NHL: Seattle Kraken at Vancouver Canucks - Source: Imagn — Quinn Hughes makes his feelings crystal clear about Canucks players' mental fatigue amid tight playoffs race- Source: Imagn

Quinn Hughes makes his feelings crystal clear about Canucks players' mental fatigue amid tight playoffs race

Modified Apr 03, 2025 11:10 GMT

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes shared his thoughts following a disappointing 5-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night, marking the team's third consecutive defeat.

The Canucks currently trail a wild-card spot in the Western Conference by eight points with only seven games left in the season. Reflecting on the team's recent struggles, Quinn Hughes acknowledged the situation, saying he is not surprised and it's the team's reality at the moment.

"Yeah, I mean, it’s not tough to believe, just because we’re in it and it’s a reality. So, as far as that goes, obviously, everyone’s looking at the standings daily and knows what the percentages are or whatnot. So yeah, we know where we’re at," he said.

When asked if the team and players collectively lack the mentality or are tired during tough playoff push, Quinn Hughes avoided the speculation, saying:

"I’m not—I don’t know. I’m not going to comment on guys being mentally or physically tired. I think if you went around the league, everyone would say they’re mentally tired—especially the guys who played at Four Nations. But on our team, we have Lanky and Petey, and that’s really it. So I don’t think there should be any excuses for that."

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The St. Louis Blues, currently occupying the second wild-card spot, are the hottest team in the league, riding an impressive 10-game winning streak. They've played two more games than the Canucks.

Meanwhile, the Flames, who lead the Canucks by just one point, have played one fewer game than Vancouver. The Canucks need to win all of their remaining games while also hoping that both Flames and Blues lose as many points as possible to secure the final wild-card spot.

However, this will be no easy feat for Rick Tocchet's team, despite how it may sound. Quinn Hughes and the Canucks will be up against the Anaheim Ducks at home next on Saturday.

How Seattle Kraken downed Quinn Hughes' Canucks

On Wednesday, the Seattle Kraken shut out the Vancouver Canucks 5-0 at Rogers Arena. Michael Eyssiomont opened the scoring for the hosts after putting them ahead 1-0 at 16:42 into the first period.

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Chandler Stephenson extended the Kraken's lead to 2-0 at 9:49. Shane Wright made it 3-0 for the Canucks before heading into the final period.

Andre Burakovsky increased the lead to 4-0 before Adam Larsson capped off the game for the Kraken with an empty net goal at 16:24 into the third period.

Also Read: NHL analyst brushes off Vancouver Canucks' chances of making Stanley Cup playoffs after drama-filled regular season

About the author

Abhishek is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of sports reporting experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He became a fan of ice hockey after watching NHL fight videos on YouTube, which led to him professionally writing about the sport and his continued interest in all things hockey.

A fan of the Boston Bruins, Abhishek considers their incredible comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 playoffs as the most iconic moment in the NHL. His admiration for the six-time Stanley Cup winners also comes from the team’s storied history, distinctive black and gold uniform and their success in the sport. His all-time favorite NHL players are Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, for their ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Abhishek ensures his reporting is fair and balanced by being well-researched in his details, which he expects to be relevant, up-to-date and in line with ethical standards. His specialties are doing detailed match analysis and covering fan reactions.

Abhishek enjoys music, traveling and going on walks with his three German Shepherds in his free time, along with learning about horticulture.

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