For the majority of this game, it was very clear what we were watching. The Dallas Stars? A fantastic hockey team. The Vancouver Canucks? Well, they tried their best.

And for the majority of the game, the score line followed this narrative. Dallas went up on three straight power play goals, and while Vancouver managed a cute little attempt at a comeback by getting two of their own in the third period, the Stars made it 5-2 on a Mikael Granlund empty netter.

Game over, season over, there’s always next year, HAGS. The Canucks playoff chances were officially snuffed, which means we can go back to reading New York Rangers fans coming to terms with JT Miller not saving their season as advertised. It’s petty, but that’s all we have at this point.

But then a funny thing happened. With around a minute left, Aatu Räty scored a goal to make it 5-3.

Ok, nice to see Räty score a goal. After all, the only thing worth watching for are glimmers of greatness from some of the young players that might help sell some hope for next year.

But then with Thatcher Demko pulled, the Canucks made it 5-4 when Mr. Cha-Ching himself Pius Suter brought the Canucks to within one goal with 28 seconds left on the clock.

Ok, hey, if you have to lose to a top team, at least you went out on your shield, right? At least you made those bad boys sweat a little bit, and you made them bleed their own blood. You had your 300 moment where you made the Gods realize they might not be as immortal as they once thought they were.

But then, with 5.2 seconds left, once again, Mr. Cha-Ching found himself staring at Casey DeSmith, and once again, he found himself getting the puck behind him.

5-5, a tie game. The season isn’t over yet; is this actually happening?

Then in overtime, with Quinn Hughes playing around four minutes of hockey due to a power play and the fact he’s Quinn effing Hughes, the Canucks managed to work the puck down low, Conor Garland does what he does best and won a board battle, and a pass was sent out to Kiefer Sherwood.

Game, set, blouses. Canucks win 6-5. Plan that parade, baby.

In a season of hot garbage, the Canucks managed to pull off one of their biggest comebacks of all time. It cannot be stated enough how over this game was. Dallas Stars fans had almost all filed out to beat the traffic. If any of them stayed off of social media, they were probably very confused when they talked about this game in the office on Wednesday.

“Wait, what? They didn’t lose. I saw it. It was 5-2 and I left with under a minute left. Gotta beat the traffic, am I right? The Canucks winning 6-5 is about as likely as the Mavs trading Luka….oh.”

Now, the Canucks still require a miracle to make the playoffs, and all the reasonable people amongst us know that this win, as glorious as it was, is only delaying the inevitable.

But after enduring one of the most tedious seasons in recent memory, sometimes it’s moments like these that keep you going with this team. They remind you that sports can be fun. Sports can be dumb. Sports can be exciting. We’ve had so many down moments this season that sometimes you have to remind yourself that it’s ok to enjoy a game like this. The sausage king of Chicago once said life moves pretty fast, and if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it, and he is right. Savour this game because damn it, you deserve it.

There was just something just so simple and beautiful about watching this depleted Vancouver Canucks roster going out there and putting a dent into the ego of a team that has big aspirations of making a run for the Stanley Cup.

Now, we’ve talked about how this part of the season is all about those glimmers of greatness, moments where a young kid maybe shows his stuff and gives you hope for next year. Well, the Canucks had several big moments from young players in Vittorio Mancini, Aatu Räty, and Linus Karlsson. You also had veterans step up to make big plays in Marcus Pettersson, Pius Suter and Fil Hronek. You also had a clearly exhausted and mentally and physically drained Quinn Hughes playing almost 32 minutes of hockey, showcasing that even when he’s in a catatonic state, he is still your team’s best player.

Should Quinn Hughes be playing 32 minutes a night at this point? Probably not, but who cares? Let’s worry about that another day. He’s on the fast track to emotionally turning into Gregory House, but whatever, that’s next year’s problem.

