Vancouver Canucks Conclude 2025 With 6-3 Loss To The Philadelphia Flyers

The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up 2025 with a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. David Kämpf and Drew O'Connor each had a goal and an assist while Tom Willander scored late in the third. As for Thatcher Demko, he stopped 27 of the 31 shots he faced in the loss. 

Vancouver's downfall in this game was the second period. The Flyers outshot the Canucks 19-9 in the second and were able to find the back of the net twice. Vancouver's effort in the second was very concerning, especially since Philadelphia did not have a full two-minute power play in the frame. 

"We started very good, said Kämpf post-game. "I think the first 10 minutes was great. We had good luck, but after that, it slipped a little bit away. So yeah, if I knew the answer, I would tell you, but I know we have to talk about it and be better."

Tuesday's loss was yet another loss at Rogers Arena. So far this season, the Canucks are 4-12-1 at home, while their nine points rank 32nd in the league. Post-game, O'Connor spoke about the home ice record and the frustration of not being able to win games at Rogers Arena.

"I don't know. I wish I had an answer. We want to come in here and play well in front of our fans. It's frustrating for them, it's frustrating for us. Especially for us, when we don't. So it's something that we're working on. We want to be better because it's important to have a good home ice advantage, and we haven't had that."

Overall, Vancouver's defensive coverage was problematic throughout the game. Whether it was missed assignments or lost battles in front of the net, the Flyers were able to dictate play for significant portions of the night. When asked about the team's defensive structure on Tuesday, Head Coach Adam Foote spoke about how not being able to clear pucks impacted the game. 

"I'll have to go look at the tape. You get caught in your end in the second period. Just that's the thing about second-period changes, where you get caught out there. That's why you have to manage the pucks through the neutral zone, those high flips. You can almost have to take a couple extra strides and place these pucks down a little bit deeper, or just ice it. And you get a breather that way. You don't want to, but sometimes you have to. It's just things we have to think about and work on. You get out there, and if you're a little bit, you know, younger or whatever, and you can't stop a cycle when you're tired, it happens. It happened. It happened to Philly. We did it for 12 minutes. They couldn't get off the ice either for quite a few shifts. And we were able to capitalize. So it works both ways." 

In the end, mistakes once again piled up, which resulted in the Canucks' league-leading 20th regulation loss of the season. As mentioned, Vancouver had a strong start, but lost all momentum after the first period. Overall, it was yet another disappointing performance at home, which resulted in fans heading for the exit before the game was over. 

Stats and Facts:

- Evander Kane records his first fight with the Canucks

- David Kämpf records his first multi-point game with Vancouver

- Kiefer Sherwood records 10+ hits in a game for the third time this season

- Canucks drop to 4-10-1 when outshooting the opposition

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

3:45- VAN: David Kämpf (2nd) from Drew O'Connor and Marcus Pettersson
12:02- PHI: Noah Cates (10) from Matvei Michkov and Bobby Brink

2nd Period:

3:40- PHI: Carl Grundstrom (7) from Nikita Grebenkin and Travis Sanheim
16:20- PHI: Travis Konecny (12) from Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras

3rd Period:

1:06- VAN: Drew O'Connor (10) from David Kämpf and Kiefer Sherwood
1:32- PHI: Bobby Brink (10) from Matvei Michkov and Noah Cates
17:18- PHI: Owen Tippett (12) from Rodrigo Abols (ENG) (SHG)
18:15- VAN: Tom Willander (2)
19:19- PHi: Christian Dvorak (9) from Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny (ENG)

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