Tonight’s game may have been the most important regular season game for the Vancouver Canucks. Only one point behind the Calgary Flames before puck drop, this game had a massive impact on the standings regardless of who won. In a cathartic victory for the Canucks, Vancouver took a 4–3 win in the shootout. Pius Suter, Jake DeBrusk, and Elias Pettersson scored for the Canucks, while Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau (2) found the back of the net for the Flames. Conor Garland netted the shootout-winner after four rounds. Kevin Lankinen made his second start in as many nights, having come off a 4–2 defeat to the Montréal Canadiens in Vancouver the night before. While last night was not his strongest game, tonight he made 20 saves on 23 shots. 

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After spending four straight games out with an injury, Canucks captain Quinn Hughes made his return to the lineup for the must-win game. Despite this, Vancouver still did not dress a fully healthy lineup, as Tyler Myers sat tonight’s game out. While the reason is yet to be determined, he took a couple of painful blocks and was noticeably labouring in last night’s game against the Canadiens. The other lineup change made was Nils Åman coming in for Jonathan Lekkerimäki. 

Speaking of Hughes, the captain made his team look much more dangerous than how they have looked since he got injured. While many thought he would be given sheltered minutes to ease himself back into play, Hughes spent 29:51 minutes on the ice, 6:22 of which was on the power play. His presence on the man-advantage allowed Vancouver to set themselves up properly in Calgary’s zone as well as hold the line when pressured against.    

One thing to make note of is that Vancouver and Calgary’s last matchup on December 31, 2024 saw both teams engage in three different fights. With how rough their last game was, some rough stuff was anticipated for tonight. While there weren’t any fights this time around, there was definitely a rough tone to the game that emphasized the high-stakes results. Ryan Lomberg, who fought twice in the last game, went after Hughes and was ultimately assessed a penalty for it. 

Elias Pettersson (D) had a roller coaster of a first period. This started with his big hit against Kadri, which was deemed clean and helped the Canucks get a power play opportunity after Connor Zary took Pettersson down with an elbow. However, a later miscommunication between him and Marcus Pettersson resulted in Kadri taking the puck for himself and sliding it past Lankinen. He did not come out to start the second period, and ultimately missed the rest of the game. After the game, Tocchet specified that Pettersson will be evaluated later on. 

Another player who impressed in tonight’s effort was Nils Höglander, who put up three shots halfway through the game. The scrappy forward has been one of the team’s best players throughout the new year, shaking off the dust after a 34-game goalless stretch. He nearly had a breakaway to start the third period, but lost control of the puck and ultimately did not score. Still, his energy was noticeable throughout the game. 

Vancouver’s stellar penalty kill, which was fifth in the league coming into the game at 82.3%, surrendered a tricky shot near the end of the second period. Tonight, they killed two of three penalties. On the flip side, their power play registered a goal in their second-straight game, and their third in four matches. However, after Huberdeau opened up play while Calgary on a 2-on-0 rush, Vancouver surrendered a shorthanded goal during their third man-advantage of the night.

The game was knotted at 3–3 to end regulation after Pettersson scored his 14th goal of the season. Pettersson, DeBrusk, and Hughes started overtime for the Canucks, with the two forwards getting a golden 2-on-1 chance that was stopped by Dustin Wolf. A broken Flames pass led to Hughes retrieving the puck once more, allowing Vancouver possession for the majority of the extra frame. A remarkable overtime period by Wolf kept the game within Calgary’s grasp. 

Pettersson was a big-time player towards the end of the game, scoring the tying goal and putting the puck past Wolf during the shootout. He played 3:45 of the overtime period and had a few chances that could have sealed the game. He finished the game with a goal and an assist, two shots, 20:57 minutes played, and 5:29 minutes played on the power play. 

“Really happy for him, took a lot of crap this year,” Hughes said of Pettersson’s performance tonight. “We obviously need him at this point in time with 17 games left. He showed up today, brought his A game.” 

“It’s huge for our group,” Pettersson added postgame. “The effort to be able to come back is good. 

“I’m just trying to be the best player I can be every game.” 

With tonight’s shootout victory, Vancouver ties Calgary with 71 points in the standings. Their playoff odds sit at 25.8%, as per MoneyPuck.com. 

Stats and Facts: 

• Quinn Hughes plays over 29 minutes for the fifth time this season 
• With an assist on Pius Suter’s goal, Filip Hronek has his seventh point in the last five games 
• Vancouver’s penalty kill surrenders a goal after killing the past six chances   
• Elias Pettersson scores his third goal in the past four games  

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period: 

13:31 - VAN: Pius Suter (17) from Marcus Pettersson and Filip Hronek 

17:53 - CGY: Nazem Kadri (23) from Rasmus Andersson and Kevin Bahl 

2nd Period: 

10:32 - VAN: Jake DeBrusk (23) from Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson (PPG) 

13:58 - CGY: Jonathan Huberdeau (23) from Kevin Rooney and Mackenzie Weegar 

16:00 - CGY: Jonathan Huberdeau (24) from Mackenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri 

3rd Period: 

13:16 - VAN: Elias Pettersson (14) from Nils Höglander and Victor Mancini 

Overtime: 

No goals. 

Shootout winner: 

VAN - Conor Garland 

Up Next: 

Vancouver heads back home to Rogers Arena to take on Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks in the first of a weekend back-to-back. Seeing as Lankinen started both tonight’s and last night’s game, expect to see Artūrs Šilovs at some point this weekend. Puck drop against Chicago is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT on Saturday night. 

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