The Vancouver Canucks opened the 2025-26 season with a win 5-1 over the Calgary Flames.
The Canucks scored four goals in the third period, with Kiefer Sherwood scoring the first goal of the game, followed by two from Filip Chytil.
Head Coach Adam Foote felt their second goal helped the group settle into their game. Foote said Chytil looked fast and calm out on the ice and that the depth of scoring
“They're a hard team to play against,” Foote said of the Flames. “They play a grinding game. They wanted to get us after the whistle, just the way they do it, slow the game down. I felt like we tried to avoid it, but we got in the middle of it a bit too much. That's what Calgary does to you, and I can't really blame our players when we’re playing our first real game, and our emotions are all over the place. We were able to gather them and not play their style for the most part and play our game.”
Chytil scored a pair of goals but said he’s focused on improving every aspect of his game and that his game can always be better.
“I want to be the best version of myself coming to the rink every day and work on the details on the ice and make myself a better player. This was the first game, and there is still room to work on so many things,” Chytil said.
“I can be happy until midnight that we won, and tomorrow is another day where we have to work hard.”
Thatcher Demko got the win between the pipes, stopping 17 of 18 shots he faced. It was his 127th career win, placing him third all-time in Canucks history.
“Demmer was just solid. He looked like there's a wall of confidence. He made the first save look like a routine. So, that was a real good feeling for us," Foote said.
Goals
Sherwood’s defensive play led to the goal, with a takeaway in the neutral zone and a two-on-two with Drew O’Connor. Sherwood’s shot from the top of the right circle, made it clean past Dustin Wolf and into the net far side.
The Canucks led 1-0 going into the first intermission.
