VANCOUVER CANUCKS NOTES:
MATCH-UP INFO
• Tonight marks the first of four meetings between the Canucks and Kraken this season: Oct. 27 (away), Dec. 22 (home), Jan. 25 (away), Apr. 4 (home).
• The Canucks are 4-0-0 all-time against the Kraken, including a 2-0-0 record at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
• In their four games played all-time, Vancouver has outscored Seattle by a score of 19-8.
• Among active Canucks skaters, Conor Garland (2-4-6 in 4 GP), Quinn Hughes (1-5-6 in 4 GP), J.T. Miller (1-5-6 in 4 GP), lead the team in career points vs Seattle.
• Thatcher Demko is 3-0-0 in his career against Seattle with a 2.00 GAA and .933 save-percentage.
• Spencer Martin is 1-0-0 in his career vs the Kraken with a 2.00 GAA and .938 save-percentage.
LAST MEETING – APR. 26/22: VAN 5 vs SEA 2
Sheldon Dries opened the scoring at 2:46 in the first period, assisted by Oliver Ekman-Larsson…J.T. Miller quickly extended Vancouver’s lead just 48 seconds later, with Conor Garland and Quinn Hughes drawing the assists…Ekman-Larsson registered a multipoint game (1-1-2) with a power play marker at 15:05 in the first period…Garland and Nic Petan assisted on the play…Luke Schenn doubled the Canucks’ lead at 13:10 in the third period, assisted by Matthew Highmore and Quinn Hughes…Hughes (1-2-3) and Garland (0-3-3) connected on Vancouver’s fifth goal at 15:59 in the third to each record a three-point outing…Elias Pettersson led the team in shots (4)…Luke Schenn led in hits (4), while Kyle Burroughs and Tyler Myers shared the lead in blocks (4)…Spencer Martin made 30 saves for his second win of the season.
2022.23 TEAM RANKS
VAN SEA
Goals For/Game 2.57 (27th) 3.25 (t-16th)
Goals Against/Game 4.29 (29th) 3.50 (26th)
Power Play % 16.0 (22nd) 29.0 (7th)
Penalty Kill % 57.1 (32nd) 69.0 (29th)
Penalty Min./Game 9:00 (t-15th) 10:07 (20th)
LAST GAME PLAYED – OCT. 24/22: VAN 2 vs CAR 3
J.T. Miller evened the score at 1-1 on the power play, at 12:30 in the first period…Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson each recorded assists on the play…Miller added his second goal of the game on a slapshot at 10:40 in the third period, with Tyler Myers registering his first assist of the season and Oliver Ekman-Larsson contributing the second assist…Kyle Burroughs led all Canucks in hits (4) and blocked shots on the evening…Thatcher Demko faced a season-high 39 shots against.
GAME HISTORY vs SEATTLE
• Apr. 26/22: VAN 5 vs SEA 2
• Feb. 21/22: VAN 5 vs SEA 2
• Jan. 1/22: VAN 5 at SEA 2
• Oct. 23/21: VAN 4 at SEA 2
NOSE FOR THE NET
Bo Horvat has 18 goals in his last 25 games since March 9, 2022, ranking first in the NHL in goals per game (0.72) during that stretch (min. 7 GP). His four goals through seven games played this season are tied with J.T. Miller for the most by a Canucks skater.
CLOSING IN ON 600
Currently holding a career regular season coaching record of 599-322-127, Bruce Boudreau is just one win shy of becoming the 22nd coach in NHL history and just the fifth active head coach to reach 600 regular season wins. Among coaches with 600 wins to their name, Boudreau’s .633 points percentage would rank second only to Scotty Bowman (.657).
ELIAS PETTER-CENT
Netting his third goal of the season on Oct. 18 at CBJ, Elias Pettersson registered his 100th career NHL goal, requiring the second-fewest games in Canucks history to reach the mark among players to debut with the franchise, trailing only Pavel Bure (154 GP).
• The goal also tied Pettersson with Jake Guentzel (PIT) and Brayden Point (TBL) as the ninth-fastest active player to reach 100 career goals. He also is the first player from the 2017 NHL draft class to reach the milestone.
SHORTHANDED SHOOTER
Opening the scoring with a shorthanded tally on Oct. 18 at CBJ, Bo Horvat passed Matt Cooke for sole possession of eighth-most shorthanded goals in franchise history (9), and now sits just one back of tying Ryan Kesler (10) for seventh-most. Pavel Bure holds the club record with 24 shorthanded goals.
