The Vancouver Canucks opened their 2025-26 NHL season in style.
Filip Chytil scored twice, lifting the Canucks to a 4-1 win over the visiting Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena. Kiefer Sherwood and Jonathan Lekkerimäki also scored foe the Canucks, while goalie Thatcher Demko made 17 saves to pick up the win in goal. Morgan Frost had the lone goal for Calgary.
Vancouver opened the scoring at 14:53 of the first period, when Sherwood capitalized after Calgary defenceman Joel Hanley lost the puck. Sherwood fired a shot from the right wing past Flames goalie Dustin Wolf.
There was no scoring in the second period, with Vancouver emerging from the middle frame with a 15-13 advantage in terms of shots on goal.
Early in the third, the Canucks killed off a penalty and Chytil scored off a lucky bounce. His initial shot hit Flames defender Kevin Bahl in the head. The puck bounced right back to Chytill who found an empty net as Wolf was looking down at his fallen teammate.
Chytil made it 3-0 at the 8:53 mark, taking a nice breakaway feed from Surrey's Arshdeep Bains and beating Wolf.
Three minutes later, Lekkerimäki finished off a nice three-way passing play with Conor Garland and Evander Kane to give Vancouver a 4-0 lead.
Frost broke Demko's shutout attempt off a broken play at 13:06, throwing a shot at the net that eluded Demko after the Canucks failed to clear the zone.
Boeser finished off the scoring at 17:06, taking a drop pass from centre Elias Pettersson and ripping a shot high over Wolf's right shoulder. It was Boeser's ninth career goal in a season-opening game, a club record.
The Canucks return to action Saturday when they visit the Edmonton Oilers.
NOTES: 18-year old Canucks rookie Braeden Cootes made his NHL debut. Cootes was the 15th pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft... Nils Hoglander (lower body), Teddy Blueger (undisclosed) and Pierre-Olivier Joseph (lower body) missed the contest for Vancouver... Both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play... Chytil has seven career two-goal games... Vancouver head coach Adam Foote picked up his first career win as an NHL bench boss.
