Miller scores three points, Canucks spoil Flyers opener with shootout win

PHILADELPHIA -- J.T. Miller had a goal and two assists, helping the Vancouver Canucks spoil the Philadelphia Flyers season opener with a 5-4 shootout win at Wells Fargo Center on Friday.

Elias Pettersson and Alex Chiasson each had a goal and an assist, and Thatcher Demko made 31 saves for Vancouver, which got its first win of the season after losing its opener the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in the shootout Wednesday.
Miller and Pettersson scored in the shootout, and Demko didn't allow a goal on Philadelphia's two attempts.
"I thought we just got better as the game went on," Canucks coach Travis Green said. "We weren't very good in the first period. Philly had us hemmed in our zone, they had better skating legs. Talked to the team after the first period and I really liked how they responded. Second period was good. I thought our third period might have been our best period."

Joel Farabee had a goal and an assist, and Cam Atkinson, Travis Konecny and Claude Giroux scored for Philadelphia. Carter Hart made 35 saves.
"We did some good things," Farabee said. "I think we could break out of our zone a little bit cleaner. It's early in the season and we'll continue to build that chemistry."
Philadelphia scored two goals in the final 2:17 of the third period to tie the game 4-4.
Konecny was hit in the face by the stick of Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson at 17:36 of the third. With Hart out to give the Flyers a 6-on-4 advantage, Konecny scored a power-play goal to make it 4-3 at 17:43. Then with Hart out again, Giroux scored from a sharp angle to tie it 4-4 at 18:48 after Sean Couturier banked a pass to him off the end boards.
"The fans were pretty wild at the end," Giroux said. "That was one of the most exciting goals I've scored, seeing the guys jacked up and the fans were pretty happy."

Farabee put the Flyers ahead 1-0 at 6:15 of the first period. Demko stopped his shot, but the rebound bounced off the skate of Canucks defenseman Tucker Poolman and into the net.
Vasily Podkolzin scored his first NHL goal in his second NHL game at 2:36 of the second period on a shot from the right circle to tie it 1-1, and Pettersson made it 2-1 with a power-play goal at 4:07.
"We were joking around with [Podkolzin] this morning, told him I thought I had a feeling he was going to get one tonight," Green said. "That's great to see. It's such a special moment. It's something that you never forget."

Chiasson won a battle at the front of the net and pushed the puck under Hart during a 5-on-3 power-play at 9:36 to increase the lead to 3-1.
"You're going to get a lot of bounces that don't go your way," Hart said. "We got a couple of bounces to go our way at the end."
Atkinson, in his Flyers debut, brought them within 3-2 at 12:17 when he cut to the slot and redirected a Farabee pass.
Miller gave Vancouver a 4-2 lead at 17:07 when he knocked in a loose puck at the post.
Despite the Flyers rallying in the third, the Canucks felt they carried the play for most of the period.
"It was about as good a third period as you can play in a hockey game on the road," Miller said. "I don't think it took the life out of us at all. I thought we did pretty well in the overtime as well, had some good looks, so we're just really happy. I don't think we had a great first period, power play came up big. And then I thought we had an awesome third period."
NOTES: Defensemen Ryan Ellis and Keith Yandle each had two assists in his Flyers debut. Ellis was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on July 17, and Yandle signed a one-year contract July 28. Yandle's second assist was the 500th of his NHL career. He played his 923rd consecutive game, second to Doug Jarvis (964) in NHL history. … Philadelphia forward Max Willman had one shot on goal in 9:30 of ice time in his NHL debut. … Pettersson's goal was his first since March 2. He missed the final 30 games last season with a wrist injury. … It was the Canucks' first game in the United States since March 1, 2020. Last season they were in the Scotia North Division, which consisted of the seven Canada-based teams. ... It was Vancouver's first win in Philadelphia since Nov. 21, 2017. ... Goalie Jaroslav Halak is expected to make his Canucks debut at the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.