3 major takeaways from Vancouver Canucks' 4-2 loss in preseason game vs Calgary Flames

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Sep 29, 2024 15:04 GMT

The Vancouver Canucks fell to the Calgary Flames 4-2 on Saturday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. The spirited affair saw the Flames jump out to an early 2-0, which they would not relinquish. The Flames improved to 4-0, while the Canucks are now 2-2 in the preseason.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki continued his impressive preseason with a goal. Aatu Raty got the other marker for Vancouver. Meanwhile, Brayden Pachal, Ryan Lomberg, Blake Coleman and Adam Klapka got the other tallies for Calgary.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the three major takeaways from the Vancouver Canucks' 4-2 loss on Saturday night.

3 major takeaways from Vancouver Canucks 4-2 preseason loss vs. Calgary Flames

#3. The power play took a night off

The Vancouver Canucks went 0 for 3 on the power play. The outcome is justifiable considering that captain Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek were not in the lineup.

Moreover, the Canucks’ top scorers, like Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser or J.T. Miller, were also absent. Still, had the Canucks connected with the man advantage, they could have been able to get back into the game.

#2. The Flames dominated the game early

The Flames outshot the Vancouver Canucks 32-27 while getting a decided edge in the faceoff circle, winning 60.3% of the draws. Despite controlling much of the pace throughout the game, Vancouver did play a solid game. The Canucks killed off four penalties while forcing 30 giveaways.

Still, that performance wasn’t enough to overcome the early push from Calgary that led to the early 2-0. That deficit was too much for the Canucks to come back from.

On the positive side, the Canucks had a solid third period as they looked to get back into the game. However, the Flames were able to lock the game down, keeping the score at 4-2.

#1. Arturs Silovs looked human

So much has been said about Arturs Silov’s impressive preseason. Unfortunately, Silvos looked human on Saturday night against the Flames. He gave up four goals on 24 shots in the first two frames before giving way to Nikita Tolopilo for the third.

A good example of Silvos’ mortality was the 4-2 goal scored by Klapka. The Flames recovered the puck in their own zone and drove up ice into the Vancouver zone. From there, Klapka circled around the slot before settling at the Vancouver blue line. Klapka then lobbed a wrister that went through traffic and beat Silovs. Silovs’ frustration was noticeable after letting in a floater from the blue line.

Of course, the goal wasn’t entirely on Silovs. His defense did not clear the front of the net, leading to traffic. Had the defense cleared the front of the net, Silovs could have gotten a better look to make the save.