logo
CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Instant Reaction: Cootes and Bains connect again as Canucks drop 3-1 to Flames
alt
Photo credit: Sergei Belski for IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Tyson Cole
Sep 22, 2026, 23:44 EDTUpdated: Sep 22, 2026, 23:47 EDT
Comments
Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at CanucksArmy where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

Starting Lineup

First period

The three Canucks sporting letters tonight, Arshdeep Bains, Tom Willander, and Guillaume Brisebois, were all out on the ice to start the game. Goaltender Kevin Lankinen got the start tonight and was tested within the first minute.
But after this, the Canucks actually had some jump against what appears to be a close-to-complete NHL lineup for the Flames. Aatu Räty collected the puck beside the net and took a close shot. Then followed that up by tipping a Kirill Kudryavtsev point shot on the same shift.
Wheeling behind his own net, Flames centre Morgan Frost got his stick in too high on Kudryavtsev, drawing the first power play of the contest. The top power play group consisted of Braeden Cootes, Adam Novotný, Trey Fix-Wolansky, Bains, and Willander. That group didn’t generate much. However, the second unit, which consisted of Riley Patterson, Ty Mueller, Ilya Safonov, Matthew Stienburg, and Kudryavtsev, did, seeing two tip chances off the sticks of Mueller and Stienburg.
After the Canucks’ unsuccessful power play, Adam Klapka had a wide-open chance in the slot. Lankinen came well out of his crease to cut off the angle and made the stop.
We remember Lankinen coming almost uncomfortably out of his net last season, where he would sometimes get beat by a deke and the opposition had nearly an open net. We may see more of that this season.
Räty must have seen what we wrote earlier today about him being one to watch, knowing tonight will be the last preseason game he plays. In the defensive end, Räty stripped the puck carrier and cleared the zone. He then joined the rush offensively and walked right into a slot shot on net. Excited to see if he can carry this strong play into the next two periods.
Novotný was also somebody we told viewers to keep an eye on in this game. He certainly brought some physicality, finishing the period with three hits. However, he also took a slashing penalty late in the frame. The Canucks killed it off, but it certainly didn’t come without a bit of a scare, especially when Zayne Parekh had the puck.
In the dying seconds of the period, Kudryavtsev made an impressive diving play in front of the net, stopping the mid-air cross-crease pass, maintaining possession, and clearing the zone. Impressive stuff from the young blueliner still hoping to make his case for that seventh defenceman role.

Second period

The Canucks were under fire right away as the second period began. Frost and the Flames head down the ice on a two-on-one, but Willander did a great job of staying in position and never opening up a passing lane for the playmaker to thread a pass through. Once the passing option was gone, Willander saw Frost loading up for a shot and got his stick on it, forcing it wide. Great play from Willander.
Fast forward a little bit, and the Flames got yet another odd-man rush. Mancini flubbed a pass at the offensive blueline, which led to a Flames odd-man rush the other way. Luckily for Mancini, Matvei Gridin got too much mustard on the pass for Frost to receive, and the play did not result in a chance. The tough plays are starting to pile up for the 24-year-old blueliner.
Then things got rough, and it mostly centred on Martin Pospíšil. The Flames forward got tangled up with Ben Berard in the corner. The Canucks forward was slow to get to the bench and limped down the tunnel. Luckily, he didn’t miss much time.
Then, off the faceoff, Pospíšil jumped early and nearly landed on Räty’s back. Räty pushed him off, only for Pospíšil to then feed him back another shot. No penalties were handed out on the play. Shortly after, Maxim Tsyplakov got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for grabbing Räty’s visor after a whistle, sending the Canucks to the power play. That was short-lived, however, as Willander quickly erased the Canucks’ man advantage with a pick play near centre ice.
The Canucks’ best chance of the entire game came at the midway point of the second period. Braeden Cootes sent a nifty saucer pass along the right boards for the speedy Fix-Wolansky to skate onto. Fix-Wolansky waited, pulled the middle defender in, leaving Novotný wide open at the net front to slide the puck cross-crease. Unfortunately, the puck appears to jump on his stick, and the puck goes wide.
By this point, the Canucks were still looking for their first shot of the period. Don’t worry, though, Canucks fans; Novotný made up for the miss a few minutes later when he registered the first Canucks shot of the period, 14 minutes in.
Despite how lopsided the shots were at this point, and considering the Flames were at home and starting nearly everybody who project to be in their opening-night lineup, this Canucks squad of prospects, AHLers, and only a handful of NHLers was doing an admirable job of keeping the game within reach.
But then things started going sideways for the Canucks.
A Berard penalty off the faceoff sent the Flames to the power play. A stretch pass caught the Canucks’ defenders out of position, and Joel Farabee blew past Mancini and beat Lankinen to open the scoring.
1-0 Flames.
Not long after, Matt Cornato converted on an odd-man rush to double the Flames’ lead.
2-0 Flames.
And to continue on with their second-period fury, Samuel Honzek buries a great rush attempt down the boards by Parekh.
3-0 Flames.

