The Vancouver Canucks fell 4-3 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes

Despite tying the game late, the Vancouver Canucks couldn't get past the Carolina Hurricanes, falling 4-3 in overtime. Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes and Pius Suter lit the lamp for Vancouver, while Kevin Lankinen was sensational in the net, stopping 28 of the 32 shots he faced. Despite the loss, the Canucks extended their point streak to five games and have now picked up a point in each of their first four home games this season. 

The story of the game was easily Lankinen, who made multiple highlight reel saves. If not for his strong play, the game would have been out of reach in the first period as Carolina outshot Vancouver 13-5 through 20 minutes. Lankinen's strong play not only kept the game close but allowed the Canucks to force overtime and pick up a point. 

"I think it was a hard-fought game," said Lankinen post-game. "We played a good hockey team. Went toe to toe against those guys. Tough one to swallow, but I think the last 30 minutes or so, we were pretty decent. So, we're going to build on that." 

Lankinen was also asked about Vancouver's comeback in the third period. He said, "I think with this team, anything is possible, especially in this building. I feel like when we get the crowd on our side, it's a really tough building to play in as an opposing team. Tonight, we showed that. We gained some momentum in the third, and we've got some really special skill guys who can step up in big moments and make big plays. So I think that showed tonight."

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Another positive for Vancouver was their play on the penalty kill. The Canucks killed off all three Hurricanes' power plays, including 41 seconds of five-on-three time. Ultimately, the penalty kill has been Vancouver's most efficient unit this year and has now killed off 22 of 26 penalties through the first eight games of the season. 

Despite his team earning a point, Head Coach Rick Tocchet was not pleased post-game. When asked about the game, he said, "That last 10 minutes was great, but before that, you know, we have to learn. I don't think we're ready to play Carolina. They believed in what they were doing. Beat us the pucks, and we had a lot of guys early on not moving their feet. You got to win battles, and when we decided to do that, we made it a game. So take the positive out of it, but I still think there's lessons to be learned."

Tocchet also was not pleased with the power play as they failed to create chances on their three attempts. Post-game, he said, "We're gonna have to make some changes. Not working hard enough. That's a high-pressure team. We had the odd time when we had a couple of looks. Actually, the game plan worked. When Hughes threw the puck at the net, we had Millsy (J.T. Miller); he almost scored in front. That's the key against this kind of pressure. Power plays being able to make one or two plays to get into the net. But a couple of guys there were playing slow. You can't play slow against a high-pressure PK; you just can't. So we're gonna have to make a few; I think I gotta make a couple of changes."

In the end, the Canucks were lucky to get a point out of this game. The Hurricanes were by far the better team, and as mentioned, if not for the play of Lankinen and the penalty kill, the score would have been quite lopsided. With the high-scoring New Jersey Devils in town on Wednesday, Vancouver will need to put forth a better effort in the next game if they want to extend their point streak to six games.  

Facts and Stats:

- J.T. Miller's 410th point with the Canucks breaks his tie with Alex Edler for 12th all-time in franchise history

- Recording his 112th multi-point game, J.T. Miller ties Andre Boudrias for the tenth-most multi-point games in Canucks history 

-Kiefer Sherwood becomes the first player in the NHL to throw 55 hits this season

- Brock Boeser extends his point streak to six games 

Scoring Summary:

First Period:

5:40- CAR: William Carrier (1) from Jackson Blake and Jack Drury 
7:17- VAN: Brock Boeser (5) from J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes
15:33- CAR: Martin Nečas (4) from Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Robinson 

Second Period:

1:53- CAR: Jack Roslovic (4) from Brent Burns and Andrei Svechnikov

Third Period:

7:56- VAN: Quinn Hughes (2) from Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller
16:55- VAN: Pius Suter (2) from Daniel Sprong and Nils Höglander

Overtime: 

00:47- CAR: Sebastian Aho from Shayne Gostisbehere and Martin Necas (7)

Up Next: 

Vancouver will wrap up its three-game homestand against the Devils on Wednesday. Nicknamed "The Hughes Bowl," the two teams split the season series last season, with each club picking up a win on the road. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. P.T. from Rogers Arena.