Vancouver 4, Calgary 2
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
Referees:
Tim Peel, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen:
David Brisebois, Ryan Galloway
Attendance:
19289
By SportsDirect Inc.
Canucks 4, Flames 2: Zack Kassian snapped a tie early in the second period and captain Henrik Sedin notched a goal and an assist as visiting Vancouver held on to edge Calgary in the season opener for both teams.
Alex Burrows and Radim Vrbata also scored while Brad Richardson and defenseman Chris Tanev each notched a pair of assists for the Canucks, who have won eight straight meetings with their Pacific Division rivals - including all five last season. Ryan Miller turned aside 23 shots in his debut with Vancouver, which made a winner of Willie Desjardins in his first career game behind an NHL bench.
Paul Byron and Jiri Hudler tallied for the Flames, who earned two of a possible 10 points against the Canucks in 2013-14. Jonas Hiller finished with 29 saves in his initial game with Calgary after spending his first seven seasons with Anaheim.
Vancouver opened the scoring with 8:05 remaining in the first period as Burrows tipped defenseman Dan Hamhuis' shot from the blue line past Hiller during a power play. The Flames drew even when Byron fired the puck between Miller's pads from the right faceoff circle during a 2-on-1 rush at 4:08 of the second, but Kassian restored the lead for the Canucks 68 seconds later with a shot from the left side after Richardson's attempt slid across the slot.
Vrbata made it 3-1 at 11:07, knocking the puck out of mid-air and past Hiller, before Hudler got Calgary back within one with a shot from the left hash marks 2:12 later. Sedin sealed the victory with 16 seconds left in the third as he whacked the puck across the goal line before sliding feet-first into the empty net.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Vancouver D Kevin Bieksa finished with a plus-2 rating and four penalty minutes in 20:26 of ice time after being a game-time decision due to an upper-body injury. ... Flames C Sean Monahan also was a game-time decision due to an illness but saw 17:43 of ice time and notched an assist. ... Calgary D Raphael Diaz was a healthy scratch after signing a one-year contract on Monday.
Top Game Performances
| Vancouver |
|
Calgary |
|
Henrik Sedin 2 |
Points |
Paul Byron 1 |
|
Henrik Sedin 1 |
Goals |
Paul Byron 1 |
|
Brad Richardson 2 |
Assists |
Joe Colborne 1 |
|
Alexandre Burrows 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Ryan Miller .920 |
Save Percentage |
Jonas Hiller .906 |
|
Ryan Miller 23 |
Saves |
Jonas Hiller 29 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Vancouver
|
33 |
4 |
1-3 |
4-4 |
12 |
27 |
| Calgary
|
25 |
2 |
0-4 |
2-3 |
10 |
43 |
Upcoming Games
-
Calgary will play their next game on the road against Edmonton. The Flames have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
Vancouver will play their next game at home against Edmonton. The Canucks have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
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