Vancouver Canucks Look to Snap Home Slide Against Flyers with Renewed Purpose

The buzz: There were encouraging signs Saturday in Edmonton.

It’s one thing to talk about being harder to play against; it’s another to actually deliver the bark and bite, and sustain the effort against a high‑octane Oilers lineup.

Despite a 4‑2 defeat, the Canucks left Edmonton feeling they had reached a new level, especially given the challenges of their ongoing roster rebuild, and they are tired of settling for moral victories.

The Canucks didn’t fade into the night; they displayed pace and pressure, forcing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to defend, engaging in scrums throughout. Brendan Gallagher’s early drive to the net, after delivering a drop pass that accidentally—and perhaps intentionally—drawn a goalie‑interference minor, showcased the team’s intensity.

He also clashed with Connor Murphy, drawing a roughing minor in the second period, and continued jawing at the defenceman in the penalty box.

“There were a lot of positives,” said Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra. “Especially the first two periods with the overall effort and the attention to detail there. Because of that we were in a situation in the third where we had an opportunity to win. It just came down to momentary lapses and small missed assignments or puck battles.

After Gallagher’s goalie‑interference penalty, the Canucks generated four strong shifts, producing five shots. They also rallied from a 3‑1 deficit in the third, pulling Leevi Merilainen for an extra attacker. Brock Boeser positioned himself in the slot and redirected a Filip Hronek point shot before the Oilers sealed the game with an empty‑netter.

Boeser also logged three blocks, including one on a shot that struck his foot, forcing him to walk off the ice before returning to the bench. Paul Cotter recorded five hits, while Linus Karlsson, who was denied on a second‑period breakaway, finished with three shots on seven attempts. Drew O’Connor added four shots.

Max Sasson tied the game with nine seconds left in the opening period, converting a tipped effort.

“We did a lot of good things and our breakouts looked a lot cleaner,” said Sasson. “It was probably the best we’ve played all year; we were using the middle of the ice better and generating decent looks. We just need to find that extra gear in the third.”

The Canucks broke a 1‑1 deadlock in the opening minute of the third period when Jason Dickinson tipped a shot, then got a shot away and converted his own rebound with a backhand.

When Arshdeep Bains drew a hooking minor, McDavid rushed ahead, drew two defenders, and found Draisaitl open at the side of the net. He snapped a short‑side shot for his second goal of the night and his 31st career goal against the Canucks, the most he has scored against any NHL club.

McDavid now has recorded an assist in all 18 games this season, matching Adam Oates (1992‑93) and remaining within reach of Wayne Gretzky’s league record of 23 (1990‑91).

The history: The Canucks were swept in the 2025‑26 series. The Flyers went 2‑0‑0, defeating Vancouver 5‑2 at home on December 22, 2025 to end the Canucks’ four‑game win streak, then prevailed again 6‑3 on December 30, 2025 at Rogers Arena.

The hope: The Canucks draw extra motivation from facing former head coach Rick Tocchet. However, they must stop conceding the most shots and goals in the league and improve their penalty kill, which ranks second‑worst at 63.5%. The Flyers, playing back‑to‑back games, also dropped a 4‑3 overtime decision in Calgary on Sunday.

The fear: The fear is another tie without a victory. Such outcomes have become all too frequent this season, and the Canucks must summon the resolve needed to secure their second home win in nine games.

The top guns: For Vancouver, Elias Pettersson leads with 19 points (4 goals, 15 assists) and four power‑play goals through 19 games. Brock Boeser is the team’s leading goal scorer with seven, adding 16 points, while Jonathan Lekkerimäki has six goals and 14 assists. On Philadelphia’s side, Trevor Zegras has 14 points (4‑10) and Matvei Michkov has 13 points (10‑3).

The wounded: Vancouver is without Tom Willander (day‑to‑day with a lower‑body issue), Filip Chytil (shoulder, on IR), and Thatcher Demko (hip surgery rehab, IR). Philadelphia is missing Rasmus Ristolainen (hand, day‑to‑day, IR) and Nikita Grebenkin (back, month‑to‑month, IR).

The quote: “There was no surprise in our locker room when we gave up so many quality looks; bad stuff happens,” said Canucks coach Manny Malhotra. “The way we played wasn’t up to standard and we had to change immediately,” he added, reflecting on the 6‑2 loss in Winnipeg and the improved effort seen in Edmonton.

Projected lines, pairings:

Bains-EP40-Boeser
DeBrusk-Cotter-Lekkerimaki
Ohgren-Rossi-Gallagher
O’Connor-Sasson-Karlsson

Bruium-Hronek
Oleksiak-Brisebois
EP25-Schenn

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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