When last we spoke, the Vancouver Canucks had completed the miraculous comeback against the Dallas Stars, pushing their playoff chances to almost half a percent. Alas, the miracle office closed yesterday when Minnesota officially eliminated Vancouver from partaking in the post-season, leaving us with four more games to grind out to close out the season.

Is there much of a point to these games? No, not really. All it comes down to is glimmers of hope (seeing which young players showcase NHL promise) and the curiosity of seeing the amount of pride the team has left in the tank to try and win some games. I know there is a proud tradition in Vancouver to win games down the stretch, thus ruining potential draft positioning, but with most non-playoff teams unable to pass the Canucks, it’s hard to get too riled up even if Vancouver wins out to close the year. They are basically a lock to pick around the 14-16 spot, aka the reward you get for just missing the playoffs.

And dubs were on the menu Thursday night, as the Vancouver Canucks handily disposed of the Colorado Avalanche 4-1, sweeping the season series 3-0, and proving with conclusive science and facts that Quinn Hughes is a better player than Cale Makar. You can argue all you want, but the numbers don’t lie.

And while the win was ultimately meaningless, if you’re into pride, the Canucks showed plenty of it on a night with nothing to prove. They showed up to the rink and beat the Avalanche, showcasing that had they made the playoffs, clearly they would have easily handled Dallas or Colorado. Again, science proves this.

If you’re into glimmers of hope, the biggest takeaway on this night was threefold.

You had Kevin Lankinen bouncing back and playing like he did earlier in the season, stopping 31 shots, including several five-alarm saves.

You had Dakota Joshua once again showing the form that earned him the four-year contract in the off-season, as it seems he has finally found his groove after dealing with his recovery from cancer.

And you had the defensive Elias Pettersson getting into his first NHL fight, putting an exclamation point on the coming-out party he threw for himself, announcing himself as an everyday NHL player, essentially locking in a spot with the big club for next season.

Which, again, at this point in the season? That’s about all you can ask for from a Canucks game, it’s a simple as that, really.

So, without further ado, let’s just get to the gifs, shall we?

Best pre-game buzz

In an interview with @imacSportsnet, Brock Boeser shared that it’s unlikely for him to return to the #Canucks next season. https://t.co/L55nW7m5bo pic.twitter.com/RgQfmL2MJ3

— Tyson Cole (@SpittinPicklets) April 10, 2025

There is obviously an emotional element to a long-tenured player potentially leaving the way Brock Boeser is about to, and there is also the business element to it all. We will wait to see how this all plays out, of course, so we won’t go too deep down the Boeser rabbit hole, but there will be a lot of fans who will question the personal side of how Brock Boeser was handled by this management team.

I know there will be a collection of people who will merely see this as business, of course. It’s a big boy sport where people get paid big boy money, so they need to roll with the punches.

But there is also room for the fans who feel that this management team is lacking when it comes to the human side of the game. We saw it in their handling of Bruce Boudreau, and we’re seeing how they’re handling Brock Boeser. Yes, at the end of the day it’s a business, but it still remains a puzzling PR choice for a general manager to come out and say that the offers for Brock Boeser at the deadline amounted to, and I am heavily paraphrasing here, wet hot stinky garbage, and oh hey, you can’t generate value around a player, as the on-ice play, and only the on-ice play, dictates value. Which if you’re following along at home, that’s the equivalent of someone telling you sorry, they don’t want a second date, they just really prefer dating attractive people.

It feels pretty clear that this team could easily raise their game when it comes to the HR and PR side of things; that’s all I’m saying.

That being said, there is also the business element of all of this in that you now have a team that is about to potentially watch Pius Suter and Brock Boeser leave for nothing. I never thought we’d hear a worst level of coping then “the injured player returning after the trade deadline IS the big addition we made for the playoff push!!”, yet the “hey, the cap space from Brock Boeser leaving is the big win here” has now taken that crown.

At the end of the day, losing Boeser and Suter for nothing would be worse than anything Jim Benning did in his reign of terror. As horrifying as it was to hear “ah dang, we done gone run out of time” as an excuse for not cashing in at that deadline on expiring assets, that is still better than the post-deadline presser Allvin gave. At least with Benning, I actually believed he legitimately ran out of time. It’s incredibly stupid, but I feel like he did try his hardest.

