Demko sharp in preseason debut as Canucks beat Flames

First Period

This could probably go in the “takeaways from the first period” section, but it’s truly the first reaction I had watching this game: Tom Willander’s defensive zone retrievals were as good as I’ve seen them since he arrived. At camp, this seemed to be a major part of the game that he was going to have to get comfortable with after more reps at the pro level.

Willander’s big period didn’t stop there, either. After Nils Höglander drew a roughing penalty — because of course he did — Willander made some nice passes to help the Canucks gain the zone, then let go of a wrist shot that hit the post and led to a doorstep chance for Höglander to bang home.

1-0 Canucks. 

Not wanting to be out done, Victor Mancini followed up his great performance against the Kraken with another goal. Jumping up into the play perfectly, Mancini benefited from some great work along the walls and on the forecheck from Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson as he buried a cross-ice feed for his second goal in as many games.

2-0 Canucks. 

The Canucks picked up their second power play of the game — again it was Höglander who drew the penalty — but they didn’t manage to convert this time around.

Joseph Labate dropped the gloves for the second straight game, and I’m giving him the win on this one. Getting major Sammy Blais 2.0 vibes from Labate so far.

Some takeaways from the first period:

-Look, the Canucks won’t get to play the Flames’ road preseason roster every night, but this first period was a prime example of how Adam Foote wants the Canucks to play. The defencemen were more aggressive, they stayed on top of pucks and were absolutely overwhelming the Flames on the forecheck.
-Solid work from Nils Höglander once again in this period. Drawing both penalties and being a dog on the forecheck is the type of thing this team wants to see from him. Oh, and he scored too.
-A very solid period for Tom Willander. He looked outmatched during training camp and didn’t stand out vs. Seattle, and it almost seemed like a foregone conclusion that he’d need some seasoning in Abbotsford. While that may still be the case — we talked to Willander about the possibility just yesterday — more nights like tonight will make it a tough decision for Adam Foote and his staff to round out their defence group.

Second Period

In the second, the Flames were more ready to play. The Canucks stopped having their way with them, and Calgary started to put some pressure the other way. Thankfully, Thatcher Demko looks just as good as we thought he would.

Demko made multiple great saves in this period, perhaps none better than this one:

The Canucks found their game in the second half of the period, which is a good example of why Demko is so valuable to this team. When they don’t have their game for stretches, he’s there to bail them out until they can get it back on track.

And back on track they got it. After Linus Karlsson drew a power play for the Canucks, Filip Chytil walked in on the left wall and fired a shot far side that got through the screen of Vilmer Alriksson and past the Calgary netminder.

3-0 Canucks.

The Flames got the game’s next power play, and there they didn’t make any mistake. Joel Farabee got a shot through traffic that found its way down low where the outnumbered Canucks defencemen couldn’t beat Connor Zary.

3-1. 

Nils Höglander got dinged up along the way in the second, and didn’t return to this game. Hopefully that’s nothing serious, as Höglander has turned in a strong start to his preseason.

Some more takeaways from the second:

-The Canucks recently ran through their power play units with all of their regular power play personnel. Filip Chytil wasn’t on PP1, but I wonder if that might change, and not just because he scored. Chytil’s ability to gain the zone with speed and possession might be a valuable asset for a power play that’s had it’s struggles getting set up in recent seasons.
-Thatcher. Freaking. Demko.

Third Period

Nikita Tolopilo came in to start the third period, marking the end of a successful night for Thatcher Demko.

Tolopilo picked up where he left off after a strong preseason debut in Seattle with a beautiful paddle save to keep the Canucks’ lead at two.

Aside from a big hit from Vilmer Alriksson that sent Jake Bean awkwardly into the boards, it was a rather uneventful third period.

Some more takeaways from the third:

-I like Nikita Tolopilo’s pads, but man, I really like the look of white pads with the Canucks’ uniforms.
-I cannot believe the Seattle Mariners clinched the AL West tonight. Let’s go!!!
-I really hope the Toronto Blue Jays clinch the AL East soon.

What’s your instant reaction to this game?