Third period

The start of the third period was a bit more back-and-forth than how the second period ended. However, there wasn’t really much action to write about. That was, of course, until Arshdeep Bains and Braeden Cootes got the Canucks on the board.
Jacob Middleton fires the puck off the corner boards hoping for a clearance, but Cootes had other plans. Cootes comes down the boards, settles the bouncing puck, and dekes along the outside to create space. He idles for a few seconds, draws the defender in, and slides the pass through the Flames’ defenders to Bains in the left circle, who picks his corner on the far side to get the Canucks on the board.
Fantastic display of patience and playmaking from Cootes on this goal.
3-1 Flames.
Hoping to find a spark, head coach Manny Malhotra switched up his lines. Nothing really clicked, but they got their biggest opportunity when Kevin Bahl threw a dangerous hit on Berard, sending the Canucks to the power play. Unfortunately, the Canucks struggled to even get set up in the offensive zone.
All hope was lost when Ilya Safonov took a two-minute hooking penalty with just over three minutes remaining.
3-1 Flames Final.
Bryzgalov forecheck. Big hit on Parekh.
Final thoughts
– We felt like Räty needed a big game, and he had one. He was the Canucks’ best skater in the first period, making plays in both ends of the ice. He finished the game with just two shots on goal, but he was certainly the main talking point early on in Canucksland.
– Whatever Cootes and Bains got cooking right now needs to be stuck with. Both players look great together. Through two preseason games, Bains has scored all three Canucks goals, while Cootes has registered the primary helper. If the organization is going to stick to their word that they won’t get starstruck by a good performance or two by a young player, then sticking with these two in the AHL seems best for Cootes’ development, especially if they keep playing like this.
– Considering Lankinen had just one player in front of him with over 100 games of NHL experience, he did a great job tonight. He stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced and appears to be in good form heading into the season.
– If you’ve listened to Blackfish since we returned from our summer break, you’ll know that Bryzgalov has been someone who has continuously impressed. And he did the same tonight. He didn’t get any points or have a flashy offensive play, but he finished the game with four hits and forced a lot of turnovers with some aggressive forechecks. He’ll be fun to follow with the Medicine Hat Tigers this season.
What was your instant reaction to tonight’s game, Canucks fans? Let us know in the comments below!
Sponsored by bet365
Daily FaceoffPuckPedia
Editorials
MORE NEWS. IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Breaking News

vancouver-canucks
Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
PuckPedia

Cap Summary

2027-28
2028-29
Projected Cap Hit
$72,303,333
$57,080,833
Projected Cap Space
$41,196,666
$65,919,166
Current Cap Space
$41,196,666
$65,919,166
Active Players
14/23
8/23

Draft Picks

Round
'27
'28
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
1
1