It feels like an odd thing to celebrate given that they’re still dead-last in the NHL, but their 4–3 shootout win against the Nashville Predators seemed to give the Vancouver Canucks’ locker room a lot more levity. A solid effort through the entire game and a late comeback helped give Vancouver just its fourth win of 2026. On the flip side, the team coming in to face Vancouver, the Seattle Kraken, are currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak — the last of which was a 5–1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Thursday’s win was a positive one for a Canucks dressing room that has seemed to make its peace with the fact that they’re in the process of a rebuild. Still, it was key veterans like Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek who helped pave the way for the win, complete with an all-around excellent performance by Marco Rossi. The Canucks pushed themselves, tied things up late, and ultimately sealed the deal after Nikita Tolopilo stopped all three shots faced in the shootout. With little expectations heading into the end of the season, Vancouver will want to make the most of the rest of their games by ensuring they maintain the same effort levels. Seattle will be a desperate team heading into Saturday’s matchup, as they are one of four western-conference teams currently within a point or two of one-another for the final wild card spot. Paired with their current losing streak, the Kraken will likely come out strong at puck drop as they look to regain possession of a playoff spot. PLAYERS TO WATCH: Brock Boeser Since the trade deadline passed, Boeser has been one of the team’s strongest forwards. He has four goals and one assist in his last five games, including a two-goal performance against the Chicago Blackhawks. Part of the forward’s personal success may be attributed to his new line, featuring Marco Rossi and Liam Öhgren as well as himself, which has consistently performed well since being put together on March 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Vince Dunn Despite Seattle only scoring more than two goals once during their four-game losing streak, Dunn has remained a consistent offensive presence, putting up a point-per-game pace during the skid. Prior to his team’s loss to the Avalanche on Thursday, Dunn had put up two goals and three assists in his five games before. Jan 2, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) battles with Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers (10) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/ec60c8f1-a07e-427f-8af4-0e63c56fa8f0.jpeg] Jan 2, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) battles with Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers (10) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images Vancouver Canucks (20–37–8): Points: Filip Hronek: 7–31–38 Elias Pettersson: 13–25–38 Jake DeBrusk: 14–18–32 Brock Boeser: 16–15–31 Linus Karlsson: 12–16–28 Goaltenders: Thatcher Demko: 8–10–1 Kevin Lankinen: 7–21–5 Nikita Tolopilo: 5–5–2 Jiří Patera: 0–1–0 Seattle Kraken (29–26–9): Points: Jordan Eberle: 22–22–44 Matty Beniers: 17–23–40 Chandler Stephenson: 14–26–40 Vince Dunn: 10–29–39 Jared McCann: 16–18–34 Goaltenders: Joey Daccord: 18–16–5 Philipp Grubauer: 11–8–3 Matt Murray: 0–2–1 Game Information: Start time: 7:00 pm PT Venue: Rogers Arena Television: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 650 Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwr-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. 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