On Monday, Dec. 29, the Seattle Kraken will host the Vancouver Canucks. The Kraken are on a four-game winning streak after they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Dec. 28, and will ride that momentum tonight as they try to force their way into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Kraken’s 4-1 Win Over the Flyers
The Canucks are on a streak of their own, a losing one. They’ve lost their last two games, most recently to the San Jose Sharks, 6-3, on Saturday. This game against the Kraken is the last of a two-game road trip.
Kraken Storylines
Since Philipp Grubauer was in net last night, Joey Daccord will be the Kraken’s starter against the Canucks. Grubauer made 31 saves against the Flyers while powering through an illness. With Daccord playing tonight, Grubauer will get some much-needed rest, and the two goaltenders can get ready for their next back-to-back on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2.
Jared McCann played his first game since Dec. 10 against the Flyers. He was on the third line with Berkly Catton and Shane Wright, playing 13:27 of ice time in 21 shifts and recorded two shots. This was a strong start as he works his way back up to the top six.
The player to watch in this game is Eeli Tolvanen. He has been on a hot streak, recording 10 points in the last six games. He scored two goals and one assist against the Flyers and was named the second star of the week.
Team Stats
Seattle Kraken
Season Record: 16-14-6
Top Scorers:
- Eeli Tolvanen – 7 goals (G), 18 assists (A), 25 points (P)
- Jordan Eberle – 14 G, 10 A, 24 P
- Chandler Stephenson – 10 G, 14 A, 24 P
- Matty Beniers – 4 G, 17 A, 21 P
- Vince Dunn – 5 G, 14 A, 19 P
Goalie Stats:
- Joey Daccord – 10-9-4, 2.82 goals-against average (GAA), .904 save percentage (SV%)
- Philipp Grubauer – 6-3-1, 2.44 GAA, .917 SV%
- Matt Murray – 0-2-1, 2.21 GAA, .922 SV%
Vancouver Canucks
Season Record: 15-19-3
Top Scorers:
- Elias Pettersson – 8 G, 14 A, 22 P
- Conor Garland – 7 G, 15 A, 22 P
- Filip Hronek – 2 G, 20 A, 22 P
- Kiefer Sherwood – 16 G, 4 A, 20 P
- Evander Kane – 6 G, 12 A, 18 P
Goalie Stats:
- Kevin Lankinen – 5-10-3, 3.51 GAA, .880 SV%
- Thatcher Demko – 8-7-0, 2.63 GAA, .909 SV%
- Nikita Tolopilo – 2-1-0, 2.74 GAA, .911 SV%
- Jiri Patera – 0-1-0, 7.39 GAA, .825 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers’ projected lineup article.
Seattle Kraken
Kaapo Kakko — Matty Beniers — Jordan Eberle
Eeli Tolvanen — Chandler Stephenson — Frederick Gaudreau
Berkly Catton — Shane Wright — Jared McCann
Tye Kartye — Ben Meyers — Jacob Melanson
Vince Dunn — Adam Larsson
Ryan Lindgren — Cale Fleury
Ryker Evans — Jamie Oleksiak
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Jani Nyman, Ryan Winterton, Josh Mahura
Injured: Jaden Schwartz, Brandon Montour, Matt Murray, Max McCormick
Vancouver Canucks
Evander Kane — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren — Marco Rossi — Conor Garland
Drew O’Connor — Aatu Raty — Kiefer Sherwood
Nils Hoglander — Max Sasson — Linus Karlsson
Marcus Pettersson — Filip Hronek
Zeev Buium — Tyler Myers
Elias Pettersson — Tom Willander
Kevin Lankinen
Thatcher Demko
Scratched: David Kampf, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Jake DeBrusk
Injured: Filip Chytil, Teddy Blueger, Guillaume Brisebois, Derek Forbort
Next Up for the Kraken
After tonight’s game, the Kraken won’t play again until the New Year, when they host the Nashville Predators on Jan. 1 and visit the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 2.
