Music: {allcanada} Canucks continue dominance of Flames

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

{allcanada} Canucks continue dominance of Flames

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CALGARY -- New season, same dominance by the Vancouver Canucks against the Calgary Flames.

But it was a pair of new faces that paved the way for Vancouver.

Radim Vrbata scored the game-winner and Ryan Miller made 23 saves to lead the Canucks to a season-opening 4-2 win against the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday, making Willie Desjardins a winner in his NHL coaching debut.

The Canucks swept the five-game series with Calgary last season and have won eight consecutive games against the Flames, including five straight on the road. Neither Vrbata nor Miller were a part of that prior dominance, though; each signed as a free agent with Vancouver during the offseason.

Desjardins replaced John Tortorella, who was let go after the Canucks failed to make the playoffs last season.

Season-openers haven't gone the Flames way of late. Calgary is 12-19-10-2 all-time in its first game of the season and hasn't started with a victory since Oct. 1, 2009.

The game was tied 1-1 in the second period before goals by Zach Kassian and Vrbata put the Canucks ahead to stay.

A Brad Richardson misfire landed on the stick of Kassian, alone to the left of Jonas Hiller, and he batted the puck into a virtually empty net at 5:16 to put the Canucks up 2-1.

The goal came just 68 seconds after Paul Byron tied the game by beating Miller between the legs on an odd-man rush.

Vrbata's goal at 11:07 needed some help from a video review.

After Henrik Sedin's wraparound attempt hit defenseman TJ Brodie's stick and bounced up, Vrbata quickly swatted the puck out of midair and behind Hiller. The goal was originally waved off, but a lengthy video review overturned the decision.

The Flames took advantage of a fortunate bounce of their own at 13:19 to pull within 3-2. The puck bounced off the stick of Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler and into the slot, where Jiri Hudler took a tap from Sean Monahan before beating Miller over the glove.

But Miller closed the door in the third period, making nine saves before Henrik Sedin found the empty net with 1:16 remaining and Hiller on the bench in favor of an extra attacker.

Miller weathered an early storm and bought some time for the Canucks to open the scoring with 8:05 remaining in the first period.

Alexandre Burrows, who didn't score his first goal last season until March 12 last season, in his 37th game, had the first goal of the season for Vancouver.

On the ensuing faceoff after Byron was whistled for hooking, Dan Hamhuis took a pass from Christopher Tanev and let go a shot through a screen that was directed by Burrows and behind Hiller to put the Canucks up 1-0 at 11:55.

The goal came after Calgary couldn't beat Miller during a 5-on-3 man advantage that lasted 64 seconds.

Prior to the power play, the Flames held a 5-1 edge in shots. The Canucks finished by outshooting Calgary 12-4 the rest of the period, including a shorthanded attempt off Tanev in the dying seconds of the period that forced Hiller to flash a quick glove at the buzzer.

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