With Allvin basically claiming he couldn’t find value for a versatile Swiss army knife center in Pius Suter or a playoff team willing to add some goals in a former 40-goal scorer in Brock Boeser, well, that feels more like a fundamental general manager issue.

I just find it odd to keep both players in a season that everyone and their mother knew was dead in the water by this point. Even if you want to lean on the “but but but Quinn Hughes wants to win a Cup Mr. Wyatt, what about keeping the boy happy by gunning for the playoffs this year??”, again, I have to assume Quinn is a smart lad who can see that if the Canucks don’t have Suter or Boeser in their long term plans, then bringing in assets at the deadline helps their long term window far more than the wet fart this season ended on.

But again, we shall see how this plays out.

Best little things

The #Canucks might not be able to make the playoffs, but at least they have the chance to make a few postseason teams question themselves right before Round 1.

— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) April 11, 2025

When Colorado or Dallas lose in the playoffs, we shall take credit for it. This is our right of Prima Gotya.

Best slow start

Go #Canucks Go

— MDWhite (@White3D64197) April 11, 2025

The Canucks kind of had a slow start to this game, if we’re being honest. They got some shots, sure, but their best chance was this Drew O’Connor shot that was stopped by Mackenzie Blackwood:

It’s a pretty slick pass from Teddy Blueger to find Doc all alone down low, but like any good Tyler Motte soldier, O’Connor’s hands can only do so much.

And after that chance, Colorado took over for the majority of the first period and the start of the second.

But before we get to that, HELICOPTER CAM IS A GO!

Best bird’s eye view

wtf is this new helicopter cam on sportsnet 🤣 #Canucks

— CanucksFan (@CanucksTalk1) April 11, 2025

Hey, when you lock in a new TV deal, sometimes you have to prove you’ve got more tricks up your sleeve.

Ever want to watch a hockey game like you’re a creepy dude with an unregistered drone? Sportsnet has you covered:

I don’t know why this is happening, but I am here for it.

Best Avalanche of chances

2 penalties in the first 10 mins🙄#GoAvsGo #canucks

— Avs Daily (@Avs_Daily) April 11, 2025

OK, so here’s the part of the article where Colorado shows how close they came to pulling away in this game, only to run into the brick wall known as Kevin from family Lankinen.

First, you had Sam Girard escaping the penalty box and almost going full Quinn Hughes on the counter attack, only to be denied by Kevin:

Then you had Miles Hard Wood racing off of the faceoff to beat Derek Forbort but being unable to tuck the puck around Kevin:

Then you had Cale Makar not understanding how to win without a superstar forward, something Quinn Hughes does not struggle with, trying to set up Artturi Lehkonen for some Lehkonen on Lankinen crime:

Val Nichuschkin was the closest Avalanche player to score a goal, as he rang one off the iron on a set up from Sam Malinksi:

The point of all these clips? To showcase that had the Canucks wanted to, they could have let the cold embrace of death simply drag them under the water had they wanted to. Colorado was carrying the play for the majority of the period, and were it not for Kevin Lankinen tiring of people questioning his new contract, this game could have been over before it even began.

But then a funny thing happened in the second period.

The Canucks decided why the hell not, let’s win this thing.

Best meet cute

Feeling cute. Might beat the Avs for no reason #Canucks

— PMG (@PMG2point0) April 11, 2025

After several more scoring chances from Colorado that I declined to show you because a) I already proved my point about the Avalanche playing well and b) tariffs on American team gifs really hurt my bottom dollar, I will instead switch over to Canadian-made gifs only.

And the first gif we have is a doozy, as it showcases Kiefer Sherwood making a hell of a pass over to Jake DeBrusk for the first goal of the game:

We haven’t seen a lot of goals off the rush this year, as this team seems to think dumping the puck and going for a line change is like some NBA Jam hot spot way to pile up points, but mark this goal down decidedly as off the rush.

