Canucks manage to secure one point, losing 3-2 in OT to the Wild

If the Vancouver Canucks management group wanted the team to tank after the trade deadline, the players clearly didn’t get the memo.

Mere hours after knocking off the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night, the tired Canucks came “that” close to beating the highly-favoured Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, but ultimately fell 3-2 in overtime.

Luke Schenn set the physical tone for the game, dropping the gloves early in the first period with Wild forward Marcus Foligno. Both teams kept the rough stuff going throughout the game, with seemingly every whistle ending in a scrum.

Bo Horvat opened the scoring four minutes into the first period. After an Elias Pettersson–Brock Boeser 2-on-1 was stopped by Wild goaltender Cam Talbot, Horvat picked up the rebound at the top of the faceoff circle and blasted a wrist shot top shelf, glove side.

The Wild, however, were quick to respond. Four minutes after Horvat’s goal, forward Kirill Kaprizov took a page out of Horvat’s book, blasting a wrist shot top shelf, glove side from the top of the faceoff circle to even the score.

The first period would end in a tie, but Kevin Fiala was able to quickly get one past Thatcher Demko less than two minutes into the second period. Minnesota continued to apply pressure, leading to blueliner Jon Merrill netting one on a delayed penalty, but a successful coaches’ challenge eventually overturned the call for offside.

The score would remain 2-1 to end the second period.

Halfway through the third period, veteran forward Mats Zuccarello took a high-sticking penalty on Quinn Hughes. The Canucks wasted no time on the powerplay, as  J.T. Miller fired a solid wrist shot past Talbot six seconds into the man advantage, making it 2-2.

Regulation ended in a stalemate, pushing the game into overtime. Miller was so close to securing the extra point for his team, but the Wild were able to capitalize on a breakaway just 31 seconds after, sealing the 3-2 victory for Minnesota.

The Canucks still have a chance to make the playoffs, but it’ll likely come down to the last few games. The team currently sits four points out of the second wild card spot behind the Vegas Golden Knights, who beat Nashville on Thursday night.

For now, the Canucks will keep battling for every point. The playoffs are still a slim reality, but their push for the postseason will definitely be dictated by the remainder of this road trip.

Vancouver will be back in action on Saturday night, facing off against the Dallas Stars in a pivotal Western Conference battle. Puck drop is set for 4:00pm PST.

What are your thoughts from Thursday’s 3-2 OT loss? Let us know in the comments!