The important thing is that for one blessed evening, we got to enjoy hockey again. No locker room drama, no worrying about the make up of the roster, it was just all of us sitting back and watching the Canucks shit all over Dallas. For one sacred moment, we could feel the wind in our hair again.

The Canucks finally managed to step up in those key moments Rick Tocchet has been hammering away at all season. We didn’t have to hear him recount another loss where he ponders if maybe his team was nervous for the umpteenth time this year.

Instead, we saw a team give one last glimmer of pride on a season in which that has been few and far between.

Best giving it their best

Here we go boys! #canucks. Looking to see some good games to finish off the season.

— just a guy. 🇨🇦 (@jaycee24_) April 9, 2025

For around 95% of this article I was writing about how the Canucks gave it the old college try before finally capitulating to the superior talent of the Dallas Stars. About how the Canucks would generate offensive zone time, but were unable to do anything with it. How, even after having one of their best third periods in a while, all it took was a few counterattacks from the Dallas Stars, and this game was over.

It was a story we have seen so much of this season that I was practically copying and pasting a game recap from November, except all I did was add in a few White Lotus references to make it seem fresh. Is Pius Suter the Pornchai of the team? I have thoughts.

And to be fair to the Canucks, with their current roster, they played about as good as anyone expected of them, really.

Which is why we found ourselves giving positive feedback for executing an efficient dump and chase play that resulted in a Dakota Joshua shot on net:

Kiefer Sherwood lands the hit to separate his man from the puck, Räty throws a blind pass that manages to bank off the side of the net and go right to Joshua, and you know what? That’s a solid play for a team that has seen countless shifts end with over a minute of grinding out puck battles along the board, ending with no shot on net.

Next up was the Nils Höglander, Conor Garland and Pius Suter line creating their own quick shot after an efficient dump and chase retrieval:

Nothing mind-blowing, but again, the bar is pretty low. After watching Teddy Blueger give the human equivalent of a giant loud sigh last game by shooting the puck from the blue line into Adin Hill’s glove, I think we’ve all learned to embrace moments like this where at least the Canucks are executing a simple, efficient game plan.

The Canucks first good scoring chance was around the middle of the first period when Räty hurried Matt Dumba into throwing the puck around the glass, only for the stanchion (hi, it’s me) to bounce the puck out in front for Kiefer Sherwood to almost whack it in:

It was a good start for the Canucks, even if most of that effort didn’t translate into high level scoring chances. If anything, it kept the Dallas Stars back-pedaling for half a period, with this Mason Marchment shot their only really dangerous look at Thatcher Demko:

Natural Stat Trick didn’t register that as a high-danger chance, once again leading me to wonder what magical tariff formula they use for it, but alas. If anything, it was a learning moment for the defensive-oriented Elias Pettersson, who got turned inside out by the Stars forward with ease.

Next time, just kick him in the nuts, then fall to the ice screaming about how you broke your foot.

Best Wes MccAuley’s time to shine

raise the "get scored on first a lot banner" #Canucks

— Hmmm… A Canucks and (X) – Jets Fan 🇨🇦 (@CanucksJetsFan9) April 9, 2025

The Canucks really only got into trouble once they started taking penalties. Or, in Kiefer Sherwood’s case, existed:

I have watched this clip many times, and if that is a penalty, then there should have been around 90 calls made in this game. It’s not quite Tyler Motte being called for another dude high-sticking himself in the face, but it’s a few houses down the block from it. Close enough to know when they’re using the barbecue.

This of course led to the Stars’ first goal of the night when Wyatt Johnston made sweet, sweet love to the game of hockey with this pass to Miko Rantanen:

First off, I tip my hat to a fellow Wyatt doing so well in the sport of hockey.

Secondly, the Canucks penalty killing has not been an issue for a long while now, so it’s hard to get too riled up over it having an off-night like this. Dallas would end the night 3/4 with the extra man, and they made it look easy. Just a lot of really well-executed passes through the middle of the GOTI, which ended with Leon Draisaitl-style one-timers from odd angles that caught Demko moving. You found yourself saying “well, what are you gonna do” after each Dallas goal, which is either a sign of respect to the skill of the Stars, or bleak acceptance of the current state of the Canucks.

