Bunting’s first in 🟠 & ⚫️! #PHIvsVAN | #LetsGoFlyers
CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Instant Reaction: Canucks find second gear too late in 3-1 loss to Flyers
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2026, 00:24 ESTUpdated: Nov 10, 2026, 00:28 EST
Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at Daily Faceoff Vancouver, 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!
Lineup
Lekkerimäki — Pettersson — Boeser
DeBrusk — Cotter — Bains
Öhgren — Rossi — Gallagher
O’Connor — Sasson — Karlsson
DeBrusk — Cotter — Bains
Öhgren — Rossi — Gallagher
O’Connor — Sasson — Karlsson
Buium — Hronek
Oleksiak — Brisebois
DePetey — Schenn
Oleksiak — Brisebois
DePetey — Schenn
Meriläinen
Jonathan Lekkerimäki gets a well-earned promotion to the top line, while all the right wingers behind Brock Boeser get shuffled to new lines.
First Period
The Vancouver Canucks have one win at home so far, while the Philadelphia Flyers have just one win on the road. Someone’s leaving with a drought busted tonight!
It didn’t take too long for the Flyers to establish their claim to this game when Michael Bunting scored on Philly’s second shot of the game just over two minutes in.
The Canucks get caught puck-watching off a broken play in front of the net. Christian Dvorak manages to bump the puck over to Bunting, who catches Leevi Meriläinen by surprise.
1-0 Flyers.
From there, a canyon between the two teams seemed to open up. For all the Flyers’ flaws, they looked a lot more competitive and smart with the puck than the Canucks did in the first 20 minutes. Philly dictated play with nine shots to the Canucks’ four, while Vancouver defenders were making a ton of bad giveaways and mistakes, like on this miscue between Guillaume Brisebois and Jamie Oleksiak that led to a scoring chance.
Not a banner shift for either defender back there on that one.
There's a good save. But what is Oleksiak doing on that rebound???
Some thoughts from the first:
- The Wednesday Night Hockey crew pointed out Paul Cotter for his physicality in the first. As my colleague Daniel Wagner pointed out, the Flyers outchanced the Canucks 9-1 with Cotter on the ice. We’re paying $14+ a month for this coverage??
- Leevi Meriläinen has been the most alert and ready from puck drop for this game. He’s already bailed out his teammates a few too many times in 20 minutes.
- The Oleksiak-Brisebois pairing looked especially out of sorts in the first 20 minutes. They have 40 more to get things together, but not a great start.
Second Period
After Elias Pettersson was sent to the box for holding up Matvei Michkov early in the middle frame, the Flyers’ power play found their moment to shine. Drew O’Connor left Travis Konecny wide open at the side of the net; Luke Schenn didn’t pick him up in time, and bingo bango.
Another power play payoff. ⚡️ #PHIvsVAN | #LetsGoFlyers
2-0 Flyers.
After that, the Canucks got two shots to the Flyers’ six in one of the more joyless, miserable 20 minutes of the hockey you’ve ever seen. The Flyers didn’t even need to deploy the Rick Tocchet signature ‘park the bus’ method because they’re so firmly in the driver’s seat of the game.
The closest we’ve gotten to some real pushback was when Luke Schenn took on two Flyers near the Philly bench at the same time.
the tomfoolery
Some second period… thoughts(?)
- This ranks high among the worst performances the Canucks have had all year. This looks like the ‘losing hockey’ Manny Malhotra talked about wanting to avoid at the beginning of the year.
- The Flyers are playing their second game in as many nights. Heck, their match against the Flames even went to OT! And the Canucks can still barely keep up with them. We all knew what we were signing up for when this rebuild began, but man, is it getting late early.
- Brock Boeser is 100% in the faceoff dot today!
Third Period
The Flyers very nearly made it 3-0 less than 30 seconds into the period when Tyson Foerster seized an opportunity, with Zeev Buium providing a screen, to slip the puck cleanly under Meriläinen’s pad. But Travis Sanheim was deemed to be offside on the far side of the blue line, a major break to keep the Canucks within two and giving Manny Malhotra his first successful coach’s challenge.
