Kraken fall short at home as Canucks prevail 3-2 with shootout win

The Kraken see their winning streak halted at four games, but still pick up a valuable point and stay in striking distance of a playoff spot.

The Seattle Kraken entered Monday night looking for their longest winning streak since December-January of the 2023-24 season. And they seemed in prime position to achieve just this, as they prepared to take on a Vancouver Canucks team with the fewest points in the NHL.

Ultimately though, the Kraken fell just short as the Canucks prevailed 3-2 after Liam Ohgren scored the only goal in the shootout. Yes the home side still managed to improve their points streak to five games, but in truth they should have taken both points in a game where they were the better team overall.

The Kraken easily outshot the Canucks 39-24 on the night including 19-3 in the third period and overtime, but were undone by their inability to cash in. This has been a constant issue throughout the 2025-26 season thus far, with them sitting bottom of the NHL in scoring with just 95 goals. (They are ranked third-worst with an average of 2.57 goals per contest.)

Jared McCann gets back in the scoring books

It had all looked so promising when Jared McCann opened the scoring at the 8:50 mark of the first period with a powerplay goal, to give the Kraken a 1-0 advantage. It was his first goal since Dec. 10, when he also suffered a lower-body ailment in what has been an injury-riddled campaign for the 2014 first round draft pick.

After Linus Karlsson tied the game at 1-1, Ryan Winterton re-established the lead for the Kraken with just 20 seconds remaining in the first period. However, that would be it for the home side as Kevin Lankinen held them at bay for the rest of the game with 37 saves at a .949 save percentage, with both marks being his second-best of the season.

McCann gave Lankinen some deserved praise when speaking to the media postgame. As per Geoff Baker of NHL.com, he said:

“You’ve got to give him credit, he played well and made some big saves for them. We peppered him and we played well. We did. We had some good opportunities offensively, hemmed them in their zone quite a bit.”

Kraken still struggling to get results on home ice

Another key to the Canucks getting the win is that despite their poor overall record they have been tremendous on the road this season, with their 12-8-2 mark third-best in the Western Conference. This was further helped by the Kraken being decidedly average at Climate Pledge Arena up to this point of the campaign, with a 8-7-4 record following Monday night’s loss.

Still though, it comes back to the Kraken’s inability to convert their chances just one night after scoring four goals on only 20 shots at goal. Their lack of effectiveness in front of the Canucks’ net was highlighted by going just 1-for-6 on the powerplay.

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More goals needed moving forward

McCann tried to remain positive though, despite the lack of a killer instinct that included failing to capitalize on a 4-on-3 opportunity in the extra period. He said:

“I thought we had some good chances and that goalie made some big saves for them. But all in all, we got a good point out of this and now we move forward.”

At least the Kraken won’t have to wait long for their chance at revenge, with the Cascadia rivals renewing hostilities on Friday night in Vancouver. First things first though there will be another game at Climate Pledge Arena on New Year’s Day, with the Nashville Predators coming to town.

Overall, the Canucks appear to be on the right track again after recovering from losing 10 of 11, sitting just two points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot and having played two less games than the San Jose Sharks. However, key to maintaining a genuine challenge in 2026 will be finding a way to score more goals or face similar outcomes like the one they suffered on Monday night against the Canucks.

Where is your confidence level at with the Kraken as they prepare to turn the calendar to 2026? Do they have what it takes to claim a playoff spot, or will they ultimately fall short? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.