Probably a mix of the two.

Best grinding it out

oooh that was really close

— Nathan || Hughes4Hart (@HughesforHart) April 9, 2025

The Canucks kept pushing back, though, and almost scored when a Brock Boeser pass was tipped by Max Sasson, which was then tipped by Jake DeBrusk, which then dribbled through the crease:

The Stars almost scored on the counter attack when Matt Duchene fed Mason Marchment in the slot, but again, it was not considered nearly high enough by Natural Stat Trick to be considered dangerous. Just mildly concerning.

Best now you’re playing with power

God I hope the #Canucks don't make me watch a Casey Desmith shut out from the second row

— Amy Fulton (@amyfulton) April 9, 2025

With Fil Hronek in the box for delaying the game of hockey, the worst crime known to man, Mason Marchment made up for his earlier miss by converting a pass from behind the net from Jamie Benn:

I enjoy Kiefer Sherwood coming in late to take out the legs of Marchment, resulting in a nice spin, with one hand on the ice like he’s Spiderman making a landing.

I do not enjoy Drew O’Connor blowing the assignment by ruining the Canucks diamond on the penalty kill. He had been on the ice for over a minute, so it’s safe to say fatigue played a large factor in this. But yeah. He chases Benn behind the net, who easily shakes him off, leaving a gaping hole of coverage that the Dallas Stars captain takes advantage of.

Moral of the story: Don’t you dare delay the game of hockey. Ever.

Best slowly falling apart

I don’t even want to know what’s going on with the Canucks

— ɥʇǝqɐzᴉʅǝ (@captquintin) April 9, 2025

The Canucks second period was their worst of the game, as Dallas just started taking over.

That’s not to say the Canucks didn’t have their chances, they just didn’t have any moments where they made Casey DeSmith have to work too hard to make a save.

For example, here is a clip of Max Sasson winning a board battle and feeding Jake DeBrusk at the point, who skated in and got a shot on net:

Like, yes, that’s a solid play, but Casey isn’t worried about too much on that shot.

Meanwhile, you had one of the best names in hockey in Sam Steel walking around Vittorio Mancini after he blocked his point shot:

It was actually really good hustle from Mancini to get back into coverage, but Steel absolutely sends him to the shadow realm by running out of space and then going “tee hee, I didn’t run out of space at all!” and finding a way to drag the puck through the crease like that. But also, kudos to Vittorio for slamming that puck into Demko’s nuts to keep it safe and warm, away from prying sticks.

Linus Karlsson had another mildly concerning chance for the Canucks after making a really strong move towards the net after getting a fantastic bounce pass off the boards from Teddy Blueger:

Linus Karlsson has been my dark horse of players I want to see back with the club next year competing for a fourth line spot. He’s really showcasing an ability to take the puck towards the net, both by using skilled moves or plays where he simply shields the puck away from his opponent. After watching a season of dump and change hockey, plays where a Canucks skater actually holds onto the puck and actually goes towards the net with purpose tends to stand out.

I just think it showcases Karlsson’s confidence and how much it has grown during his time with the big club. At the start of the season, he dumps that puck into the corner or takes a shot after the initial entry, guaranteed.

But instead of crushing my soul and will to live with garbage hockey, he’s out here dangling to the net and trying to catch Casey DeSmith off guard by shooting against the mustard grain, and I can get behind that.

Best squeezing the life out of them

first time this season #Canucks have given up 3 PPG in a game. Gave up 4 in that bananas 10-7 game in Minny last year. Also gave up 3 in an early season game vs NYR

— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) April 9, 2025

The Stars, however, would make it 3-0 when Matt Duchene scored on a pass from who else but Jamie Benn:

The Stars were cutting right through the diamond formation of the Canucks with ease, making it look far too easy. Demko is lunging back and forth, trying to track the fast-moving puck, and by the time he lunges back to cover a potential Jamie Benn shot in the slot, the Stars captain finds Duchesne with the perfect pass.