And yeah, like a lot of times this season where we heard Rick Tocchet imploring his players to make plays with purpose and to not just throw things away, Kiefer Sherwood actually executed on it. He could have tried to force a shot on net from the initial rush, but instead, he drags the puck back in and finds a way to buy space and time to get the puck through to DeBrusk.

And hey, when you have your best blue paint guy riding shotgun with you on a rush, yeah, sending the puck into his wheelhouse seems like a delightfully good idea.

End result, the Canucks scored a goal that felt like it came out of nowhere. The crowd appeared stunned. The Avalanche players are in shock. In fact, the only player who looked like he knew it was coming was Cale Makar because he’s been living with the fact that Quinn Hughes is the superior player for so long now that it’s hard to have any ego left to be hurt by this goal.

The Canucks continued to keep the pressure on as Quinn Hughes put on his dancing shoes, finding a way to get the puck on net, leading to Conor Garland and Pius Suter having a good look at a loose puck in front of Blackwood:

All of which led to the Canucks scoring their second rush goal of the night off of an incredible shot from Kiefer Sherwood:

Those two points put Sherwood at 40 on the season, cementing himself as the best bargain-bin player of the last off-season. 40 points and leading the league in hits. Why yes, that does seem like good value on a 1.5 million dollar deal, considering you just have to have a last name that sounds “kind of similar” to a former NHL player’s name and that usually nets you a 1.2 million dollar contract.

“Joe Sachek, I like the cut of your jib, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Also featured in that clip is Dakota Joshua entering the zone and changing up his angle until a passing lane opened up to get the puck over to Kiefer. It’s a very nice skilled play from a man the Canucks are counting on to do that much much more next season. It’s been a tough year for Dakota, as we all know, but he truly has regained his form in the last month, showcasing that tantalizing blend of physicality and offensive skill that makes general managers moan and shudder at the thought of seeing him in the post-season.

Best stat

#Canucks Kierszenstat of the night: Kiefer Sherwood is one of three players in the NHL who has a cap hit of $1.5 million or less and isn't on an ELC to record 40 points this season. The other two are Simon Holmstrom (45 points) and Jackson LaCombe (43 Points).

— Adam Kierszenblat (@Adamkblat) April 11, 2025

Best but at what cost

No hits for #Canucks Sherwood. First time since November 4, 2023.

— Izzy 🪿 (@izzycheung37) April 11, 2025

Ok, get your two points, King, but not even a single hit?

Best Larry David unsure meme

I do not like this, but I sure as heck admire it. Dude wants to win. He wants to be the standard. He doesn’t want anyone to think the bar is low, regardless of where this team finishes in the standings. #Canucks have got to keep him. https://t.co/ggIFhGoK0m

— Mike in Portland (@nrokchi) April 11, 2025

Mike is very correct on this. I watch Quinn Hughes play over 30 minutes against Dallas. I see him rock 24 minutes against the Avalanche. We all know these games are meaningless at this point. Part of you just wants him to take a nap? Rest up those injuries? We’re at the point where Quinn is like, “nope, I can’t play for USA at the IIHF Men’s World Championship” because he’s so beat up, but he’s out here rocking dominant minutes in mean nothing games. Is it worth an injury to handle a load like that? Phrasing, I know, but my point stands.

But on the other hand, it’s bad ass. It’s not good. But it’s bad ass. There is something tragically heroic about Quinn Hughes going down with this ship, Captain American shield taped to his arm, fighting the good fight against Thanos snapping his playoffs out of existence. I can’t help but nod my head and go, “my man,” when I see him bust out plays like this in a game with nothing on the line:

Quinn just out here dancing around, trying to set up goals, no big deal.

I think it sets a good example for the younger players in a lot of ways. They see their captain never giving up, never throwing a tantrum at Collin Delia, and basically playing his ass off the entire time.

There is something to be said about leading by example, even if you worry about his health.

Best goal curious

Devon Toews puts the #GoAvsGo back within one!

Charlie Coyle, with some distance, slings the puck at Kevin Lankinen, and Toews was there for the deflection.

