The Vancouver Canucks will look to improve after surrendering 14 goals against Edmonton in their first two games, as they host the Calgary Flames.
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The Vancouver Canucks will look to shore up a leaky defence when they host the Calgary Flames, following a difficult start that has seen them concede 14 goals against the Edmonton Oilers.
Vancouver finished last season with 58 points, the lowest total in the NHL, while allowing a league-leading 314 goals. Through the early returns of the new campaign, the Canucks have not shown improvement in the goals-against category.
In their home-and-home set with Edmonton, Vancouver opened by winning the season opener 6-5 in overtime at Edmonton. Two nights later in Vancouver, the Oilers jumped out to a 5-0 lead early in the second period and then held on for a 9-7 victory.
“That wasn't anywhere near close to good enough,” Canucks defenceman Luke Schenn said, pointing to the quality of Edmonton’s top players. He added: “(The Oilers) got a couple of guys that are elite players. You give them a ton of respect and they are going to burn you.”
Schenn also cautioned teammates against becoming too individual with the puck. “You get on your own program at times,” he said. “You become an individual and turn the puck over, get sloppy and hang your goalie out to dry on breakaways. The good news on both sides is we don't have to see (Edmonton) for awhile.”
First-year head coach Manny Malhotra said Vancouver was not prepared for key moments in Thursday’s game, including when the team fell behind 8-2 in the second period after allowing short-handed goals by Connor McDavid and Kasperi Kapanen 34 seconds apart on the same penalty kill. “We didn't seem to be as prepared as we needed to be,” Malhotra said. “That is how the game got away from us. We lost the majority of puck battles and the majority of races. They were more hungrier.”
Vancouver is in rebuild mode. Last season included a franchise-record 11-game losing streak (0-9-2), and the team also traded captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in December. The Canucks said they remain without a captain and instead appointed six alternate captains.
Calgary enters the matchup while trying to bounce back from the 2025-26 season, when the Flames tied for the NHL’s third-lowest point total with 77 points. The biggest issue identified for Calgary was offence, as the team produced a league-low 208 goals.
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