You know how you know it was a great pass? Demko stacked the pads to try and make the save. He went full Kirk on that play.

Also, kudos to Sherwood for trying to take out another Dallas Star player after a goal was scored. That’s how you let them know you’re coming for them in overtime.

Best struggle bus

Well, it was a nice season of relevance last year, time to get back to this club being a joke and a threat to no NHL team but themselves. #canucks

— kdub (@kriswilson6) April 9, 2025

The second period was honestly just a lot of the Dallas Stars controlling the play and the Vancouver Canucks just trying to hold on. I won’t bother posting many clips because we’ve seen too much of that this year already, but it was just a lot of the Canucks trying to survive and failing to clear the puck, leading to scoring chances for Dallas.

On one play, Marcus Pettersson couldn’t clear at one side of the ice, leading to Mancini failing to clear it on the other, resulting in Wyatt Johnston dragging the puck through the crease and almost tucking it past Demko:

It just felt like you were watching big bro telling little bro it was time for bed at this point.

Best high points of the second period

This is the longest game of my life #Canucks

— Dylan Nicholson (@radiocodex) April 9, 2025

About the only good thing from Vancouver’s side of the fence in the middle frame was Elias Pettersson committing violence on Rantanen:

And Jake DeBrusk firing off a quick shot in the slot on the power play on a pass from Garland:

Jake didn’t score, of course, because he will never score another power play goal ever again.

Best Jake DeBrusk scored a power play goal again

been a few lengthy stretches without goals, but overall 25 goals for DeBrusk at $5.5M in season in shambles for #Canucks has been been a value deal. Improve playmakers around him and he should be able to challenge for 30 next season

— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) April 9, 2025

My favourite version of Jake DeBrusk is the one that leans into rush hockey, which, unfortunately, isn’t something this Vancouver team has been very good at.

Still, during pre-season, we saw a little bit of that Todd Bertuzzi power forward game where he would surprise teams by lumbering in at speeds you wouldn’t expect of him, showcasing nimble hands in close.

Well, Tuesday night we saw that version of Jake, when Mr. First String Quarterback went the length of the ice, only to run out of room, only to giggle “tee hee, I didn’t run out of room” and bank the puck in off of DeSmith’s skate:

Just a sublime goal from Jake DeBrusk, who has been pretty much as advertised by Bruins fans. A streaky scorer who can disappear for stretches at times.

It feels like he is a really good passenger player. He won’t drive a line. He has no problem taking the 99 B-Line to his destination. Which, in this case, was goal city.

Best fighting power with power

MANCINI EU TE AMOOOOOOOOO #canucks

— gigiu (@biblebibmoreira) April 9, 2025

Give Hronek credit for keeping the puck in when he pinched down low, puck was easily about to be cleared #canucks

— kevin (@kevinlambert23) April 9, 2025

The Canucks found themselves with four minutes of power play time after Teddy Blueger was cut up by a stick, leading to Vittorio going full Bobby Roode, scoring a glorious goal off a point shot:

Yes, that is Linus Karlsson running to the net to set up his little lemonade stand in front of DeSmith, distracting him with these rock-bottom prices but high-level quality Tang.

Yes, that is Vittorio moving in and waiting just long enough for traffic to form before getting his shot off.

It was a good goal from a club that is knee-deep in “show us something, anything” mode with its kids.

The Canucks continued the pressure after the two goals, hemming Dallas in their own zone, watching as another team parked the bus for once, leading to Linus Karlsson once again showcasing his abilities with the puck:

Again, it’s not a huge play, but that’s a young kid protecting the puck and finding a way to get it near the net. That’s the kind of play this team needs more of. Less point shots, more ways of getting into dangerous areas of the ice.

