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Instant Reaction: Canucks turn in a strong effort, fall 4-1 to Mammoth
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
David Quadrelli
Dec 5, 2025, 23:42 ESTUpdated: Dec 5, 2025, 23:54 EST
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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

Somewhat surprisingly, the Canucks went right back to David Kämpf in between Conor Garland and Brock Boeser. I liked the idea of Max Sasson’s speed between Garland and Boeser. Anyway.

First Period

The Canucks started with some good pressure from the Elias Pettersson line, which was certainly a good sign for a team looking to start on time and get its four-game homestand started on the right foot. Those good shifts continued, as Linus Karlsson danced at the blueline to create a prime scoring chance out of nowhere. Shortly after, Quinn Hughes made some space for himself and lasered a cross-crease pass to Linus Karlsson, who was robbed by Karel Vejmelka.
The Mammoth got some good chances of their own, and Kevin Lankinen had to be sharp:
Honestly, through the first 15 minutes of the game, things were basically only happening when the Canucks’ top line was on the ice.
Utah got the game’s first power play when Max Sasson was called for tripping. The Mammoth quickly converted on that chance, as a relatively soft point shot from Mikhail Sergachev deflected off Elias Pettersson’s stick and then Marcus Pettersson’s skate and went past Lankinen, who was sliding to his left.
1-0 Mammoth.
Some takeaways from the first:
-The Canucks’ top line was looking very good early, and Karlsson was meshing very well with Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk.
-Nate Schmidt is having a great year for Utah. Good for him.

Second Period

The Canucks were pouring on the pressure to start the second period. Again, the Pettersson line was good, but they were especially dangerous when they were out with Hughes and Filip Hronek as a five-man unit. Karlsson set up Hughes for a prime scoring chance early in the period, and the chances just kept coming for them.
As a team, the Canucks were playing well, but that five-man unit was undeniably great and was giving the Mammoth all kinds of trouble. And wouldn’t you know it, it was another dominant shift from that fivesome that led to Dylan Guenther taking Utah’s first penalty of the game. On the ensuing power play, the Canucks got some looks but struggled to sustain pressure on the Utah PK, and continued to trail by a goal.
With just over five minutes left in the second, Utah scored on its fifth shot of the period, with minimal zone time on the whole:
After this, Adam Foote busted out the line blender, a move I heavily disagreed with, especially when it meant taking Karlsson off the top line. The Canucks headed into the third down by a pair of goals in a game they easily could have been leading in.
After 40 minutes of play, some quick stats for the Canucks’ first line:
15 chances for, seven against.
Nine High Danger chances for, one against.
Some takeaways from the second:
-Brock Boeser is a faceoff ace. Opposing centres must be starting to hate when they see the Canucks’ centre get waved out, and Boeser come gliding into the faceoff dot.
-If Nils Höglander can come back and boost another line, while the top line keeps cooking the way they did tonight…? That might become an even more significant boost for the Canucks’ forward group.
-#PutKarlssonOnPP1

Third Period

The Canucks kept on pushing, and under five minutes into the third, they had their first goal. And funny enough, it came from one of the Canucks’ most quiet lines of the night: the Bains-Räty-Lekkerimmäki trio.
Räty moved into the zone, held the puck away from the Utah defenceman, and got a wrist shot through that Arshdeep Bains tipped past Vejmelka.
2-1. 
With just over 10 minutes left in the third, the Canucks went back to the power play after Kiefer Sherwood baited Kevin Stenlund into taking a slashing penalty. Again, the Canucks’ power play had some chances, but once again couldn’t beat Karel Vejmelka.
The Canucks were outshooting the Mammoth by a significant margin in this game. Adam Foote has said the Canucks were “right there” in games they lost many times this season, and has taken some lighthearted criticism for it. Tonight, he’d be absolutely right to use that line.
Before the Canucks could even think about pulling their goalie and sending out an extra attacker, Kevin Stenlund moved in and made a deke to the backhand and slid the puck underneath Kevin Lankinen’s legs to push Utah’s lead to two.
3-1 Mammoth. 
The game got a bit interesting when Mikhail Sergachev took a puck over glass penalty to give the Canucks a 6-on-4 power play for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, Utah hung on to win and added an empty netter in the process.
4-1 final. 
Some takeaways from the third:
-It feels like every game this season, I find myself appreciating the work Filip Hronek is doing more and more. He has been so damn good for this team this year.
-Did not like Kevin Lankinen’s game tonight.
What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!
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