Canucks vs Kraken

Jordan Eberle and the Kraken suddenly look dangerous again, riding a four-game winning streak into this one while the Canucks limp in on a two-game skid after being outscored 11-5 by Philadelphia and San Jose. Seattle’s active roster on ESPN shows a healthy top six with Eberle, Jared McCann, Eeli Tolvanen and Chandler Stephenson all available, complemented by a tandem of Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer in net, whereas Vancouver’s page confirms a shorthanded center group with Elias Pettersson, Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil all on injured reserve heading into this back-to-back spot. That cluster of Canucks injuries strips away their No. 1 pivot and two defensive-minded depth centers on a team already sitting last in the Pacific by point percentage and carrying a -22 goal differential, while Seattle, despite its own blue-line losses in Brandon Montour and Jaden Schwartz up front, has clawed into the wild-card mix. Historically, Vancouver has had the better of this rivalry and still leans on Conor Garland’s strong production against Seattle plus Thatcher Demko’s 5-2-1 career mark versus the Kraken, but McCann’s 21 points in 22 games against his former team and Seattle’s current form tilt this matchup toward the hosts. With Seattle at home, in better recent form, and facing a Vancouver lineup missing its most dynamic forward, I’m backing the Kraken on the moneyline at 115 with an A- grade for confidence and solid but not elite value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/12/2025 09:47 ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/roster/_/name/sea/seattle-kraken))

With both teams grinding through dense December schedules, the total sets up as more fragile than their raw season goal numbers suggest, especially with Vancouver’s offense missing Pettersson and multiple depth pieces while Seattle’s attack is down Schwartz and puck-moving defender Montour. Vancouver’s season profile shows 106 goals for and 128 against in 37 games, while Seattle sits at 93 for and 108 against through 36, but Demko’s individual numbers (around a 2.6 goals-against and .909 save percentage) alongside Daccord’s roughly 2.8 goals-against and .904 save rate point toward competent goaltending on both sides if either starter goes, and Seattle’s recent surge has been driven as much by defensive buy-in and strong netminding from Grubauer as by offensive explosions. Past Canucks–Kraken matchups have produced their share of fireworks, yet Vancouver’s current forward group leans more on secondary scorers like Kiefer Sherwood, Brock Boeser and Evander Kane and less on elite playmaking down the middle, which should make it harder to exploit a Seattle blue line that still has Vince Dunn back in the lineup. Factor in divisional familiarity, both teams having played high-intensity games in the last 48 hours, and the market already shading the Over at a steeper price, and Under 5.5 at 105 earns a B+ grade as a slightly value-driven lean toward a tighter, lower-event game script. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/12/2025 09:47 ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%9326_Vancouver_Canucks_season?utm_source=openai))

Although I expect Seattle to find a way to win, the puckline calculus is different, and Vancouver catching 1.5 goals at 278 is the side I prefer given how these rosters and recent results line up. The Canucks’ overall goal differential is ugly, but they’ve been far more competitive on the road (11-8-2) than at home, and Demko’s track record against Seattle plus Vancouver’s historical 8-5-1 edge in the matchup suggest that a lot of these games stay within a goal even when the Canucks don’t take both points. Seattle’s home record sits near .500 and their season-long goal differential is only slightly better than Vancouver’s, indicating they win plenty of games by narrow margins, and that pattern fits with an offense built more on committee scoring from Eberle, Tolvanen, McCann and Stephenson than on a single elite finisher. On the injury front, Seattle’s loss of Montour reduces some of their ability to pull away via transition offense from the back end, while Vancouver’s IR list (Pettersson, Blueger, Chytil, Forbort) hurts ceiling but still leaves enough capable forwards like Garland, Boeser, Sherwood and Kane to trade punches and protect a puckline cushion. Because the price on Vancouver plus the goals is expensive relative to the risk of an empty-netter or a Kraken outburst, I grade this pick a B-, leaning on the probability of another tight divisional contest rather than on great monetary value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/12/2025 09:47 ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%9326_Vancouver_Canucks_season?utm_source=openai))