Leevi Merilainen made 23 saves in his first start for the Vancouver Canucks, helping the team rally for a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday. Vancouver trailed 1-0 after the first period, then scored four times in the third to claim its second win of the season and improve to 2-1-0. Calgary dropped to 0-2-0.

Merilainen, a 24-year-old from Oulu, Finland, was claimed by Vancouver off waivers from the Ottawa Senators late last month. He had briefly appeared in the Canucks’ 9-7 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, entering midway through the second period after Kevin Lankinen was replaced. He allowed one goal on 11 shots.

“It felt good to get the win,” Merilainen said. “It was sort of weird playing for the first time for a long time.” He said the brief outing against Edmonton made him eager to start. “I was pretty confident,” he said. “The Oilers game went OK, and I had a good summer.”

Merilainen’s most significant stop came late in the second period, when Vancouver was still behind 1-0. He denied Calgary defenceman Zayne Parekh on a 3-on-1 breakaway, a save that drew praise from teammates and head coach Manny Malhotra.

“He did a fantastic job,” Malhotra said. “He looked really poised and calm in net. When a goalie plays calm like that, it bleeds into the play of the 5-on-5 in front of him. He made some huge stops. That (3-on-1) could change the momentum of the game. He did a fantastic job coming in for his first game and make the stops he needed to make.”

Liam Ohgren marked his 100th NHL game with a goal and an assist on the winning goal by defenceman Elias Pettersson. Drew O’Connor also scored, and Aatu Raty added an empty-net goal. Tom Willander and centre Linus Karlsson each recorded two assists. Matt Coronato scored Calgary’s goal on the power play, while Flames goaltender Devin Cooley made 23 saves.

The game included an early fight between Calgary forward Adam Klapa and Canucks defenceman Luke Schenn, less than three minutes into the first period. In the third, Elias Pettersson delivered a major hit on Parekh, freeing the puck before O’Connor scored. “I love that,” Merilainen said. “I love a physical game. It’s more entertaining for me to watch.”

Ottawa selected Merilainen in the third round, 71st overall, of the 2020 NHL draft. In 2024-25, he appeared in 12 NHL games and posted an 8-3-1 record, a 1.99 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and three shutouts. Last season, he played 20 games, going 8-10-1 with a 3.51 goals-against average and a .860 save percentage.

With other goaltenders in its system, Ottawa decided Merilainen was expendable, sending him to Vancouver through waivers. He said moving across the country after four years with one organization felt unusual, but offered a fresh start. “For sure it’s exciting,” Merilainen said. “It’s a new opportunity, knowing it’s a team that wants me here.”

The Canadian Press first published this report Oct. 4, 2026.

Based on reporting by Global News Edmonton.