The Vancouver Canucks fall 6-5 in overtime to the Calgary Flames.

Despite holding a 4-1 lead after the first, the Vancouver Canucks kicked off their 2024-25 campaign with a 6-5 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames. Vancouver's offence came from Daniel Sprong, Brock Boeser (2), Conor Garland and J.T. Miller, while Artūrs Šilovs stopped 20 of the 26 shots he faced. With the loss, the Canucks fall to 29-18-7 in home openers and fall to the Flames in overtime for the first time since March 31, 2023.

Chaotic is arguably the best way to describe this game. Vancouver played an almost perfect first period but took their foot off the gas and eventually allowed four goals over the final 23 minutes of the game. For a team with Stanley Cup ambitions, it was not a good start as the Canucks struggled to put forth a full 60+ minute effort. 

After the game, multiple players spoke about how the team sat back after the first period. Brock Boeser said, "Get up to a 4-1 lead, and you know, we sat back, and they just kept coming and coming. They just out-competed us. That's really all that's to it."

J.T. Miller also spoke on the lack of effort saying, "We don't win any battles, and we just played loose like summer hockey. At the end of the day, it's game one. Last year, we won 8-1, and we're going to say the same thing going to the next game. We got to turn the page, but we need to learn and raise our intensity. That's a team over there that wanted to win more than we did today, and without power play, we got outplayed."

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Speaking of the power play, special teams were one of the biggest positives from the night. Vancouver went 2-4 on the power play while going 2-3 on the penalty kill while allowing only two shots. Postgame, Head Coach Rick Tocchet credited the special teams play, saying, "I thought the special teams really got us a point. If you think of it, if we didn't have our power play or penalty kill, you know, at five on five, they beat us. So the whole special teams were good. So, that's a positive."

One player who impressed was Jake DeBrusk, who had a primary assist in his debut. He had a full stat sheet, finishing with two shots on goal, a hit, two takeaways, and a blocked shot. While it may only have been one game, DeBrusk showed that he can play in Tocchet's system and that his chemistry with Elias Pettersson should translate to the regular season. 

While it is only the season's first game, some concerning areas need to be addressed quickly. Overall, the Canucks played very loose, which led to 15 turnovers. They also were overpassing on occasion, leading to missed opportunities to add to their lead. While there is no need just yet to hit the panic button, if these small mistakes aren't fixed, it could lead to problems for the rest of the year. 

Facts and Stats:

- Recording assist number 291, Quinn Hughes passes Dennis Kearns for second on the franchise all-time assists by a defenceman list 

- Daniel Sprong has now scored in each of his last four debuts with new teams

- Jake DeBursk, Daniel Sprong and Danton Heinen all recorded their first points as Canucks

- Canucks record 15+ giveaways for the first time since October 14, 2023

Scoring Summary:

First Period:

9:40: VAN- Daniel Sprong (1) from Filip Hronek and Danton Heinen (PPG)
11:48: VAN- Brock Boeser (1) from Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson
12:16: VAN- Conor Garland (1) from Nils Höglander and Aatu Aatu Räty
15:49: CGY- Anthony Mantha (1) SHG
17:18- VAN: Brock Boeser (2) from J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes

Second Period: 

17:01- CGY: Rasmus Andersson (1) from Nazem Kadri and Andrei Kuzmenko

Third Period:

2:41- CGY: Martin Pospisil (1) from Anthony Mantha and Kevin Bahl
8:16- CGY: MacKenzie Weeger (1) from Connor Zary and Nazem Kadri (PPG)
10:39- CGY: Jonathan Huberdeau (1) from Brayden Pachal and Jake Bean
18:23- VAN: J.T. Miller (1) from Quinn Hughes

Overtime

1:33- CGY- Connor Zary (1) from Martin Pospisil and Rasmus Andersson

Up Next:

The Canucks conclude their mini two-game homestand with a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night. This will be the Flyers' first game of the season and the first opportunity for fans in Vancouver to see Matvei Michkov, who is projected to be in the Calder Trophy race this season. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT from Rogers Arena.