Flames 5, Canucks 2 — Calgary Dug In and Vancouver Slipped

These winter-night games often tell fans more than the standings ever will. Watching the Calgary Flames take on the Canucks in Vancouver, you got the sense early that the Flames weren’t interested in excuses. They’d just played the night before. They’d just hopped time zones like they were skipping stones on a summer pond. They gave up the first goal. None of that mattered.

Once Morgan Frost and Connor Zary punched back—35 seconds apart—the Flames grabbed the game and held it. Dustin Wolf was sharp when he had to be, especially early, when Jake DeBrusk came roaring in twice. Blake Coleman looked like a man dragging his team forward by the collar, and Rasmus Andersson quietly registered another three assists like it was nothing. Calgary didn’t win because they overwhelmed Vancouver with talent; they won because they played the longer, heavier, more patient game, the kind you build only after being kicked around a bit this season.

It was an odd game to watch. After the Canucks scored first, there was lots of center-ice action, then a scramble and a Calgary score, sort of like clockwork. The game just had an odd feeling to it, like the Flames were eventually going to win no matter what the Canucks did.

The Canucks Looked Ineffective in Their Offensive End

Vancouver, on the other hand, looked like a team still trying to remember how to hold onto a good start. Filip Hronek’s opening goal was a beauty—head up, patient, wired it. But instead of building on it, the Canucks drifted. They lost the middle ice, they got beat to rebounds, and the forecheck that helped them early evaporated. Kevin Lankinen never looked settled behind them, and by the time Quinn Hughes tried to make something happen on his own, the game was already slipping away.

This stretch for Vancouver now stands at one win in seven games. Vancouver looks like they have little firepower. They can skate fast and look skilled, but it seems like they’re missing all the small, greasy plays that keep you in games. When Calgary scored shorthanded to make it 5–1, it felt less like a dagger and more like a weary acknowledgment of where the night was headed.

Key Points — Calgary Flames

Key Point 1: Dustin Wolf steadied the ship early. His saves on Jake DeBrusk—one on a 2-on-1, one on a breakaway—kept Calgary from chasing the game. He was solid as can be after giving up the first goal of the game.

Key Point 2: The Flames’ depth showed up. Connor Zary, Morgan Frost, Kevin Bahl, Yegor Sharangovich, and Blake Coleman all contributed, turning a tired lineup into a connected one.

Key Points — Vancouver Canucks

Key Point 1: The Canucks lost their structure after the opening goal. The middle of the ice belonged to Calgary after the ten-minute mark. As much as the Canucks tried, they never looked threatening.

Key Point 2: The Canucks lost rebounds and net-front battles. Calgary won far too many second pucks for Vancouver to stay in it. It simply looked as if the Canucks were not defending the entire crease, and the Flames found the open spots too easily.

Final Thought About the Flames:

This was one of those games where Calgary looked like a team building something real—nothing fancy, just honest hockey that travels.

Final Thought on the Canucks:

Vancouver has the talent, but right now, they look like they’re searching for a single, solid outing. Until they find it, nights like this will keep slipping away from them.