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Flames Coach Addresses Unfortunate Filip Chytil's Puck-to-Head Moment

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 9:14 AM ET

Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil’s first goal of the season came in one of the strangest and most brutal sequences one could imagine.

The Canucks forward fired a shot that smashed Calgary Flames defenseman Kevin Bahl in the head, tracked the ricochet, and buried the rebound to double Vancouver’s lead in a 5–1 rout Thursday night at Rogers Arena.

The bizarre play unfolded just under three minutes into the third period. Chytil had just stepped out of the penalty box and skated into the slot before releasing a quick wrister toward the net. The puck struck Bahl squarely in the back of the helmet, dropping the six-foot-six blueliner to the ice.

As Bahl crumpled and Flames goalie Dustin Wolf lost track of the puck while most players were left a bit paralyzed by the situation, the puck bounced right back to Chytil, who calmly collected it and swept it into the open net for a 2–0 lead.

TOUGH break for the Flames as Kevin Bahl takes a puck to the head, falls into Wolf and then Chytil buries his rebound for a 2-0 lead pic.twitter.com/sizZv86qOi
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 10, 2025

Bahl left the ice visibly shaken, did not return to the game, and left Flames head coach Ryan Huska addressing the situation postgame and pointing to that moment as the game changer on Thursday.

“It was an unfortunate play on their second goal,” Huska said. “That was a tough one for us to give up. … The next goal we gave up, we missed a grade-A chance in front of the net, we missed the net, and they ended up coming back with that breakaway, and that was pretty much it. The game got away from us after that.”

The goal capped a chaotic stretch that turned the game in Vancouver’s favor. Just minutes later, Chytil struck again to make it 3–0.

The brace marked Chytil’s seventh career two-goal game, and his first since joining the Canucks in the offseason trade that sent J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers.

For Chytil, who missed the final two months of last season with a concussion, scoring twice in his return to the ice seemed to be a meaningful moment.

“I just want to be the best version of myself,” he said. “This was the first game, and there’s still room to work on so many things. I can be happy until midnight that we won, and tomorrow is another day.”

Vancouver head coach Adam Foote, who earned his first win behind the bench, praised the 26-year-old’s resilience and timing.

“He’s a big piece for us,” Foote said. “For him to be healthy and contribute like that is huge.”

The Canucks will visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday for their second game of the season, with puck drop scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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