Canucks Allow Four In The Second, Fall 7-3 To The Flames

Saturday was another tough night for the Vancouver Canucks as they fell 7-3 to the Calgary Flames. Liam Öhgren and Nils Höglander scored at even strength, while Brock Boeser found the back of the net on the power play. Nikita Tolopilo stopped seven of 11 shots before being pulled in the second for Kevin Lankinen, who made nine saves while facing 12 shots.

The second period was once again the Canucks’ Achilles’ heel, as the Flames scored four in the middle frame. At this point, it is hard to understand why the second period has been such a problem for Vancouver, as they have now allowed 103 goals through 72 games. While the Canucks will most likely not catch the franchise record of 152 set by the 1984-85 team, there is a chance they could pass second place, which sits at 119.

Shifting over to goaltending, Saturday was a perfect example of why teams should not sit a young goaltender for two weeks straight. Tolopilo struggled with his rebound control and never looked comfortable in the net. At this stage of the season, Vancouver should be splitting the goaltending starts so that Tolopilo can get more game action at the NHL level.

“We gotta be better for Tolo there,” said Adam Foote post-game. “I know he probably wanted a couple of those, but little details. The first one, we were too low on the PK. Then we missed two box-outs in a row. Then they got the fourth one, and that fifth one, we were trying to go for a breakaway, pick off a pass on a PK, and that’s not the time to do it. Just those little details are going to burn you in a game that wasn’t out of control. We let it get away from us early. We kept fighting, but you gotta take care of your end and the details, and we didn’t.”

Overall, the only real positive was the play of Öhgren, Elias Pettersson and Linus Karlsson. The trio outshot their opponents 8-4 in 13:06 of ice time and connected on the Canucks’ first goal. Hopefully, this line will stay together for at least the next few games, as it looked like they had some chemistry on the ice.

Saturday was another example of how far behind Vancouver is from the rest of the group. The Canucks struggled defensively, and despite taking 34 shots, Vancouver managed to beat Dustin Wolf only three times. In the end, Saturday’s loss was good for the tank, but, as has been the case most of the season, a difficult performance to watch from a fan perspective.

Mar 28, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames right wing Adam Klapka (43) get into a scrum with Vancouver Canucks players during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Stats and Facts:

– Canucks become the first team this season to allow 100 goals in the second period

– Vancouver has now allowed a power play goal against in four straight games

– Brock Boeser ties Todd Bertuzzi for fifth on the Canucks all-time power play goals list with 79

– Vancouver allows seven or more goals for the second time this season

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

3:04- CGY: Matt Coronato (17) from Zayne Parekh and Morgan Frost
4:59- CGY: Joel Farabee (17) from Zach Whitecloud and Mikael Backlund
18:53- VAN: Liam Öhgren (8) from Linus Karlsson and Elias Pettersson

2nd Period:

1:32-CGY: Ryan Strome (6) from Olli Määttä and Yegor Sharangovich
4:36- CGY: Olli Määttä (2) from Ryan Strome and Hunter Brzustewicz
4:47- CGY: Morgan Frost (18) from Matt Coronato and Matvei Gridin
13:36- VAN: Brock Boeser (18) from Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek (PPG)
19:23- CGY: Zayne Parekh (2) from Matt Coronato and Morgan Frost (PPG)

3rd Period:

12:40- VAN: Nils Höglander (2) from Victor Mancini and Zeev Buium
19:52- CGY: Adam Klapka (6) from Brennan Othmann and Hunter Brzustewicz

Up Next:

The Canucks continue their road trip on Monday with a matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. At the time of writing, it is expected that Monday will be Evander Kane’s 1000th regular-season game. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.

Make sure you bookmark THN’s Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don’t forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

Abbotsford Canucks’ Arshdeep Bains Could Set New Franchise Record This Weekend

Former Canucks Captain Hits 30-Goal Mark For Fourth Time In His Career

2025-26 Canucks Set Franchise Record For Empty Net Goals Allowed

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.