the penalty kill so far in 2026.
The Vancouver Canucks have had a rough start to 2026. The team has just one win in 12 games and has separated itself at the bottom of the standings from the rest of the league. One reason why Vancouver has struggled so far this year is their penalty kill, which is operating at 51.6% since the calendar flipped to 2026.
In their first 12 games of 2026, the Canucks penalty kill has allowed 15 goals on 31 attempts. For comparison, the second-lowest penalty kill since January 1 belongs to the Boston Bruins, who have killed 63.6% of their penalties. Overall, there have only been two occasions in the past 12 games in which Vancouver has gone perfect on the penalty, which happened against the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres.
The concerning part when it comes to the Canucks penalty kill is that the high goal total against isn't due to constantly taking penalties. In fact, Vancouver's 2.58 penalty kills per game are tied for the 10th lowest in the league since the start of 2026. This means the issue is more to do with structure than exhaustion from constantly killing penalties.
While the Canucks penalty kill has not been great all year, there is a substantial difference between how they are performing now in comparison to the first half of the season. Before the calendar flipped to 2026, Vancouver allowed 32 goals in 39 games. This puts the Canucks goals against total for the year at 47, which is eight more than they allowed during the 2024-25 season.
As for a comparison to years prior, the 2025-26 team could go down as one of the worst penalty killing groups in franchise history. The current record for goals allowed is 97, set by the 1992-93 team. While this year's group may not hit that milestone, they are on pace to finish in the top-10 for most power play goals allowed in a season.
Jan 21, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek (17) and forward David Kampf (64) watch as Washington Capitals forward Justin Sourdif (34) scores on goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesOne of the big questions moving forward this year will be whether Vancouver can fix their penalty kill? While fixing the penalty kill won't change the Canucks fate for this season, it is a building block for success in the future. Ultimately, something needs to change as Vancouver's penalty kill has become a significant issue this year.
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