Moments later, Conor Garland would win another board battle, finding Elias Pettersson in the slot for the shot, leading to a goal mouth scramble that was just a few hairs about mildly concerning:

The point is, the shots were 10-0 in Vancouver’s favor, which is a sight for sore eyes from a club that has struggled to generate much of anything this year.

Unfortunately, you also had another learning lesson for Elias Pettersson, where once again he found himself under the learning tree of Mason Marchment, leading to the Stars’ first shot of the period with only eight minutes left in the third period:

Elias Pettersson has played at a very high level for a young player, so moments like this will only further help him evolve his game.

Unless he just gets mad about it and pretends his WiFi cut out.

Who’s to say, really.

Best closers close

That’s the heartbreaker it’s over. Canucks can get sustained pressure for 20 mins but they can’t generate a chance like that. #Canucks

— Petey (@Canucks_Fan40) April 9, 2025

Despite all of the pressure, despite all of the compete in their nature, the Dallas Stars came alive near the end of the period to put this game away.

After a couple of shifts of pressure from Dallas, their first signs of life in the entire period, Jason Robertson spun around the back of the net to find Mavrick Bourque to seemingly put the game away for good:

I assume Dallas had “Top Gun” headlines all ready to go after this goal, which I heartily applaud. Look at him celebrate. The dude was feeling it, as well he should. This truly felt like an “ok we had some fun here, but it’s time for us to take our two points and go home” moment from Dallas.

Best proud tradition

Maybe next year #Canucks

— Sasha Goundar (@SashaGoundar) April 9, 2025

Mikael Granlund, the brother of the inventor of the sea of Granlunds himself, Markus, would then ice the game with an empty-netter:

This is where most games end. You’re up 5-2, there’s barely two minutes left in the game, this one should be over.

The problem is, in this version of Top Gun, Ice Man is the hero, not Mavrik.

Best Ice Man

At least we still have Aatu Raty #Canucks

— Dylan Nicholson (@radiocodex) April 9, 2025

Aatu Räty, aka Ice Man, got the Canucks comeback started. Why is he the Ice Man? You’ll see on the fifth goal. For now, come with me on this journey as we showcase a team scoring what normally would have been a pity goal:

That is Räty’s fifth goal in seven games, folks. The guy who felt like he was a throwaway “oh you want a prospect in the Horvat trade? Uhhh, sure, yeah, you can have this guy” has maybe, possibly, shown he could be an NHL player. This is what glimmers of greatness season are all about, baby. Show us you might have that juice.

We would also be remiss if we didn’t fawn all over Marcus Pettersson picking the pocket of Wyatt Johnston, only to turn and NOT fire the puck into traffic. Oh no, not today, Satan. Instead, he patiently waits a half-second and finds a wide-open Aatu Räty for the goal.

Again, at this point, the game is still over. It’s nice that MP3 made such a smart defensive play, and it’s quaint that Aatu Räty scored, but it’s 5-3 with only a minute left, you dorks. What are you expecting here?

Best other proud tradition

of course the #canucks need to give us a heart attack rn and give us hope lol

— angry canucks fan (@vancity1114) April 9, 2025

Well, here’s the thing: Mr. Cha-Ching would then make it 5-4 with just under 36 seconds left in the game:

A couple of things about this goal:

That’s a fantastic play from Conor Garland, who would end the night with three assists, giving him 48 points on the season. His patience and poise with the puck is what opens up that passing lane to Suter, as he essentially drags three Stars into goal line coverage, giving Pius the free parking spot at the top of the crease.
Corolla has averaged around 48 points in his four years with Vancouver, making him a remarkably consistent player in whatever role you put him in. Top six? He’ll get you 50 points. Elite third line? 50 points. I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea on the power play (his muffin of a shot doesn’t inspire posters, I get it), but for a player that almost left town years ago, he’s been one of the most reliable players for the Canucks both offensively and defensively.
Pew Pew is going to get paaaaaaaaid.

