There are only a few players on the Canucks’ squad that traveled to Alberta that have a real shot of making the Canucks’ lineup on opening night and each of them found their way onto the scoresheet. The Canucks’ goals were scored by Anton Rodin, Brock Boeser, Nikolay Goldobin, and Jake Virtanen, each of whom is aiming to earn a roster spot on the wing.
Also, Jalen Chatfield scored, but, as much as I like him, he’s not going to make the Canucks out of camp.
I watched the young’uns make things tough for the Canucks’ decision-makers when I watched this game.
- It’s been tough seeing Cole Cassels go from the heights of being a Memorial Cup-winning Connor McDavid killer to the lows of barely staying in the lineup for the Utica Comets. The first period of this game could not have gone worse for Cassels: he was directly at fault on the first two Flames’ goals, then took the game’s first penalty to boot. To be fair, it was a slashing penalty, which are being thrown around like candy at a parade this preseason.
- Tanner Glass scored the opening goal, . It started with a good forecheck on Ollie Juolevi and Jalen Chatfield, but the young defence pair took the hits while moving the puck. Then Cole Cassels handed the puck to Dillon Dube in the middle of the ice and he set up Glass for the goal. You might say it was a Dubeious pass.
- On the Flames’ second goal, Cassels looked more lost than Lost’s writers in Season Six. After a broken play, Cassels clearly had no idea who he was supposed to check, leaving Ryan Lomberg all alone in the slot to float out to the point. Brock Boeser, suddenly finding his man double-teamed by Cassels, tried to cover for him, but it was too late: Lomberg deflected Rasmus Andersson’s point shot past Thatcher Demko.
- Cassels got better as the game went on and even finished with two assists, but it’s hard to get past that first impression from the first period. It was like the first impression , but they ended up as great friends! Though that didn’t end particularly well. Hm.
- One of Cassels’ assists came on the Canucks’ first goal, coming off a stunning back check by Jake Virtanen to break up a 2-on-0. Virtanen sprung Cassels on a break the other way, he dropped it to Anton Rodin, and Rodin finished after his initial shot was blocked. Rodin stuck with the play like a parent at an elementary school Christmas program.
- In case you were still wondering why Jordan Subban doesn’t get called up from Utica, Subban was kind enough to fill fans in during the first period. He’s the one who gave up the 2-on-0 that Virtanen broke up, but Virtanen couldn’t do anything about Subban’s next gaffe, when he gave the puck away to Kris Versteeg, who set up Mark Jankowski in the slot for the Flames’ third goal.
- Brock Boeser is ridiculous. He added to his league-leading preseason goal total by creating a scoring chance ex nihilo. With two Flames checking him, Boeser stick-handled between them into the high slot, then beat Jon Gillies cleanly with a wicked wrist shot. Since signing with the Canucks, Boeser has 8 goals in 12 games. I’m not saying he could sustain that 55-goal pace over an entire 82-game season, but I’m not notÌýsaying that either.
- Gillis may not have been able to do anything with Boeser’s shot, but he had the save of the game, if not the year, on Wacey Hamilton, somehow snagging the puck behind his back after it deflected off his defenceman. Words can’t do it justice, so here’s a gif:
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I don't know how but Gillies catches the puck behind his back!
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
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- Less impressive, but more humorous: Michael Carcone clowning Joseph Cramarossa.
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Former forward Cramarossa wants to drop the gloves with Carcone - who doesn't even move.
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
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- Goldobin’s goal came after a fantastic shift by Boeser leading to a point shot by Jalen Chatfield that Gillies kicked out to Michael Chaput in the slot. His shot squeaked through Gillies and wobbled towards the goal line before Goldobin dove out to poke it in. It wasn’t a great goal — it was probably going in anyway — but it was still nice to see the all-out effort from Goldobin.
- Virtanen gave the Canucks their first lead of the game, flying down the wing like the gremlin in Ìýand picking up a pass in his skates, before cutting wide around Brett Kulak and sending a precision shot short side on Gillies. Like , Virtanen went bar down.
- Chatfield capped off a solid game by adding a goal to his two assists. He smartly jumped up off the blue line to grab a loose puck, cut to the backhand, and whipped the puck past Tyler Parsons, who replaced Gillies for the third period. Like , it was a wicked backhand.
