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........

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