Vancouver fans left searching for answers as Canucks crumble against Flames in season opener

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Cooper Godin
October 10, 2024 (8:01)

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Vancouver's opening night collapse to the Calgary Flames shocked many after a strong start to the contest.

The Vancouver Canucks had a strong start to their 2024-25 season as after the first 20 minutes, they were up 4-1. The opening period had Canucks fans out of their seats at Rogers Arena, excited for what was to come for the remaining 40 minutes, however, that excitement vanished quite quickly.

The Flames got one back in the second period to cut Vancouver's lead to two goals and in the final frame, they added three, with the Canucks getting one of their own as the game headed to overtime.

In overtime, it didn't take too long to get a winner as Flames 2020 first-rounder Connor Zary found the back of the net just over 1:30 into the extra frame, giving the Calgary Flames a 6-5 win.

After the game, Thomas Drance of The Athletic shared his three takeaways from the Canucks' season opening loss to the Flames. One of those takeaways was the strong play of Jake DeBrusk, who made his Vancouver Canucks debut on Wednesday night after signing with the team as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, and the team's new rush-style of play.

"Vancouver looked fast and sharp through the neutral zone in the first period, gashing the Flames repeatedly and generating a large handful of scoring chances with vertical pressure. There were aerial passes, one of which set up a Teddy Blueger breakaway. There were aggressive defensive plays at the blue line, one of which sprung a partial Garland break. The club skated hard, led by top skaters like Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller, who generated a number of chances off of the rush and a handful of other chances at chances, which were only an inch or two from going off." Drance said.

The Canucks will need to put this loss behind them quickly as they return to action on Friday night as they host the Philadelphia Flyers at Rogers Arena. It's going to be a special night for the organization and fan base as they honour one of the franchise's best defencemen - Alexander Edler, who will be retiring as a member of the Canucks. Puck drop is set for 7 pm PT/10 pm ET on Sportsnet Pacific.