SPENCE-TACULAR
Turning aside 29 shots in an overtime defeat on Oct. 18 at CBJ, Spencer Martin improved his record with the Canucks to 3-0-4, and now sits just one game back of tying Curt Ridley (6-0-2 in 1975.76) as the only goaltender in franchise history to earn at least a point in each of his eight starts with the team.
HOMEGROWN TALENT
Making his 137th NHL regular season appearance on Oct. 12 at EDM, Thatcher Demko gained sole possession of most games played in franchise history by a Canucks-drafted goaltender, surpassing Glen Hanlon’s mark of 136 games. Demko also currently stands just five wins away from tying Gary Smith for sixth-most wins among all goalies in Canucks history.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
• Sheldon Dries and William Lockwood recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 26
• Brock Boeser and Curtis Lazar placed on injured reserve, Oct. 26
• Noah Juulsen recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 24
• Quinn Hughes placed on injured reserve, Oct. 24
• Tucker Poolman placed on LTIR, Oct. 24
• Guillaume Brisebois recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 24
• Tucker Poolman placed on injured reserve, Oct. 24
• Noah Juulsen assigned to Abbotsford, Nils Höglander recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 23
• Nils Höglander assigned to Abbotsford, Noah Juulsen recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 22
• Phillip Di Giuseppe placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford, Oct. 19
THE LAST TIME…
• The Canucks won when leading after 1P: Apr. 18/22 vs DAL
• The Canucks lost when leading after 1P: Oct. 15/22 at PHI
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when leading after 1P: Oct. 18//22 at CBJ
• The Canucks won when leading after 2P: Apr. 18/22 vs DAL
• The Canucks lost when leading after 2P: Oct. 17/22 at WSH
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when leading after 2P: Oct. 20 at MIN
• The Canucks won when trailing after 1P: Feb. 21/22 vs SEA
• The Canucks lost when trailing after 1P: Oct. 22/22 vs BUF
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when trailing after 1P: Apr. 3/22 vs VGK
• The Canucks won when trailing after 2P: Mar. 5/22 at TOR
• The Canucks lost when trailing after 2P: Oct. 22/22 vs BUF
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when trailing after 2P: Oct. 18/22 vs CBJ
• The Canucks won when tied after 1P: Apr. 12/22 vs VGK
• The Canucks lost when tied after 1P: Oct. 24/22 vs CAR
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when tied after 1P: Oct. 20 at MIN
• The Canucks won when tied after 2P: Apr. 9/22 vs SJS
• The Canucks lost when tied after 2P: Oct. 24/22 vs CAR
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when tied after 2P: Mar. 20/22 vs BUF
2022.23 SEASON HIGHS AND LOWS
• Most Goals Scored, Game: 4, Oct. 17 at WSH
• Most Goals Scored, Period: 3, Oct. 17 at WSH
• Most Goals Allowed, Game: 6, Oct. 17 at WSH
• Most Goals Allowed, Period: 4, Oct. 17 at WSH, 3rd period
• Fewest Goals Scored, Game: 1, Oct. 22 vs BUF
• Fewest Goals Allowed, Game: 3 (2x), Latest Oct. 24 vs CAR
• Most PPG Scored, Game: 1 (4x), Latest Oct. 24 vs CAR
• Most PPG Allowed, Game: 3, Oct. 12 at EDM
• Most SHG Scored, Game: 1, Oct. 18 at CBJ
• Most SHG Allowed, Game: 1 (2x), Latest Oct. 15 at PHI
• Most Shots, Game: 36, Oct. 12 at EDM
• Most Shots, Period: 19, Oct. 17 at WSH, 2nd period
• Fewest Shots, Game: 16, Oct. 24 vs CAR
• Fewest Shots, Period: 3, Latest Oct. 24 vs CAR, 3rd period
• Most Shots Allowed, Game: 39, Oct. 24 vs CAR
• Most Shots Allowed, Period: 15, Oct. 24 vs CAR, 1st/3rd period
• Fewest Shots Allowed, Game: 25, Oct. 12 at EDM
• Fewest Shots Allowed, Period: 6, Oct. 20 at MIN, 2nd period
• Most Hits, Game: 40, Oct. 22 vs BUF
• Fewest Hits, Game: 12, Oct. 20 at MIN
• Most Blocked Shots, Game: 17, Oct. 12 at EDM
