‘Here Comes The Sun’.
How appropriate. How encouraging.
Prior to a series of pre-game videos Thursday to ramp up the Vancouver Canucks faithful for the NHL season opener against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena, The Beatles’ classic hit song from 1969 was played and accompanied by glowing images of key players on the giant video screen.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the past year, you knew the significance of the messaging.
Yes, the sun did rise again in Vancouver. The clouds of a drama-filled, injury-plagued and demoralizing 2024-25 season have parted. Better times are ahead. The vibe is right, the roster is better, and returning to the playoffs seems more plausible. Not that it’s going to be easy. Eleven players on the roster weren’t here a year ago and the Canucks are the league’s seventh-youngest team.
The Canucks had to shake off some rust in the 5-1 victory — especially the first power play unit — but the biggest takeaway was the poise and patience of healthy, motivated and dialed-in Thatcher Demko. There was also the pace and presence of Filip Chytil and a penalty kill that kept bailing out the Canucks.
“We hung in there and they played last night and it felt like they had a little bit more jump early,” said Canucks rookie head coach Adam Foote. “They’re a hard team to play against. They played a grinding game and they do a lot after the whistles. Emotions were all over the place, but we didn’t play their style for the most part.”
Chytil is not only driven to prove he can be a bona fide second-line pivot, he believes he’s in a better place of fitness and awareness to avoid another concussion. It showed in the manner in which he drove play, backchecked effectively, created scoring chances and had several of his own with a pair of goals, five shots and eight attempts, and winning six of 12 draws.
“I just want to be the best version of myself and help the team as much as I can,” said Chytil. “Come to the rink every day and make myself a better player by working on the details. There’s many things to work on. A lot of chances tonight and I could have scored a hat trick. And some stuff in the defensive zone and so much room for improvement in every aspect.
“My pace was good. We are set up this year to get pucks up very fast and it’s helping my game.”
His one faux pas was a tripping minor early in the third period. However, the big centre came out of the penalty box, controlled an O-zone possession, hit defenceman Kevin Bahl in the head with a shot and then buried the rebound. He was then sprung on a breakaway by Arshdeep Bains to make it 3-0.
“In the moment, you don’t overthink the chance and it (puck) landed on my stick and I had the speed,” said Chytil.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Brock Boeser and Kiefer Sherwood also scored.
Often lost in the Chytil discussion was his impact here before being sidelined March 15 with a concussion. In 15 games between Feb. 2 and March 2, he led the Canucks in scoring chances (42), rush scoring chances (13), and offensive-zone carry-ins (95). He was an also second in offensive-zone possession time (11:28).
For Demko, his statement game started early.
He took a shot off the mask and recovered to stop Blake Coleman from the slot. In the second period, he stared down Coleman on a short-handed breakaway and then made the adjustments to stop a power play tip and rebound chance in the same sequence. His shutout bid was foiled Morgan Frost at 13:06 of the third period.
“Our attention to detail with reloads, filling gaps and lanes and good sticks, all the little things were there tonight,” said Demko. “It was a close game and we were able to break it open in the third. I did my job and felt good. The first game is huge. Keep the momentum going with the turnover we had last year. It’s a testament to the work everybody put in.”
All the positivity Thursday could have been overshadowed had a heavy sideboards hit by MacKenzie Weegar on Elias Pettersson in the second period put the centre on the sidelines. He drilled the centre with a shoulder hit from behind and the pivot braced himself for impact, but still made contact. It led to his brief exit by a concussion spotter for protocol.
A major penalty was reduced to a minor upon video review and the same thing occurred when the testosterone level rose again in the frame.
“I think it was just bad timing,” said Pettersson. “Those hits happen all the time. I dropped it (puck) to Boeser and it was a bad drop. I reached for it and then Weegar hit me. It wasn’t a bad hit at all. Usually, I’m aware. Bad timing.”
Defenceman Elias Pettersson then hammered Connor Zary with a sideboards hit that was called and a major was also reduced to a minor. It led to a scrum as tempers rose and the Flames found their legs after a 4-3 shootout victory in Edmonton on Wednesday.
Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko (35) watches as Jake DeBrusk (74) swats the puck away from Calgary Flames’ Blake Coleman (20) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Thursday, October 9, 2025.
REPORT CARDS
Elias Pettersson (B-)
Had one shot, ripped another over crossbar early. Canucks could find him open on PP1. Won seven of 13 draws.
Jake DeBrusk (C+)
Part of first power play unity that had a rough night finding symmetry. Had 14 PP goals last season, tied for fifth overall.
Brock Boeser (B)
Took advantage of Pettersson creating space to do what he does best with a good release to cap scoring.
Arshdeep Bains (B+)
Blocked two shots on the same short-handed sequence and sprung Chytil for third-period breakaway.
Filip Chytil (A)
Effective early and often. Played at pace. Drove the play. Forechecked. Backchecked. Scored twice.
Conor Garland (B)
Speedy as usual, got a tip chance on net, sped through offensive zone on another foray.
Evander Kane (C-)
Had a quiet night and his line struggled, but he did feed Lekkerimaki for the fourth goal.
Braeden Cootes (B-)
Made most of 11:14 of ice time by playing hard while being a target as a fresh-faced rookie.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki (B-)
Not a great game but positioning and quick release on third period goal put game out of reach.
Drew O’Connor (B-)
Made his mark on the penalty kill, took a bad penalty, but helped the fourth line stymie Flames.
Aatu Raty (C+)
Did his job of the PK, but not as dominant in the circle by winning six of 13 draws (46 per cent).
Kiefer Sherwood (B+)
Starting the scoring, started chirping Flames bench early, got under their skin, classic agitator.
Quinn Hughes (B-)
Not classic night for the captain as PP1 struggled. One shot, two giveaways, two blocked shots.
Solid defensively and made bold move down low to take Quinn Hughes spin-a-rama feed.
Marcus Pettersson
Two blocked shots, steady on the PK that went 4-for-4.
Derek Forbort
See above. Also two blocked shots, good on very sharp PK.
Elias (D Petey) Pettersson (B)
Stood forwards up, hit them hard. Threw thunderous second-period sideboards check.
Thatcher Demko (A)
Didn’t matter where the pressure came from, he was calm and square, tracked pucks well.