Canucks vs Flames final score: Vancouver breaks season opener losing streak in 4-2 victory
Vancouver Canucks overpower Calgary Flames to win season opener 4-2
The Vancouver Canucks were the dominant team in practically every aspect Wednesday night, as they took home their first victory of the season with a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames.
Calgary showed signs of promise in the near future, but look to be a non-cup-contending team for yet another season. The Flames took too many shots that didn’t quite hit the mark, giving Vancouver newcomer Ryan Miller fewer saves to make and putting less pressure on the netminder than would have probably been effective.
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Vancouver seemed to have the offensive play down pat, pushing up to the net and giving Calgary’s own netminding newcomer Jonas Hiller more than a little bit of a hard time. Hiller was by far the more effective goaltender, though, stopping 29 of the 32 shots fired his way. He was supported by an extremely weak-looking defense, who allowed themselves to be chased with the puck by Vancouver forwards on more than one occasion.
The scoring was mostly concentrated in the second period, with four of the six goals scored overall happening during those middle twenty minutes. There was a smattering of goal types, and six different players recorded goals throughout the game- that is to say, no one scored more than once.
There was a minor controversy towards the middle of the game, when Radim Vrbata’s goal was contested by a referee for a potential high stick issue. It was unclear, based on camera angles, as to whether the shaft of Vrbata’s stick had cleared the top of the Calgary net’s crossbar as the tipped the goal in. Ultimately, the goal was allowed, and it might have been the determining factor in the tone for the rest of the game.
Overall, the game came to an unsurprising end, as the Canucks netted one final goal in the waning seconds of the third period against an empty Calgary net. The Flames should be unsurprised when they miss out on the playoffs this season, but they have a strong young group and could develop into a team that provides much fiercer competition in the Western Conference in the future
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