• Fewest Blocked Shots, Game: 8, Oct. 15 at PHI
• Largest Margin of Victory: N/A
• Largest Margin of Defeat: 4 goals, Oct. 22 vs BUF (5-1 L)
• Longest Win Streak: N/A
• Longest Point Streak: 2 games, Oct. 18-20
• Longest Winless Streak: 7 games, Oct. 12-24
• Longest Pointless Streak: 3 games, Oct. 12-17
VANCOUVER’S 2022.23 RECORD WHEN…
• Score 4+ Goals: 0-1-0
• Score 3 Goals or Less: 0-4-2
• Scoring First: 0-2-0
• Allow 4+ Goals: 0-3-1
• Allow 3 Goals or Less: 0-2-0
• Allowing First Goal: 0-3-1
• On 0 Days Rest: 0-0-0
• On 1 Day Rest: 0-3-1
• On 2 Days Rest: 0-1-0
• On 3+ Days Rest: 0-1-0
• Score a PPG: 0-4-0
• Give up a PPG: 0-5-1
• 25 or More Shots on Goal: 0-4-2
• Less than 25 shots: 0-1-0
THREE STARS – OCTOBER
• Horvat – 5 pts
• Miller – 5 pts
• Pettersson – 5 pts
*5 points are awarded for each Three Stars selection
SEATTLE KRAKEN NOTES:
LAST GAME
Buffalo 1 at Seattle 5
Goals: Oleksiak, Geekie, Sprong, McCann, Beniers
Goalie: Jones (15/16)
PP: 2/3 PK: 4/4 Shots: Buffalo 16 – Seattle 24
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 18)
Chris Driedger (ACL; IR) – 8 games – month-to-month
Joonas Donskoi (upper body; IR) – 8 games – day-to-day
Philipp Grubauer (lower body; IR) – 2 games – day-to-day
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
Oct. 20, 2022: Placed D Michal Kempny on unconditional waivers
Oct. 21, 2022: Terminated D Michal Kempny’s contract
Oct. 22, 2022: Recalled G Joey Daccord from Coachella Valley (AHL)
UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, Oct. 29: Pittsburgh at Seattle, 7 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Nov. 1: Seattle at Calgary, 6 p.m. PT
Thursday, Nov. 3: Seattle at Minnesota, 5 p.m. PT
Saturday, Nov. 5: Seattle at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Nov. 8: Nashville at Seattle, 7 p.m. PT
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Tonight is the Kraken’s first game against a Canadian team this season. The team is looking for wins in consecutive home games for the first time this year.
• Jordan Eberle enters tonight’s contest one point shy of totaling 600 NHL points. When he reaches the milestone, he will become the 46th active player and third skater from the 2008 NHL Draft class to have 600 career points.
• According to Natural Stat Trick, when Oliver Bjorkstrand is on the ice during five-on-five play, the Kraken are outshooting their opponents 69-43 and have 60 scoring chances to their opponents’ 52. His 61.6 percent Corsi rating ranks second to only Alex Wennberg (64.4 percent) for the team lead.
• Entering play Wednesday, Matty Beniers was tied for the NHL lead in scoring among the league’s rookies with six points (three goals, three assists) this season. His 18:07 of average time on ice ranked second (Noah Cates) among all rookie forwards entering play Wednesday.
• Will Borgen has posted a 59.9 percent Corsi rating this season, which ranked 10th among all NHL defensemen that have played at least 90 minutes at five-on-five this season, according to Natural Stat Trick. When Borgen is on the ice during five-on-five play, the Kraken are outshooting their opponents 66-43 and have 63 scoring chances to their opponents’ 47.
• Jamie Oleksiak’s 25 hits this season were tied for eighth in the league lead entering play Wednesday. Entering play Wednesday, Oleksiak and New York’s Jacob Trouba were the only two players in the league to have at least 20 hits and 15 blocked shots.
WHALE WATCHING
• Will Borgen scored his first NHL goal against Vancouver on Jan. 1, 2022.
• Jordan Eberle has 13 points (10 goals, three assists) in his last 13 games against the Canucks, including recording his 400th NHL point (a goal) on Nov. 28, 2017.
• Martin Jones has a career 10-3-1 record against Vancouver with a .937 save percentage and 1.93 goals-against average. His .937 save percentage is his best mark against any opponent that he has played at least five times.
