We’re back with another instant reaction article to give you a chance to sound off in the comments.
I’m not sure if there’s much of a point to this article though, as it was not televised, so you all don’t have much to discuss unless you were listening to Brendan Batchelor’s call over the radio.
The Vancouver Canucks fell 3-1 at the hands of the Seattle Kraken and Conor Garland had the only goal for the Canucks in the game.
We somehow watched the game and will give you some quick takeaways before letting you sound off in the comments section and then come back for the full game recap on CanucksArmy a bit later tonight.
Here’s how the Vancouver Canucks lined up.
Go time in Seattle❗️@TicketmasterCA | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/RT3hRofHF0
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 29, 2023
Christian Wolanin had some ups and downs in this game. He struggled early on and fanned on a couple of passes in the first period that resulted in turnovers and quick chances for the Seattle Kraken. Later in the game, Wolanin was unable to clear the puck while shorthanded and the Kraken capitalized on Wolanin’s mistake and got themselves a 2-1 lead early in the third period.
There was a lot of physicality in the game and the main culprit for the Canucks was defenceman Ian Cole. He protected the paint around Demko and threw a big hit early in the game.
Nice physicality from Arshdeep Bains and then a big hit from Ian Cole.
📹: KONG pic.twitter.com/AGK0DYMfSx
— 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 Faber 🔥🎙 (@ChrisFaber39) September 29, 2023
Cole plays a simple game and we liked him in this one. He’s going to give every player he runs into a little slash at the end of the play and clearly has some bite in his game.
Though he didn’t find the scoresheet and probably wasn’t the best Canuck on the night, Arshdeep Bains continues to impress us in the preseason. After a solid game one night prior in Edmonton, Bains followed it up with another excellent performance on Thursday night in Seattle.
Best chance of the Canucks' power play comes off the stick of Christian Wolanin.
More good stuff from Arshdeep Bains on this shift and a nice pass from Anthony Beauvillier to get the puck to Wolanin for the shot.
📹: KONG pic.twitter.com/2SGOigJGZY
— 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 Faber 🔥🎙 (@ChrisFaber39) September 29, 2023
Bains plays simple but smart. He is able to make every pass and is showing us that he had a great offseason and looks much stronger than he did last year in the AHL. This kid is going to play NHL games for the Canucks this season — bank on it.
Noah Juulsen really struggled in this game and that’s not good after how he looked on Sunday in the 10-0 whooping. Juulsen just looks like the game is passing him by and he’s just trying to keep up with the pace. On top of the slow pace, Juulsen has struggled with the puck throughout his two preseason games. He’s likely leading the Canucks in fanned passes/60 and is not making a great case to be on the Canucks’ opening night roster.
Juulsen will need to show up in one of the final three games to have a chance of making the opening night roster. He’s not in our top eight right now.
We will end on a positive with Filip Hronek. He was far and away the best Canucks defenceman in the game and was my player of the game for the Canucks. Hronek was solid defensively — playing tough and using his stick in unison with his physicality to pressure the Kraken forwards in his own zone. On top of the solid defensive play, Hronek was a breakout machine and could stretch a pass through the neutral zone with ease.
If Hronek consistently plays as well as he did on Thursday night, he’s going to be a big help to the Canucks’ top-four.
Did you have any takeaways from tonight’s game?
It’s too bad it wasn’t televised but we will have a full recap coming soon!