The Flames fell to the Canucks by a score of 3-1 last night, but for Flames fans the score was the secondary story as Sam Bennett stole the show, demonstrating to the home crowd why he was selected 4th overall in the 2014 entry draft.

The Flames outshot and out-chanced the Sedin-less Canucks all night but ultimately struggled to beat Eddie Lack who appears to already be in mid-season form.

The Flames dominated the first period of play, controlling possession and effectively cycling the puck for sustained periods of time deep in the offensive zone.

The Stajan, Bollig, and Hathaway line was even able to successfully execute a line change at one point after a shift of complete domination in the Vancouver end. The fans in attendance showed appreciation for the effort but unfortunately the Flames were simply unable to capitalize on their chances and went back to the dressing room tied 0-0 after 1 period, despite having outshot the visitors by a 20-3 margin.

The Canucks struck first as Nick Bonino connected with Chris Higgins for a tap in at the far post. The goal was an even strength marker, but it was scored just moments after Devin Setoguchi returned to the ice from a poorly timed penalty that negated a Flames powerplay.

Sam Bennett brought fans to their feet a short time later as he completely undressed Canucks defender Kent Huskins. Unfortunately the play went for naught as he was unable to beat Lack and the Canucks extended their lead late in the period when Nicklas Jensen was able to bang a loose puck past Hiller following a net front scramble.

The Flames finally managed to get a puck past Lack at the end of the period when Sean Monahan tapped in a rebound on the power play following a Sam Bennett scoring chance.

The Flames held a 26-12 shot advantage after the second, as well as a 50-27 shot attempt differential. On the scoreboard though they were looking at the wrong side of a 2-1 score.

The Flames seemed to slow down in the third, as Brad Thiessen took over for Jonas Hiller. The Canucks took control of the play and the Flames began to make simple errors. Hunter Shinkaruk capitalized on a rebound from a Kent Huskins shot and fired it past Thiessen to extend the lead. And despite some nice opportunities, including Bennett rushing the puck up ice on a penalty kill and creating a solid scoring chance, the Flames ultimately couldn't convert. Overall shots were 31-23. Shot attempts were 67-42. Both in favour of Calgary.

Sam Bennett led the game with 7 shots and created offensive opportunities all night, battling through traffic, and showing off his hands. While fans may have left the dome disappointed with the final score, the buzz around Bennett was nothing but positive.

Other points of notice included Bill Arnold's 11 faceoff wins on 12 attempts, and a very solid effort from veteran defenseman Dennis Wiseman who appears to be on a mission to put last season behind him.

On the downside, Ryan Culkin and Raphael Diaz were really not very good. Diaz was -3 and Culkin was -2 with a penalty and the blown coverage on Shinkaruk's goal.

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