Canucks Drop Final Game Of Six-Game Road Trip, Fall 3-2 In Overtime To The Wild

In what may have been the most entertaining game of the year, the Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their road trip with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. Quinn Hughes and Jake DeBrusk found the back of the ne,t while Kevin Lankinen stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced. Despite the loss, the Canucks can count this road trip as a massive success, picking up nine of a possible 12 points over the last six games.

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While Vancouver came out on the losing end, they played one of their best games of the season. They pushed the best team in the NHL to their limit and found a way to leave Minnesota with at least one point. As they have all road trip, the Canucks showed that when they play as a unit, they can compete with any team in the league, even if they are missing some key players throughout their lineup.

As he has been all season, Kevin Lankinen once again was solid for Vancouver. He made some massive saves, including in overtime when he stopped Joel Eriksson Ek on a breakaway. Now 10-0-1 on the road this season, Lankinen continues to be the steal of the 2024 offseason.

In addition to Lankinen, Vancouver's top players once again led by example. Hughes had a goal and played 27 minutes, while Elias Pettersson recorded two primary assists and two blocked shots in 20:20 of ice time. Then there was Conor Garland, who recorded an assist and set a new career high in ice time at 24:02. While DeBrusk will get most of the headlines for the number of goals he scored on this road trip, Hughes, Pettersson, and Garland were the real heroes of the past two weeks.

"I really liked the battle, said Pettersson post-game. "A few minutes in the second period, they really had pressure on us. Other than that, I think we really liked our effort. I think we did enough to win, but with a few mistakes by our line and me in the D-zone, we gave up the lead."

As for Tocchet, he was happy with his team's effort, saying, "Great game. The guy's played really hard tonight. It's a helluva road trip. Could have easily won the game, so guys should feel good about themselves."

In the end, the Canucks battled hard and picked up a valuable point to end their six-game road trip. They also picked up their 30th point, which is just one off their total after 24 games from last season. The hope now is Vancouver can build off this road trip and find a way to pick up some wins at Rogers Arenas.

Facts and Stats:

- Elias Pettersson's 115th multi-point game ties J.T. Miller for the ninth most in franchise history

- With his 56th career multi-assist game, Elias Pettersson passes J.T. Miller for the ninth most in franchise history

- Vincent Desharnais records at least five blocked shots for the seventh time in his career

- Canucks go perfect on the penalty kill for the 12th time this season

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

8:37- VAN: Quinn Hughes (6) from Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland (PPG)

2nd Period:

7:56- MIN: Frederick Gaudreau (5) from Marcus Foligno and Brock Faber
19:18- VAN: Jake DeBrusk (11) from Elias Pettersson and Carson Soucy

3rd Period:

1:43- MIN: Jake Middleton (4)

Overtime:

4:35- MIN: Kirill Kaprizov (16) from Marco Rossi

Up Next: 

After wrapping up their six-game road trip, the Canucks return home on Friday to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Last season, the two teams split their season series, with each needing extra time to pull off a win. Game time is set for 7:00 pm PT.