Best the Ice Man cometh

PLAN THE FUCKING PARADE#Canucks are making the playoffs baby (0.2% chance)

CANUCKS TO THE FUCKING MOON

— Comp (@Comp4SB) April 9, 2025

With under 30 seconds left in a game, a faceoff win is almost vital at that point. You need possession of the puck so you can pull your goalie and so you can set up shop in the offensive zone.

So who did the Canucks send out to win the most important face off of the game? Who did they send out with the playoffs quote unquote on the line?

The Ice Man himself, Aatu Räty:

Not only does he win the draw clean as a whistle, he then sprints to the bench for a line change to let Pius Suter get on the ice, the guy who would score seconds later. We also have to give credit to Fil Hronek on this play because he jumps up and makes a terrific pinch deep along the boards to keep the puck in the Stars zone.

All of which led to this Pius Suter goal a few seconds later:

Hronek almost tips a puck out of the air to tie the game up but has to settle for making the quick pass to Mr. Cha-Ching himself for the tying goal. I think on both of Suter’s goals, he wasn’t quite sure he’d scored them, as he definitely had a delayed reaction to both of them.

You know who didn’t have a delay? Corolla Garland jumping with joy about his new Toyota:

Incredibly, against all the odds Phil Collins warned you about, the Canucks managed to tie this game up.

Just when you think this team is dead, they manage to stick one tiny finger out of the hastily created grave you dug for them.

Best finishing touches

I’ve always said a 5-2 lead with a minute left is the worst lead in hockey. #Canucks

— Michael Amato (@amato_mike) April 9, 2025

So, with overtime, possession is key, right? Which means if you have to send out one guy to win you what is now the next most important faceoff of your season, who do you choose?

That’s right, Fil Hronek:

Again, I think it just shows the confidence in the Ice Man that the Canucks are sending Räty to win a draw in overtime, which is always nice to see from a young player. Sure, he got waved out of the circle, but that’s because he knew Hronek had the win in him.

The Canucks would draw a penalty in overtime, but it didn’t amount to much of anything, but it does help explain the 4-on-4 scenario the Canucks found themselves in when Corolla Garland stole the wallet right out of the pocket of Matty Dumba, feeding Kiefer Sherwood with the pass to end the game:

Dumba is out there planking while Garland is out here celebrating.

Fun fact: Quinn Hughes had a 3:44 shift in overtime. You know how long overtime was? Three minutes and 44 seconds. Absolute madness.

Somehow the Canucks managed to find a way to win their most unwinnable game of all time. By all rights, this should have been dead in the water. Down three with just minutes left? This is the sort of thing that Vancouver usually has happen to them, not the other way around.

And again, this win isn’t some magical salve that’s going to jump-start next season’s run to the Cup. This isn’t going to awaken anything in them, allowing them to finally reach their final form, becoming world beaters next year.

But it is a nice little bit of confidence for some of the young players, that yeah, maybe they can build on that a little bit. Maybe they start feeling like hey, they do belong in the NHL, and they can hang here. Maybe it helps lighten the room a little bit after a long, heavy season. It might not be the light at the end of the tunnel, but it might be a little bit of a push to keep walking in that direction.

And even if this win amounts to nothing, even if this franchise stumbles over the next few years, like the sausage King of Chicago told us, sometimes you just have to take a minute and sit right there, while he tells you how he became the Prince of a town called Bel-Air.

Wait, that doesn’t sound right.

Best Kierszenstat

At 54 seconds, the #Canucks record the second fastest three goals in franchise history. The fastest was 48 seconds, which happened in 1993 against the Kings

— Adam Kierszenblat (@Adamkblat) April 9, 2025

Best making history

A comeback for the ages! The @Canucks became the first team in NHL history to win after erasing a three-goal deficit in the final minute of regulation.#NHLStats: https://t.co/NCsHNf6BkV pic.twitter.com/ciGWLlGZqi

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 9, 2025

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