Talk about setting the tone for what should be a season with high expectations.
The Vancouver Canucks couldn’t have been more locked in during the first period of the season-opener against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, lighting the lamp a franchise-record four times to really start the year on the right foot.
Daniel Sprong got the party started just under 10 minutes into the opening frame, netting his first as a member of the Canucks with help from another new addition Danton Heinen.
Just over two minutes later, Brock Boeser — who scored four in last season’s first game — netted a power play goal and 28 seconds after that, Conor Garland scored Vancouver’s third goal of the game.
Those three goals, 12 minutes and 16 seconds into the game, were the three fastest goals to begin a season in franchise history.
Three minutes later, a new addition to the Flames responded as Anthony Mantha netted his first for the team, scoring a short-handed unassisted goal to get Calgary on the board.
But a two-goal gap just wasn’t acceptable for the high-flying Canucks.
Boeser, with fire in his eyes and a clear need to repeat last season’s opening effort, netted his second of the game to put himself on hatty watch and put the Flames on the back burner.
However, the Canucks weren’t the only team breaking records in this one. On the other end, the Flames gave up four first-period goals in a season-opener for the first time in franchise history.
After the end of that first period, the Canucks were on pace for a 984-goal season, a number that would absolutely demolish the record 446 goals scored by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1983-84 season.
Vancouver grew in a big way last season, taking a 38-win team from the 2022-23 campaign and turning it into a 50-win team. As they hope to exceed that level this season, a record-breaking opening frame is as good a start as any.
For Calgary … well here’s to hoping that it’s only up from here.
