If you watched this game, kudos to you. Not because it’s hard to watch a death march like this — well okay, that too, I guess — but because Sportsnet+ seemed hellbent on making sure this game was as difficult as possible to access. For some reason, the Sportsnet+ app told me repeatedly that due to league blackout restrictions, I couldn’t watch this game. I, of course, am not in a blackout zone.

Anyways, let’s get to the game.

The Canucks started this game with some decent jump, and did a good job of stopping the Stars’ attack before they could even get the puck through the neutral zone.

Nils Höglander was feeling it early, and his strong finish to the season continues to be a positive story for a Canucks team that hasn’t had many this year.

The Canucks were likely the better team through the early part of this game, but the momentum flipped decisively in Dallas’s favour when Kiefer Sherwood was called for a phantom slash, giving the Stars’ ever-dangerous power play a chance to strike.

And strike they did, as Mikko Rantanen blasted home a sharp angle one timer to open the scoring.

The Stars used this goal to springboard their way into some momentum, and they got another power play after Filip Hronek flipped the puck over the glass from his own end.

The Canucks’ PK did a good job of keeping the Stars to the outside, but with one second remaining in the power play, Mason Marchment sniped one short side on Thatcher Demko. Jamie Benn’s bobble of the puck turned out to work perfectly in the Stars’ favour, as Demko was looking over the wrong shoulder.

Obviously Kiefer Sherwood was also late getting there in support. 2-0 Stars. 

Demko made a couple of key saves early in the second, but Marcus Pettersson took the Canucks’ third penalty of the game just over five minutes into the second frame. And sure enough, the Stars’ power play scored again.

The Canucks’ penalty kill has been so good since late January, that it was almost weird to watch them get burned like this.

Matt Dumba took a penalty late in the second, giving the Canucks their first power play of the game. With 33 seconds leftover to begin the third, Jake DeBrusk made a great move to bank the puck in off Casey DeSmith to put the Canucks on the board.

The Canucks kept coming, and got another chance to answer back, as Teddy Blueger took a high stick and drew a double minor. Since the power play was four minutes, it meant we got to see some different personnel on the power play.

And one of those new faces made good on that opportunity, as Victor Mancini let go of a point shot that found its way through traffic with three seconds remaining in the first two minutes, meaning the Canucks still had another power play to work with.

Unfortunately, Dallas’s PK got the first successful kill of the night, and the Canucks had to keep grinding to try to tie this game up. Dallas was sitting back a bit, as the Canucks racked up a 10-0 shot advantage through the first ten minutes of the third.

It was all Canucks for most of the third, but Mavrick Bourque put the finishing touches on this one with just under three minutes to go.

They added an empty netter, making it 5-2. 

Then Aatu Räty scored a late one, his fifth in his last seven games.

Then… Pius Suter scored with 28.4 seconds to go, making it 5-4!

Then, and I can’t believe it, Pius Suter tied this game up at 5-5. 

Filip Hronek won the opening faceoff of OT against Mikko Rantanen, and then Rantanen was called for slashing Pius Suter, giving the Canucks a prime chance to win this game. The Canucks got some good looks, but Dallas killed this one off, as the Canucks’ power play moved to 2-for-4 on the night.

But it didn’t matter. After Quinn Hughes played almost the entire overtime frame, Conor Garland stole the puck behind the Dallas net and fed Kiefer Sherwood, who rifled one past Casey DeSmith to complete one of the wildest comebacks you will ever see.

What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below. And be sure to tune into Rink Wide Vancouver moments after the final horn!