Kraken host Canucks, three days after chippy game in Vancouver

The Kraken and the Vancouver Canucks are set to play Friday night at Climate Pledge Arena in a game that won’t count in the standings, but that does not mean it will lack intensity.

It certainly was intense when the two teams met Tuesday night in Vancouver, with the Canucks winning 3-1 in a preseason game marked by hard hits, roughing penalties and a couple of fights.

“This is turning into a great rivalry,” Kraken forward John Hayden said. “It’s good for both cities.”

Hayden dropped the gloves with Vancouver’s Vilmer Alriksson, after he checked the Kraken’s Logan Morrison into the boards.

“We had a pack mentality all night,” Hayden said.

The Kraken fell to 0-2 in the preseason with the loss in Vancouver after opening with a 6-1 loss to Calgary.

Joey Daccord started in goal for the Kraken and stopped 17 of 19 shots through two periods. Ales Stezka stopped all six shots he faced in the third period before being pulled late in the game for an extra skater. The Canucks scored an empty-net goal to ensure a victory.

Ben Meyers, who played last season for Colorado and Anaheim, scored the Kraken’s lone goal.

The Kraken and the Canucks, who are 2-0 in the preseason after beating Calgary on Wednesday night, will certainly have different lineups once the real games begin. Success in the preseason is often not a good gauge for success in the regular season so Kraken fans should probably not fret the 0-2 start.

The Kraken had good preseasons in 2021 and 2023, but struggled in the regular season. While the outcomes of preseason games might not mean a lot for the teams, the games are huge for players trying to earn a roster spot and young players trying to impress.

One of those players is defenseman Ty Nelson, who will likely be starting the season at Coachella Valley and is trying to take advantage of every day he is at Kraken camp.

“You’ve just got to come into camp and put your head down and work,” he said. “I’ve got to give it my all every day, and try and make the best impression I can to further and better my hockey career. As a young guy, I try to be the first guy in the gym and the last guy out.”

Nelson played in the game in Vancouver and showed he had no issues getting physical with the Canucks.

“I’ve got a bigger build and I like to bring a physical aspect to the game,” said Nelson, 5 feet 9 and 195 pounds. “That game got a little bit rough and chippy and I just wanted to be able to throw my body around when needed. I think that’s something that I like to add to my game as well, that if the big hit is there, I am going to try take it. Just being able to help provide some physicality and try to sway the momentum our way is something I take pride in.”

As for Kraken coach Dan Bylsma, he is hoping to see continued improvement Friday.

“In order to play fast and in order to play quick, you need to be connected and that clearly wasn’t there in Game 1 [the 6-1 loss to Calgary],” he said. “As we go along here in camp, [the team needs] more connectiveness, five-man units executing the puck up the ice together and being connected, and hopefully we’ll get that in tomorrow’s game.”