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The Statsies: Filip Hronek turns in dominant performance in Canucks’ loss to Kraken
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Michael Liu
Jan 3, 2026, 13:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 3, 2026, 15:12 EST
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Starting off the New Year the right way.
The Vancouver Canucks dropped a 4-3 decision to the Seattle Kraken in a shootout. Ironically, this was a much better game than the one they played before the New Year rolled around, but found themselves on the other side of the result. It’s hard to fault this team for the effort they turned in at 5v5 – it was a good game, a much better one compared to the standard they had been playing at previously. But hey, more entertaining losses aren’t that bad of a thing at this point in the year.
Here’s the loss, by the numbers.
As always, you can find our glossary guide of advanced stats here.

Game Flow

Statistically, the first period was the only time where the Canucks were on the back foot this game, and even that was marginal. The shares stood at 52.50 CF% and 49.10 xGF%, before Vancouver actually took initiative in this one. They would post a 78.13 CF% and 63.91 xGF% in the second before recording 62.07 CF% and 80.55 xGF% in the third, which are fantastic shares in any context. The Canucks did well not only to limit the Kraken’s opportunities but also got plenty of chances themselves, something they haven’t done in a good while. Unfortunately, this team continues to struggle to capitalize on them, which eventually came back around to bite them.

Heat Map

The heat map here might not look like the most impressive thing in the world, but it’s a darn sight nicer than a lot of games Vancouver has played. In total, the Canucks posted a massive 32-13 scoring chance lead at 5v5, with a big 14-5 high-danger chance margin as well. With the larger spread of green in the offensive end, along with the darker hot spot, it’s clear that Vancouver did well for themselves at both ends of the ice. However, they just couldn’t make Seattle pay enough to secure the win.

Individual Advanced Stats

Corsi Champ: Filip Hronek had himself a night against the Kraken. The Czech defender led the Canucks with a massive 80.95 CF%, dominating the heavy top-pairing minutes that he was given. Hronek was on ice for a 17-1 scoring chance edge and 8-0 high-danger chance advantage, resulting in the second-best xGF% on the team at 90.76 and the team’s best raw xGF at 1.39. Suffice it to say that he did his part, even if the Canucks came up short in the end.
Corsi Chump: On the other end of the spectrum, Tom Willander brought up the rear in the CF% department with his team-low 44.83. Given how well the Canucks as a whole possessed the puck, that put Willander at a -26.01 CF% rel to team average. He posted the worst xGF% on the team with a 29.12, but managed to relatively limit the grade-A chances that he faced with just a 1-2 hole in HDCF. Not the best performance from the young Swede, but it’s all part of the growing process.
xGF: Apparently, David Kampf is just an expected goals machine these days. Leading the Canucks with a 90.90 xGF%, the Czech managed to be on ice for a team-low 0.05 xGA, while also splitting a 7-1 scoring chance advantage and 4-0 high-danger chance lead. It isn’t otherworldly, but it is a darn sight nicer than a lot of the stats that Kampf was posting when he first got to Vancouver. He was also on ice for a goal for, with no goals against at 5v5 action.
GSAx: Back-to-back performances from Thatcher Demko where he hasn’t been quite on par with his usual standard. The Kraken only managed to generate 2.28 xGF across all situations, meaning that with 3 goals against, Demko finished with a -0.72 GSAx on the night. The goals against were split evenly across all situations, which probably did affect the numbers negatively compared to if they were at a higher-danger level. As it was, Demko wasn’t the reason why they lost, but his performance definitely didn’t help Vancouver get a result in regulation.

Statistical Musings

If it ain’t broke: O’Connor-Kampf-Sherwood seemed to have figured something out playing together. They once more were dynamic, posting the team’s best CF% amongst all forward lines at 5v5 with a 64.29, while recording the second-best xGF% of 87.41. It’s a marked turnaround for Kampf especially, and to see them click a little more has definitely been a welcome boon for this team. Hopefully, it can pump up the trade value of both wingers, with Sherwood finding the back of the net against Seattle.
EP40: Elias Pettersson centered the best line the Canucks had last night statistically. Placed between Jake DeBrusk and the freshly extended Linus Karlsson, the trio put together a huge night on the statsheet. While their CF% was just marginally second-best at 64.00, their team-best 88.66 xGF% came from a massive team-best 0.84 xGF. It wasn’t even close, as the second-highest raw expected goals value came from the Evander Kane – Max Sasson – Brock Boeser line at 0.46, and that unit was atrocious in their own end. The ice was heavily tilted in Vancouver’s favour when DeBrusk-Pettersson-Karlsson were on the ice, with a 9-0 scoring chance advantage and 6-0 high-danger chance lead as well. The hope is that they can find the back of the net a little more often, but the early returns are promising.

As a team

CF% – 63.11% HDCF% – 71.43% xGF% – 65.72%
The Canucks definitely deserved to win this one more than they did in the last game in Seattle. They out-chanced and out-played the Kraken for a large majority of the night, and the stats really weren’t even close in that regard. That being said, that’s just how things go sometimes, and a shootout loss that was entertaining to watch is a heck of a lot better than a boring win. It’s good for the tank, and actually provides some entertainment value.
Vancouver is right back in action tonight as they host the Boston Bruins.
Stats provided by naturalstattrick.com
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