The Vancouver Canucks are into the first back-to-back stretch of their season, and it starts Saturday night with the Calgary Flames coming to Rogers Arena for an all-Canadian matchup.
Through two games, the Canucks have already produced plenty of offense. Across those outings, a goal has been scored every 4:31 on average.
Four players sit at four points apiece: Paul Cotter with three goals and one assist, Marco Rossi with three goals and one assist, Elias Pettersson with two goals and two assists, and Filip Hronek with four assists. Cotter has opened the scoring in both games so far, while Pettersson has supplied two power-play goals early in the year.
There have been good signs, but also some things the Canucks want to clean up. Manny Malhotra talked about that after Friday’s practice, stressing the value of a short turnaround.
“Our initial focus is just making sure our energy was right coming here. One benefit of having such a tight schedule is that we don’t have time to dwell on anything.
We had a great video session this morning to look at some areas that we feel we can clean up, and then from there it was just about the execution on the ice. And for me, the pace was great today.
The energy was where it needed to be, and we can now turn the page,” said Malhotra.
Calgary arrives off a rough start of its own. The Flames opened their season Thursday with a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken at the Saddledome. Dustin Wolf stopped 26 of 32 shots in that game, and since becoming a full-time NHLer from 2024-2026, he has made 109 starts with a 52-46-11 record, a .903% save percentage, a 2.85 goals-against average, and five shutouts.
The Flames also remain without Jonathan Huberdeau because of a hip injury. On Thursday, their top line featured Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato on the wings with Morgan Frost at center.
For Vancouver, Saturday is just the start of a busy run. It’s the club’s first back-to-back of the season, with the Vegas Golden Knights in town Sunday for their third game of the year after playing in Anaheim on Friday night.
The Canucks have 11 back-to-backs scheduled this season, including a road finish against the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames. Five of those back-to-backs will come at home.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. PT, with the game on Sportsnet and Brendan Batchelor on the radio call on KISS West Coast.
In Other News...
Flames Loss In Vancouver Exposed A Familiar Problem Again
Vancouvers win over Calgary had the kind of hard-edged, scrappy feel that tends to reveal a teams habits as much as it rewards them. The Canucks leaned into a physical, patchy game and got important work from Leevi Merilinen in goal, where his calm, effective presence helped steady things when the pace got choppy. Schenn and others brought the sort of straight-ahead physicality that can tilt a matchup like this, especially when both sides are grinding for every loose puck.
Still, the game also looked familiar in one area the Canucks would probably rather not revisit. Even with the result going their way, the power play struggled badly throughout the night, and it remained the one part of the performance that did not match the rest of the effort. For a team trying to build on wins like this, the frustration is that the margin for error gets thinner when a familiar weakness keeps showing up in the same moments. [Read more 🡒]
Elias Pettersson Looked Like A Difference-Maker Again In Canucks Win
The Canucks got what they needed in a 4-1 win over the Flames, and Elias Pettersson was in the middle of it again. The center not only picked up an assist, he also led Vancouver in hits, a reminder that his value stretches well beyond the scoring sheet when the game gets heavy.
Behind him, the night also brought a milestone in goal, with Leevi Merilinen earning his first win in Vancouver after stopping 23 shots. Luke Schenn added the kind of physical presence and leadership the Canucks often lean on in divisional games, helping set the tone in a matchup that had plenty of edge from the opening shift. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Blue-Line Trouble Just Made This Trade Rumor More Interesting
The early-season picture around the Vancouver Canucks has only made one of the leagues lingering trade ideas feel a little more complicated. Elias Pettersson has gotten off to a strong start and given the organization something to think about at a time when every conversation about the roster seems to come with a bigger strategic question attached, especially with the Canucks trying to sort out where they stand in the longer view.
Ottawas injury situation on the blue line adds another layer to the chatter. With Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson both out, the Senators have a real need on defense and could be pushed toward exploring the market, which is why a name like Simon Edvinsson is suddenly worth watching after reports that contract talks with Detroit have stalled and he would rather be moved than sign a new deal. For Vancouver, it is one more reminder that the trade board around the league is starting to shift in ways that could eventually spill over into their own decisions. [Read more 🡒]