Canucks: 3 takeaways from 3-2 shootout loss to Edmonton

Strong debut for the newcomers

The Canucks also managed to get solid debuts from some of their newer faces on the roster, particularly Conor Garland and Kyle Burroughs.

Garland made his Vancouver debut on the second line with Horvat and Tanner Pearson and, as expected, brought high energy and speed to the top-six rotation. The former Arizona Coyote was all over the ice on every shift, and wasn’t afraid to drive the net or battle against the boards.

Garland also found himself on the second powerplay unit, where he showcased his strong vision and quick passing abilities with Ekman-Larsson and Höglander en route to the team’s first goal of the game.

Garland finished the night with one assist, two SOG and three hits in just over 20 minutes of ice time, and is already cementing himself as the talented top-six winger that we all expected him to be.

Burroughs also had a strong outing with his new team.

The 26-year-old blueliner started the game on the third-pairing with Jack Rathbone, but definitely made the most of his given ice time. Burroughs didn’t hesitate to join the rush every time he hit the ice, and was able to put his offensive mindset on full display on numerous occasions.

Burroughs and Rathbone appeared to be on the outside looking in during Wednesday’s morning skate, but eventually got the nod from Green to suit up for the season opener over Brad Hunt and Luke Schenn, which turned out to be a very smart move for the Canucks.

The Vancouver native finished the game with two SOG, two blocked shots and one hit in just over 11 minutes of ice time, and has definitely earned another look with his hometown club.

Ekman-Larsson also put up a strong outing with his new club, registering one assist, four SOG and three hits in just under 24 minutes of ice time. Ekman-Larsson had the second highest TOI amongst the Canucks, right behind Hughes, with six of those minutes coming on the powerplay and penalty kill.

Other notes:

• Fans were treated to a gift to kick off the season, thanks to this bone-crushing hit from Tyler Myers on public enemy #1 Duncan Keith.

• Vasily Podkolzin made his NHL debut on Wednesday night, logging 7:34 of ice time on the fourth line. Podkolzin played alongside Justin Dowling and Juho Lammikko, both of whom were also making their Vancouver debuts. Lammiko was acquired from the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenceman Olli Juolevi.

The Canucks will continue their six-game road trip against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday afternoon. Puck drop is set for 4:00pm PST.

What were your thoughts on Vancouver’s season opener? Let us know in the comments!