3 Basic Elements of the Game | Kraken at Canucks

Two: Set the Tone

After a clean sheet in the first period against the Flames, both Seattle and Calgary were given three penalties in the middle of the game, and the Kraken were sent to the penalty area five times in the final 20 minutes of the game. Bylsma wasn’t surprised that the game got feisty, and while he was proud of his team’s reaction to adversity, that wasn’t how he wanted the game to be played. “I don’t want us to be reactionary… I want us to be aggressive in the way we play and the physicality.”

Entering the away side may require even more conscious control over the energy and pace of the game, so expect Kraken to focus more on playing within their systems and conveying emotion.

Three: Know Your Enemy

Tuesday marks the first preseason game for the Canucks, as well as the first of two games the teams will play before the 2024-25 season truly begins. Vancouver is coming off a successful season in which they finished first in the Pacific with 109 points and were one game away from advancing to the Western Conference finals.

This year, as the team looks to at least replicate — if not build on — that success, they’ve made key additions in the offseason, including forwards Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and former Kraken Daniel Sprong. But the Canucks’ most significant addition may be their latest: The Canucks signed goaltender Kevin Lankinen on Sept. 21. Vancouver already has Thatcher Demko, who played most of the Canucks’ regular season, and young Arturs Silovs, who advanced in the playoffs. But Demko has also battled injuries, including one that kept him out of the playoffs and is now lingering — raising questions about his ability to be ready for the start of this season. So what the goaltending duo looks like in the short and long term is something to monitor.