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. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

By The Canadian Press

Chytil scores two, Vancouver Canucks dump Calgary Flames 5-1 in season opener

Oct 9, 2025 | 10:56 PM

VANCOUVER — Filip Chytil scored twice and the Vancouver Canucks opened their season with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Calgary Flames on Thursday.

The Czech centre batted a puck into the net at 2:53 in the third period after it went off the back of the head of Calgary defenceman Kevin Bahl.

Chytil followed up just under six minutes later, collecting a puck from Arshdeep Bains and streaking up the ice, then firing a shot up and over Flames netminder Dustin Wolf.

Kiefer Sherwood, Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Brock Boeser also scored for the Canucks (1-0-0), and goalie Thatcher Demko stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced.

Morgan Frost put away the lone goal for Calgary, beating Demko 13:06 into the third period.

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Wolf — playing his second game in as many nights — made 21 saves for the Flames, who were coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Oilers in Edmonton on Wednesday.

Takeaways

Canucks: The home side’s offence exploded in the third period, with the Canucks firing 10 shots on net and scoring four goals across the period.

Flames: The team saw two players go to the locker room to get checked for apparent head injuries. Connor Zary went down the tunnel after getting checked into the boards early in the second period but returned before the end of the frame. Bahl exited after taking a puck off the back of the head early in the third and did not come back to the ice.

Key moment

Demko made a pair of key stops in the dying seconds of the second period, first denying Matvei Gridin from distance, then sliding across the crease to stymie Yegor Sharangovich after he blasted a shot off from the low slot.

Key stat

The Flames outhit the Canucks 36-20.

Up next

Canucks: Visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Flames: Host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press