• Jared McCann has notched a point in five of the last six games he has played against the Canucks, totaling five points (one goal, four assists) during that span.
REGIONAL RIVALS
• Tonight’s game marks the first matchup of the season between the Kraken and the Canucks. The Kraken are searching for their first-ever win against Vancouver, and the Canucks are looking for their first win of the season.
• The Canucks are the closest NHL team geographically to the Kraken. Climate Pledge Arena and Rogers Arena are located approximately 145 miles apart.
• It would take you approximately three hours to drive from Seattle to Vancouver, one hour to fly and two days to walk.
• The greater Seattle area has a population of approximately 4.02 million in comparison to 2.6 million in the greater Vancouver area.
• Seattle is home to seven professional sports teams in addition to the Kraken – the Seahawks (NFL), Mariners (MLB), Storm (WNBA), Sounders FC (MLS), OL Reign (NWSL), Dragons (XFL) and Seawolves (MLR). Similarly, Vancouver has six professional sports teams in addition to the Canucks – BC Lions (CFL), Whitecaps (MLS), Warriors (NLL), Canadians (NWL), BC Bears (CRC) and Knights (CT20).
• The Western Hockey League – a major junior hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States – has teams located in both Seattle (the Thunderbirds) and Vancouver (the Giants). Kraken prospect Alexander True played for the Thunderbirds prior to making his professional debut.
• Both Seattle and Vancouver used to be the home of NBA franchises. The Sonics were located in Seattle from 1967 to 2008 before relocating to Oklahoma City and becoming the Thunder, winning one championship (1979) during their tenure in the Pacific Northwest. The Grizzles resided in Vancouver for seven years (1995 to 2001) before moving to Memphis, where they are now known as the Memphis Grizzlies.
• Jared McCann played for the Canucks for one season (2015-16) after being drafted by the team in the first round (24th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft. He totaled 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 69 regular-season games before being traded to the Florida Panthers.
• Kraken assistant coach Dave Lowry was selected by Vancouver in the sixth round (110th overall) of the 1983 NHL Draft and went on to play for the Canucks for parts of three seasons (1985-86 to 1987-88), totaling 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 143 regular-season games.
• Seattle prospect Kole Lind was the Kraken’s selection from Vancouver in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Lind was taken by the Canucks in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft and appeared in seven games for Vancouver in 2020-21.
YEET THE FISH
• The Kraken debuted their new salmon for the team’s post-game fish toss following the team’s victory over Buffalo on Oct. 25, the team’s first home win of the season.
• The Kraken worked with Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) – the largest wild Sockeye salmon fishery – to design this year’s iteration of the fish, insuring both historical and cultural accuracy.
• This year’s fish will be an antinomically correct pink salmon, which features a hole in the plush fish’s mouth so fans can hold the fish just as it would be held if it were caught in the wild.
• Each fish, which is signed by one of the Kraken’s Three Stars of the Game prior to being tossed, includes a tag that bears facts about the fish, its relationship to the Pacific Northwest and its native people.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
• Jamie Oleksiak, Morgan Geekie and Daniel Sprong all scored their first goals of the season in the Kraken’s last game on Oct. 25 against the Buffalo Sabres. The Kraken have now had 16 different players score a goal this season, which led the NHL entering play Wednesday.
• Seattle has also had 20 different players record a point this year, which tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the league lead entering play Wednesday.
• Every player that has played in a game for the Kraken this season has tallied at least one point. Entering play Wednesday, the Kraken were the only team in the league to have every skater that has dressed in a game find the scoresheet.
• The Kraken have scored 26 goals this season, which tied with Vegas for the fourth-most in the NHL entering play Wednesday. Their 16 five-on-five goals were good for 10th in the league.
• Jared McCann currently leads the Kraken with four goals this season, two of which have come at even strength and two that have come on the power play.
VIEWS FROM THE SIX
• The Kraken have had six defensemen dress in a game for them this season – Will Borgen, Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak, Justin Schultz and Carson Soucy. Each of the six blueliners have recorded at least two points this season, with Dunn leading the team’s defensemen with five points (one goal, four assists).
• Entering play Wednesday, the Kraken joined the Detroit Red Wings and the Washington Capitals as the only teams in the league this season to have every defenseman that has played in a game for them record at least one point.
• The Kraken have had five defensemen score a goal this year – Will Borgen, Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson (two), Jamie Oleksiak and Justin Schultz. Entering play Wednesday, the Kraken and the Columbus Blue Jackets were the only two teams to have five different defensemen score a goal this year.
