2025-26 Regular Season, Game 61 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at Vancouver Canucks

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes began their four-game road trip on the losing end of a battle with the Seattle Kraken, bringing their winning streak and point streak to an end with it. Neither goalie conceded a goal in the first period before Kaapo Kakko got the fun started in the second. Alexander Nikishin's pass hit a skate and sprung Kakko on a 2-on-1. Frederik Andersen got some of it, but not enough, putting Seattle ahead. The Kraken thought they scored on the power play before the halfway point until a challenge for offside wiped it off the board. However, they scored legally less than a minute later to give themselves a 2-0 lead on Ben Meyers' hard work. With 90 seconds left in the middle frame, Nikolaj Ehlers finally broke through Joey Daccord, scoring in the slot to make it a one-shot game. That's as close as it would get. The Canes didn't draw their first penalty until the end of the third period, and it wasn't enough to get the job done. Seattle held on for a 2-1 win, stolen because of Daccord's 35-save performance.

Injury Report

No one that we know of, though Seth Jarvis and Eric Robinson each took hits that looked like they hurt a little on Monday night in Seattle.

The Opponent: Vancouver Canucks (18-35-7, 43 Points; 8th in the Pacific Division)

Last Meeting: The Canucks made their annual visit to Raleigh in mid-November, and the scoring was fast and furious in the opening ten minutes. Max Sasson got it rolling less than three minutes in, but Andrei Svechnikov struck twice in 54 seconds, the latter of which came on the power play. Elias Pettersson got the Canucks back even with a short-handed goal after a bad Carolina turnover in the defensive end, knotting the game at two before the opening period was halfway through. Conor Garland got another for the Canucks on special teams, scoring on the power play early in the second. The Canes got it back early in the third on a Taylor Hall goal, sending the sides to overtime tied at three. In overtime, Sebastian Aho spun away from Pettersson and sniped it top shelf on Kevin Lankinen to earn a 4-3 win. Svechnikov (2G, 1A) and Shayne Gostisbehere (3A) had three points each, while Aho and Pettersson each had a goal and an assist.

Since We Last Met: I'm not reinventing the wheel when I say that the Vancouver Canucks have not had a good season. Their placement at the bottom of the standings is just the tip of the iceberg. They're one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL with one of the worst defenses in the league, especially after trading Quinn Hughes earlier in the season. The Hughes deal is likely not the last move we'll see them make. There are already rumblings that there's a deal in place to send Conor Garland to the Islanders, which may or may not be done by the time you read this. Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser, Evander Kane, and Tyler Myers are among the Canucks who could be on the move before the deadline on Friday. Pretty much everything has gone wrong this season, though it could end with the Canucks owning the best chances at the first pick in June's draft. They've lost six straight games and have just three wins since Christmas. The Canucks will be in the news a lot over the next 72 hours, but they will likely be forgotten by the end of the season.

Stories to Watch

1. This is definitely a trap (game)

There's only one big thing that needs to be said about this game. With as poorly as the Canucks have played over the last two months, there is still no place for complacency in the Hurricanes' game. There are still some decent weapons on the ice for Vancouver, making this far from a walk in the park for the visitors. Even if some of their players are traded before the game or rested in anticipation of a move, they can't sit everyone, which means the Canes can't sit back. The stars need to outwork Vancouver's. Brandon Bussi, who I assume is starting, needs to outduel whoever Vancouver throws against him. It's the final game before the trade deadline, so there is still plenty at stake, especially as the rest of the division tries to play catch-up.