The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames are set for a matchup that feels a little different than the old rivalry days, even if the history between the two teams still hangs around. They’ve met plenty in the past, including multiple playoff series in the 1980s and that seven-game first-round fight in 1994 that helped define the relationship. Since then, though, the teams have only crossed paths in the playoffs twice.
Now the tension comes from a different place. The Canucks and Flames are viewed as the two favourites to finish last in the NHL, which would put them in the best position for the first overall pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. With four meetings coming this season, those games could end up mattering a lot in the race to see which team gets through its rebuild faster - even if losing is likely to help both clubs in the long run.
The next chapter begins Saturday night in Vancouver, when Calgary visits Rogers Arena for the first time this season.
The Canucks have already shown they can fill the net, scoring 13 goals through their first two games. But they may run into a tougher test against Calgary’s goaltending.
Manny Malhotra kept tinkering with his group at Friday’s practice at UBC after shaking up the lines in Thursday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, and the full lineup picture could still change before puck drop. For now, the projected forward combinations have Marco Rossi with Elias Pettersson and Linus Karlsson on the top line, Liam Öhgren with Paul Cotter and Brock Boeser, Arshdeep Bains with Max Sasson and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and Drew O’Connor with Aatu Räty and Brendan Gallagher.
On the blue line, Vancouver’s projected pairs are Zeev Buium with Filip Hronek, Jamie Oleksiak with Tom Willander, and Elias Pettersson with Luke Schenn. Leevi Meriläinen is expected to start in goal, with Kevin Lankinen backing him up.
Jake DeBrusk was the extra skater at Friday’s practice and will not play Saturday, though Malhotra said it is not because of a healthy scratch. DeBrusk is ill. His voice was already hoarse Thursday after the morning skate, so the news wasn’t a huge surprise.
His absence opens the door for Aatu Räty to make his first appearance of the season. Räty sat out the first two games as a healthy scratch while Max Sasson and Paul Cotter were ahead of him at centre. Cotter has pushed his way into a real centre role and is set to stay in a top-six spot between Öhgren and Boeser after finishing Thursday’s game there.
That move pushes Rossi to the wing with Pettersson and Karlsson. Rossi is tied with Cotter for the team scoring lead, but he has had trouble getting the puck out of danger in the defensive zone, which is a concern for a centre. At the same time, he brings more playmaking to a top line that could use it.
Meriläinen is expected to get the start after making his Canucks debut in relief of Lankinen on Thursday.
Calgary comes in looking to clean things up after a rough opener, a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken. Ryan Strome scored the only goal for the Flames in that game.
Derek Wills, the Flames’ play-by-play commentator, provided Calgary’s projected lineup for Saturday. The forward groups have Matvei Gridin with Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato, Samuel Honzek with Mikael Backlund and Joel Farabee, Brennan Othmann with Ryan Strome and Yegor Sharangovich, and Maxim Tsyplakov with Martin Pospisil and Adam Klapka.
Their defensive pairs are Joel Hanley with Simon Nemec, Kevin Bahl with Zach Whitecloud, and Jake Middleton with Zayne Parekh. Devin Cooley is projected to start in goal, with Dustin Wolf behind him.
Parekh stood out as Calgary’s most dangerous player when the teams met in the preseason, and Vancouver will need to keep a close watch on the mobile offensive defenceman again.
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 🡒]