• Seattle’s six goals by defensemen this year are tied for the third-most in the league entering play Wednesday, trailing only the Columbus Blue Jackets (seven) and the New York Islanders (seven).
• Seattle’s six defensemen have combined for 19 points this season, which ranked fourth in the NHL entering play Wednesday.
• Adam Larsson currently leads all Kraken blueliners in average time on ice (22:41) this season.
GOING STREAKING
• If Jared McCann were to score tonight, it would give him a goal in four consecutive games for the first time in his career. A point of any kind will tie McCann’s career-best point streak at four games, a feat he has previously achieved on seven occasions, most recently from April 16 to 22, 2022.
• Rookie Matty Beniers has scored in each of the Kraken’s last two games. A goal tonight would extend his scoring streak to three games for the first time in his career.
• If Morgan Geekie were to have a goal or an assist tonight, it would give him points in three consecutive games, tying his career high that he set from March 22 to 28, 2022. A goal would also give him goals in consecutive games for the third time in his career.
SHOOT YOUR SHOT
• The Kraken have totaled 257 shots on goal and 356 shot attempts this season, which ranked sixth and fourth, respectively, in the league entering play Wednesday. The team has outshot its opponents in six of the eight games it has played this season.
• Seattle is outshooting its opponents 257 to 209 this season and is averaging 32.1 shots per game played to its opponents’ 26.1. Its 26.1 average shots against per game was the third-best mark in the NHL entering play Wednesday and the team’s plus-6
average shot differential ranked fifth.
• The Kraken also have a plus-51 shot attempt differential this year, which ranked fourth in the NHL entering play Wednesday.
• Oliver Bjorkstrand leads the Kraken and tied for sixth in the league entering play Wednesday with 32 shots on goal this season.
NO BS
• Defensemen Will Borgen and Carson Soucy have played 84:28 together at five-on-five this season. When the duo is on the ice during five-on-five play, the Kraken are outshooting their opponents 56-35, outscoring them 5-2 and have 53 scoring chances to their opponents’ 36.
• Borgen and Soucy have registered a 60.9 percent Corsi rating, which leads all Kraken defensive pairs that have played more than eight minutes together at five-on-five. The two also rank fourth in the NHL in Corsi rating among defensive pairs that have played at least 60 minutes together at five-on-five.
• The pair owns a plus-21 shot differential and plus-17 scoring chance differential when playing at five-on-five this season, which ranks fourth and third, respectively, in the league among defensive pairs that have played at least 60 minutes at five-on-five together.
• Borgen (59.9 percent) and Soucy (59.1 percent) rank third and fourth, respectively, on the Kraken roster in Corsi rating this season and have combined for 34 hits over the team’s first eight games. *All stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and are as of 3 p.m. PT on Oct. 26
GO GO POWER RANGERS
• Entering play Wednesday, the Kraken owned the seventh-best power play in the league, converting on nine of 31 opportunities this season (29.0 percent).
• The team’s nine power-play goals ranked second in the NHL entering play Wednesday, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche’s 10.
• The Kraken have had four different skaters score a power-play goal this year, with goals coming from Matty Beniers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Andre Burakovsky (two), Jared McCann (two) and Jaden Schwartz (three). Only the Dallas Stars (six) and Pittsburgh Penguins (six) have had more skaters score a power-play goal this season entering play Wednesday.
• The Kraken’s nine power-play goals in eight games is their best eight-game stretch in franchise history.
FOUR’S COMPANY
• The Seattle Kraken will forgo naming a captain for the 2022-23 season and have named four alternate captains as part of this year’s leadership group: Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, Adam Larsson and Jaden Schwartz.
• This season will mark the second-consecutive year that all four of Eberle, Gourde, Larsson and Schwartz will wear a letter for the Kraken.
• Prior to joining the Kraken, Eberle previously served as an alternate captain for the Edmonton Oilers for five seasons (2012-13 to 2016-17). Larsson also wore an “A” for Edmonton after Eberle’s departure – from 2017-18 to 2020-21.
• Eberle leads all Kraken players in career games played (866), goals (262), assists (337) and points (599).
• Schwartz was an alternate captain for the St. Louis Blues for three seasons (2017-18 to 2019-20) and was a part of the team’s leadership group when they won the 2019 Stanley Cup.
