from Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province,

It’s one game, chill you maniacs.

The Flames will be fine. I think. The Canucks, no one knows.

The start, however, could not have been better. The Canucks put up 44 shots and after the first 10 minutes spent the game making the Flames bow down before them, which is roughly the opposite of what happened in the playoffs.

The Sedins were terrific. Or better. Not every night will be like this. Their production will ebb and flow. In the slumps, people will continue to say they are not first line players. People will continue to be wrong.

So be it. But I think by now we all have a strong understanding what the Sedins are going to bring, which is mostly dominated Alberta no matter how many young superstars those teams collect.

What was really intriguing tonight is how quick and mobile Vancouver’s defence looked. We all know who is gone from last year, what we don’t know is what kind of difference it’s going to make.

continued

Game highlights are below...