After three home games in three nights to kickoff the season, game four would be the first road game for the Canucks in Calgary. The Flames dressed plenty of veterans in their first game since returning from China, including the former Vegas Golden Knight, James Neal. Neal is penciled in on the right of Sean Monanhan, with Johnny Gaudreau manning the left wing on the Flames newly formed first line, yikes!
With the division rivals lineup equipped with regulars, the game would be an decent measuring stick for youngsters, including the prized goaltending prospect, Thatcher Demko. A road start in Calgary with an interesting mix of veteran and prospect defenders in front of him would provide some valuable experience for the young netminder.
Another thing the Canucks coaching staff and fans would keep an eye on tonight was how rookie centre and Hobey Baker award winner, Adam Gaudette would fair on a scoring line. Tonight, Gaudette started on a line flanked by Brock Boeser and Brandon Leipsic on what could potentially be a scoring line we see in the future.
Travis Green decided to reunite the duo of Nikolay Goldobin and Elias Pettersson who shared instant chemistry while deployed together. The combo generated plenty of scoring opportunities versus the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week, as you can see on the chart below.
With all that being said, let’s check out how everyone performed in my first recap of the 2018-19 season, here we go!

The Rundown

1st Period
It was a sluggish start for the Canucks, they couldn’t generate any shots and were hardly gaining the offensive zone in any fashion early on. With the the team on their heels, Alex Edler would take a penalty at the 5:58 of the first.
With Edler in the box, Flames forward, Austin Czarnik would score his first of three on the night, finishing a beautiful passing sequence to make 1-0 Flames at the 6:20 mark of the opening period.
The Flames would take two minor penalties at the 12:54 mark of the first period leading to a five on three power-play that the Canucks desperately needed to spark some offense.
The Canucks caught a couple of breaks while up two men after a Flames defender broke his stick, Elias Pettersson picked up his first of the preseason, getting a lucky bounce to tie the game at one.
I’m not sure why Darren Achibald was so passive on the blueline here with both Canucks defenders back. The misread caused a collapse, creating a free shot from the top of the circle for Czarnik to snipe his second of the game, 2 – 1 Flames!
2nd Period
Perhaps Demko could have played this puck to take away the breakaway opportunity, but the effort by the power-play to win the puck in the corner was atrocious. The puck would be flipped out of the zone by Calgary for Mikeal Backlund to pick up in the offensive zone and finish with this slick move, getting Demko to bite, 3-1, Flames.
Austin Czarnik would add another one to complete his hat-trick and make it 4-1 for the Flames just shy of the halfway point of the match. Not the prettiest of the bunch, but they all count.
After 40 minutes, shot attempts at all-strengths were 42-32 in favour of the Flames. Up by three going into the third, this is prime example of when score effects kick into gear. You may have heard John Shorthouse mention it during the Sportsnet broadcast. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it simply means that teams tend to sit on leads. Usually, the shots tend to even out in a situation like tonight, lets take a look and see what happened.
3rd Period
The Flames gave the Canucks every opportunity to claw back into the hockey game in the third period, taking four consecutive minor penalties. At the 9:06 mark of the third period, Mikeal Backlund took the Flames third penalty, hooking Travis Green’s new whipping boy, Nikolay Goldobin. The penalty would be the third that Goldobin has drawn during the preseason.
During the power-play, Elias Pettersson would display his magical play-making skills, firing a pass to the ‘insert right-handed shooting player here spot’. Credit where it’s due, Brandon Sutter showed some decent hands tipping this puck to the back of the net to bring the Canucks within two, 4-2, Flames.
That’s as close as the Canucks would get however, Mark Janakowski would add the fifth and final goal for the Flames, stepping out of the penalty box and hitting the back of the net from centre ice at 19:43 of the third period.
At the end of regulation, the Canucks ended up directing 59 shots at the net, compared to the Flames, 47. In the third period alone, Vancouver won the shot battle 27-5! Largely due to special teams, but still, the Flames took sitting on a lead to a new level.
I was surprised to see the amount of criticism towards Demko on social media and I just wanted to remind everyone, he’s 22 years old and it’s the preseason.
Although it wasn’t the prettiest game by any measure, there were definitely some positives to take away from this game. Brock Boeser led the way with 19 primary shot contributions at all strengths, 19! Clearly his shot is his money maker, but if can continue to distribute the puck the way that he does, he’ll continue to stretch out the offensive zone, buying time and space for his teammates, especially on the PP!
Pettersson was magic tonight, there were multiple examples displaying his elite vision and how he processes the game. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a hockey player do this at any level, and not only that, he makes it look easy. I’m not only not worried about his weight in the slightest, I’m willing to say that I think he’s the best player in the organization right now. Stay hyped Vancouver, this kid is the real deal. Anyone remember Cody Glass?
Charts!
Quick Hits
  • Chris Tanev had another strong game, finishing with a 70.37 CF%.  Tonight I found not only his poise, but his assertiveness with the puck got the team out of many high danger situations. The defensive wizard seems to be finding his stride early this year.
  • After a bit of a shaky start, Derrick Pouliot finished with a strong game paired primarily with Tanev. He led the team with a controlled exit rate of 55%. Additionally, he was aggressive in the neutral zone, breaking up three plays, which helped him to a nearly 60% share of shots while on the ice.
  • Goldobin had a bit of quiet game during his 16:40 on the ice. I wouldn’t go as far to say he had a bad game, but fair or not, he’s going to have to contribute more offensively to stay in Travis Greens lineup. His five primary shot contributions while starting on a line with Pettersson just simply isn’t going to be enough.
  • A quick note, with Pettersson around, I am no longer worried about zone entries being a problem on the power-play.
  • Tyler Motte continues to impress and is making it incredibly difficult to do anything but keep him on the team to start the season. He’s been an effective three zone player during the preseason and is driving any line he’s been put on. He’s seemingly always in the right position in the neutral zone and is causing a ton of turnovers. His speed is generating controlled entries and he’s show an ability to distribute, creating scoring chances. At this point, I think he’s played himself onto the team.