Canucks Takeaways: Lankinen, Cootes deliver encouraging performances

To understand the Vancouver Canucks ’ pre-season game Tuesday, understand this: the Calgary Flames dressed a lineup in which every skater is projected to make their National Hockey League roster, while the Canucks sent a lineup from which only two or three skaters could be with them on opening night.

The Flames’ ability to take over the game in the second period and eventually build a 3-1 victory at the Saddledome was not a surprise. That it was still scoreless through 35 minutes, and that the young Canucks pushed back a little in the third, was.

It was a good start for the Canucks, and an admirable finish. But the middle portion of the game was dominated by the Flames, who exploited Vancouver's inexperience for a pile of outnumbered rushes.

Goalie Kevin Lankinen , expected to be the Canucks’ Game 1 starter, was excellent. He made 27 saves that included point-blank stops on Martin Pospisil and Ryan Strome and looked sharp tracking pucks through traffic that frequently jammed his crease.

After Calgary scored three times in four minutes near the end of the middle period, Vancouver pulled a goal back in the third when Arshdeep Bains neatly finished from Braeden Cootes ' nice setup in the low slot.

In his first pre-season start — and likely one of only two — Lankinen got lots of work as he prepares again to fill-in for injured Canuck starter Thatcher Demko. It was an encouraging performance after Lankinen struggled in the only scrimmage of training camp on Saturday.

Lankinen got a chunk of Joel Farabee’s breakaway shot that opened scoring for Calgary and had no chance on Samuel Honzek’s rebound goal that made it 3-0. Matt Coronato beat Lankinen from close range on an outnumbered rush for the other Flames goal.

Under immense pressure with Demko still working his way back from major hip surgeries, and demanding a bounce-back season from himself after a subpar campaign last year, Lankinen has some positivity to build upon after Tuesday.

Nineteen-year-old centre Cootes has been involved in all three goals the Canucks have generated in their first two exhibition games, combining with Bains on all of them. His hockey sense and playmaking skills were on display when he intercepted a Flames’ rim-around in the third period, skated the puck into the corner before hooking a pass between defenders and out to Bains in the low slot.

A year ago, Cootes became the first Canuck in 25 years to make the team in training camp as an 18-year-old. He lasted only three NHL games before being sent back to junior, and obviously is aiming for more now this fall.

But as a 19-year who was drafted in the first round in 2025, Cootes is eligible to play this season in the American Hockey League, which may be too appealing an option for the Canucks under patience-preaching general manager Ryan Johnson not to exercise.

“Management is going to make a decision that they think is best for me in the long term,” Cootes said after Tuesday’s morning skate in Vancouver. “I want to play in this league for a long, long time. But if that's what they think is best for me, to do that and be the best player I can in (the AHL), then I’m going to do that.