The Canucks’ best chance of the hockey game came off the stick of Max Sasson in close, after a pretty sweet back pass set up by Arshdeep Bains. Sasson sadly just ran out of real estate in front of Joseph Woll.
Best #Canucks chance of the hockey game, a back pass from Bains to set up Sasson.
With new life, the Canucks FINALLY woke up. Vancouver dominated the Flyers 13-2 in shots through the final frame, looking a lot more competitive as Rick Tocchet’s team finally entered their defensive cocoon for the night.
Then, with Michael Bunting in the box after elbowing Linus Karlsson, the Canucks’ power play broke through. EP40 and Brock Boeser set it up, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki finished it off with a gorgeous one-timer that Joseph Woll couldn’t pick up. We’ve got a hockey game.
Prime Time knew what had to be done
2-1 Flyers.
Under siege, Joseph Woll made a crucial error by purposefully removing his mask mid-play. The referees didn’t buy that it was an accident and whistled him for a penalty, but the Canucks couldn’t capitalize on it before Travis Sanheim iced the game on an empty netter with the Flyers’ first shot of the period.
Travis Sanheim buries the empty-netter to secure the road win for the Flyers 👊
Flyers win 3-1.
Some final thoughts:
- The Canucks looked a whole lot better in the third period, but that probably says more about the Flyers’ game plan than Vancouver finding another gear. The whole point of Tocchet’s system is to grind out a lead and park the bus, so the Canucks were always going to get a serious shot to tie the game. But they HAVE to find that urgency a whole lot sooner if they want to win hockey games.
- Jonathan Lekkerimäki is the Canucks’ future right now; his one-timer is looking a lot like prime Elias Pettersson did in the late 2010s/early 2020s. (Has it really been that long? Geez.)
- Michael Bunting yelling at Linus Karlsson after he drew a pair of penalties was really, really funny. As was Shorty’s play-by-play of it.
Michael Bunting had some choice words for Linus Karlsson... #Canucks
What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below! And be sure to tune into Rink Wide Vancouver LIVE after the game on the Daily Faceoff Vancouver YouTube channel. Check out our live programming button in the top right of our website for easy access!
PRESENTED BY JASON.MORTGAGE
A Better Mortgage Starts With the Right Question
What are you actually trying to accomplish? Most people don’t want a mortgage. They want a first home, a bigger one, a rental property, or breathing room on their debt. Jason starts with that question. A mortgage broker for more than 20 years and named one of Canada’s top 30 mortgage brokers by Canadian Mortgage Professional magazine, Jason works with Dominion Lending Centres A.I.M.I. Collective, serving clients across British Columbia and Alberta. His clients include first-time buyers, move-up families, self- employed business owners, investors and homeowners looking to refinance. He lays out the real options, makes a clear recommendation, and does the legwork so the right lender says yes.
Ready to talk it through? Contact Jason at www.jason.mortgage
What are you actually trying to accomplish? Most people don’t want a mortgage. They want a first home, a bigger one, a rental property, or breathing room on their debt. Jason starts with that question. A mortgage broker for more than 20 years and named one of Canada’s top 30 mortgage brokers by Canadian Mortgage Professional magazine, Jason works with Dominion Lending Centres A.I.M.I. Collective, serving clients across British Columbia and Alberta. His clients include first-time buyers, move-up families, self- employed business owners, investors and homeowners looking to refinance. He lays out the real options, makes a clear recommendation, and does the legwork so the right lender says yes.
Ready to talk it through? Contact Jason at www.jason.mortgage
Breaking News
- Instant Reaction: Canucks find second gear too late in 3-1 loss to Flyers
- WATCH: Canucks’ Novotný scores another OT winner in Medvedev’s debut with Petes
- Scenes from morning skate: Lekkerimäki promoted to top line as struggling Canucks face floundering Flyers
- Abbotsford Weekly: Canucks winning streak comes to an end after 8 straight wins
- Can the Canucks strike a deal with the desperate Chicago Blackhawks?
Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$87,993,412
$71,329,167
Projected Cap Space
$16,006,588
$42,170,833
Current Cap Space
$20,295,935
$42,170,833
Active Players
23/23
13/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
1
1