Instant Reaction: Andrei Kuzmenko wins it in overtime as the Canucks sit one point out of a playoff spot

What a pass from JT Miller. What a goal from Andrei Kuzmenko.

There, that’s our instant reaction to this game. You can wait for The Stanchies for the full breakdown now.

Just kidding, we’ve got some more thoughts on this before we break down the full game.

Speaking of having some thoughts on things, Andrei Kuzmenko’s agent Dan Milstein tweeted this out almost immediately after the game was over.

And with a finish like this, how could he not?

Tonight’s OT winner was Kuzmenko’s 11th goal of the year. He’s now up to 11 goals and 9 assists through 21 games. Certainly good production from a guy on an entry-level contract.

Side not that it felt like needed to be mentioned: Ethan Bear’s work on the backend was noticeable in this one, almost for all the right reasons. He had a bit of a blunder in the third period when he failed to get the puck out of the Canucks’ zone leading to the Sharks’ third goal; but his ability to move the puck out of his own end — most of the time — has been a very welcome addition for this Canucks team.

It feels as though things are about to get complicated in Canucks land. As we approach the 25 game mark, the team is in a better spot than they were last year before the Bruce bump hit Vancouver and got them oh-so-close to a playoff spot.

With the team taking care of business on this three-game road trip, and having won five of their last six, it’s very possible that that’s the road we’re headed down once again. This is a group that looks poised to turn things around.

Now, as it feels like we need to say in every one of these, the team going on a heater and winning a whole bunch of games this year may end up being as useful to them as it was last season. But hey, it’s a whole lot more fun to watch a team winning a bunch of games than it is to watch a team doing whatever it is the Canucks were doing to begin the new season.

The Canucks are one point out of a playoff spot thanks to their recent run of play. The only problem is that they’re just one of four teams in the Western Conference who are one or two points out of a wild card spot. The Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, and Calgary Flames all currently sit on the outside of the playoff picture, and are right there in the standings with the Canucks.

To sum up tonight’s instant reaction, we’ll let this meme do the talking.