Demko shines but gets no goal support as Canucks lose 1-0 to Flames in OT

Well, that was a tough game to watch. The Vancouver Canucks made their second stop on a four-game road trip to Calgary where they took on the Flames. The two rivals met ten times last season as Calgary beat Vancouver seven times in the Scotia North Division.

For some reason, it took until late January for the Canucks and Flames to have their first meeting of the season. These teams will meet two more times and both will be at Rogers Arena. They are on February 24 and March 19.

The game ended up being a pretty dull contest as the Canucks ended up falling 1-0 in overtime. This would be Jose Mourinho’s ideal game if he was a hockey coach.

Pregame notes

Thatcher Demko got the start against the Flames. He came off the COVID -19 protocol on Thursday and joined the team in Calgary.

Tucker Poolman left the game against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. His injury is undisclosed. As a result, Noah Juulsen was called up and he suited up against the Flames. Spencer Martin, Ashton Sautner and Justin Bailey were put on the taxi squad.

Bo Horvat came off the COVID protocol as well.

“I’ve felt completely fine the whole time,” said Horvat on Saturday morning per Aaron Vickers of Daily Hive. “No symptoms. I’m feeling ready to go. Looking forward to getting back on the ice tonight in that game.”

Before the game, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman said that Conor Garland was a name that teams were interested in. The teams he mentioned were the Flames, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils.

J.T. Miller’s name has been brought up in trade rumours over the past week and now Garland. However, I think it is doubtful that Garland will be shipped out.

Here is how the Canucks lined up against the Flames.

Thoughts on the game

In the first period, it was pretty much all Flames. The Canucks only managed one shot in the first period. Calgary had more possession of the puck and was threatening to score. Fortunately, Demko did not show any rust.

It seemed like Vancouver barely got any time in Calgary’s zone in the first. When they did, they would lose the puck or miss the net.

There was also this dangerous hit by Tyler Myers on Trevor Lewis. It was a clear shoulder to the head hit. Myers got a five-minute major and a match penalty.

The Canucks did a good job killing off the five-minute major and Tyler Motte got the Canucks first shot of the game and only shot on goal in the first period while they were killing off the major.

Speaking of special teams, the Canucks penalty kill was perfect for the second straight game. That is impressive considering their penalty kill is last in the league. They managed to kill off all four Flames’ power play attempts. Demko played a big part and they were clearing the puck out quickly as possible. It also helped that the Flames kept missing the net.

As for the Canucks power play, it looked just as dreadful, if not worse. They had trouble setting up and they kept turning the puck over. Vancouver went 0/3 and did not test Jacob Markstrom even once on the power play.

The Canucks struggled in the shot department. They only managed 15 against the Flames and that was their shot total of the season to date.

This game gave off the same vibes of game 7 between the Canucks and Golden Knights in the bubble. Demko stood on his head making great saves and the Canucks couldn’t get anything going offensively.

Demko is also 2/2 in penalty shots in his career as he stopped Johnny Gaudreau.

His first penalty shot stop was on May 6, 2021, against the Edmonton Oilers. Demko stopped none other than Connor McDavid in that game.

Demko tracked the puck well and kept the Canucks in the game which is routine for him at this point. It would have been better if the Canucks provided some offence.

Per NaturalStatTrick, the Canucks had a Corsi for of 35.8% at 5 on five which is not good at all. The Flames had 64.2% CF.

Both teams couldn’t score through three so the game went to overtime. Miller skated into the offensive zone and was hooked by Elias Lindholm. That probably should have been a penalty and Miller wasn’t happy about it. However, he forgot to backcheck and Gaudreau ended up beating Demko to win the game for Flames.

Miller should have done a better job with the backcheck there. Markstrom got the shutout against his former team and now has seven on the season. At least Matthew Highmore and Juho Lammikko were not out in overtime again.

At least that game was over. It was a frustrating game for the Canucks. Demko carried them and they had nothing to help him out. The Flames were the better team and deserved the win.

This game was as boring as the Lord of the Flies book which I read in grade 11.