“If we can get 45 Thatcher Demko games and 70 Filip Chytil games this season, this is a playoff team,” he said. “Those two are the biggest X-factors outside of Pettersson, and it’s so fitting they ended up being the difference makers last night. Especially Demko, with Calgary having played their first game the previous night, they already had their legs from the jump. The Canucks were a bit sluggish, had tough times connecting plays in the neutral zones, and it was Demko who made the biggest difference. They were fortunate to enter the third period up 1-0 — there were four or five legit high-danger chances that Demko had to make a save on.”

Demko’s performance was the foundation for Vancouver’s win. Quads agreed, saying: “Worth mentioning Thatcher Demko who held down the fort when they needed him to. That easily could’ve been a 1-1 game heading into the third period.”

Harm added, “It could’ve been 1-0 for Calgary. They had more shot attempts and scoring chances. They didn’t have this huge upper hand; it was a pretty close game, but outside of a few Chytil shifts the Canucks weren’t manufacturing anything offensively. With different goaltending, it could’ve easily flipped and been 1-0 Flames going into the third.”

While Demko’s brilliance steadied things, it was Chytil’s line that injected energy and tempo when Vancouver needed it most.

“Chytil’s line was by far Vancouver’s best line,” Harm said. “I thought through the first two periods that the Canucks looked sluggish, but that wasn’t the case at all for the Chytil-Garland-Bains line. They were buzzing right away, moving faster than Vancouver’s other lines and on their first shift of the game, Chytil on a ferocious backcheck was able to push a Flames player offside, so you knew right away when he’s that dialed in away from the puck, he’s probably going to have a good night. From puck drop until the end of the game, Chytil was one of the only Canucks skaters who was noticeable, impactful, and on top of his game for the entire sixty minutes.”

Beyond the veterans, there was also plenty of focus on Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who started his season with a goal in game one.

“I’m loving what I’m seeing from Jonathan Lekkerimaki,” Quads said. “There’s no hesitation in his game anymore; with or without the puck.”

Harm, while slightly more reserved, echoed that sentiment: “I’m a bit lower on Lekkerimaki’s play last night — on a shift-by-shift basis he wasn’t very noticeable offensively until his goal. But that highlights how when you’ve got a shot that can beat goalies cleanly from distance, he’s the rare type of one-shot scorer that you can be quiet all game, and all it takes is one play and opportunity for you to walk out of that game with a goal on a night that you’d think he has more to give on offence. I’m not dragging him — it’s a good thing that on a night where he wasn’t as involved on the attack, he still found a way to get on the scoresheet.”

Harm added that Lekkerimaki’s confidence and finishing ability are exactly what the Canucks have been missing from their power play depth: “When you’re able to pinpoint that spot coming off a one-timer, you’re going to beat a lot of NHL goaltenders. I love seeing that shot, he’s playing with a lot of confidence right now, and if Kane struggles again on the powerplay, I want to see Lekkerimaki get a chance there because he’s feeling it right now.”

Ultimately, it was a game where Demko stole the spotlight, Chytil’s new line brought pace and purpose, and Lekkerimaki showed again why the Canucks believe he’s part of their future.

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