Still 2-1 #Canucks

— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) April 11, 2025

The Canucks played a very solid game on the night, but their defensive zone coverage did get a bit loose at some points. Part of that is because the Avalanche are a good team, though, and they’re going to be able to break down the best of teams.

And break down the Canucks did on Devon Toews tip on Charlie Coyle’s shot, as Max Sasson goes full JT Miller by pointing his hand in the general direction of the problem:

Sasson points out Coyle, and then follows Nichushkin, and then Jake DeBrusk, who had earlier blown out of the zone like your cat hearing a can being opened, skates back and covers nobody. He just sort of stands in the middle of the ice and is like, “Well I’m here, to remind you, of the mess you left when you went away” or something like that. Basically, it amounted to Charlie Coyle having plenty of time and space to get his shot off.

So yeah, I’m not sure if Sasson thought DeBrusk would cover Coyle, but mistakes were made, leading to the Avalanche getting the old “shoot and pray” goal that the Canucks are normally known for.

Best killing in the name of

A pretty good second by #Canucks hoping for a Boeser goal. 40 down. 20 to go

— David Cee 🇨🇦 (@CanucksIn4) April 11, 2025

Down a man after a Drew O’Connor high stick, it was the Canucks penalty kill once again shining through, not only shutting down the Avalanche all night, but also generating better chances than Colorado.

First up, you had Derek Forbort punting the puck up to Kiefer Sherwood, who then sent the leading pass for Garland to skate into for a semi-breakaway:

Derek Forbort has had such a turnaround from the start of the season. He went from battling Vincent Desharnais in the “who can we send to prison first” to now “this guy is a total PK stud, we cannot live without him.”

The next big scoring chance? Pius Suter on a nice feed from Teddy Blueger that just ended up caressing the post and begging it for another chance:

Kudos to Hronek for going full Josh Allen on that outlet pass. No need to chip it off the glass and out when you can send the puck into space and find your target downfield like you’re sending in a cluster strike in Warzone.

Best serving up bricks

I love Kevin Lankinen

— Jam 🏒🐋 (@hoglandsko) April 11, 2025

Kevin Lankinen made his biggest impact on the game early into the third period when he made two massive stops to keep the Canucks up a goal.

The first was a save on Logan O’Connor in the slot on a Joal Kiviranta pass:

Logan does a great job of sliding into the empty ice to get himself into position for that fantastic chance, but it’s also some sloppy coverage from Hronek, Garland and Hughes that leads to it. Again, nothing egregious, but each guy kind of makes a small mistake that just leads to more and more time and space, which is what grade-A chances are usually made from.

But that is the beauty of having your Kevin dialed in; he can cover for those lapses.

The next big save was on former Canuck Jimmy Vesey, who tried to slam home a Miles Wood pass:

Vitorrio Mancini loses a puck battle on the boards and Derek Forbot backs off like OEL in his prime with the Canucks, leading to Vesey having our old friend time and space to get that shot off.

But again, Kevin doesn’t care about your defensive zone lapses; he just wants to know you’re having an ok time. Good guy, Kevin.

Best Dak is how we do it

The late-season Dakota Joshua revival has arrived and I am effing here for it. #canucks

— Canucks Deluxe (@CanucksDeluxe) April 11, 2025

Speaking of Dakota Joshua, he would score the Canucks third goal of the night off of an Aatu Räty faceoff win:

I have written so many angry words about “point shots into traffic, thoughts and prayers offense” that I can only do so much to applaud this goal, but hey, sometimes greasy goals work. I just don’t need to see it on 95% of your team’s plays.

That being said, good on Dakota for being in the right spot, good on Marcus Pettersson for finding a way to get the puck on the net, and good on Aatu Räty for winning yet another important draw.

Speaking of Räty, he is another guy that I feel has cemented his spot on the Canucks fourth line next year, barring any pre-season miracles or signings that push him out of it. His faceoff prowess and his ability to score a few points here and there have really stood out during this last stretch of the season. And hell, you can tell the kid is feeling it when he’s out here trying to go full Pavel Bure on a goalie:

Glimmers of hope, my friends. Glimmers of hope.

Best here to stay

Such a beauty & bright spot of the season EP25 #Canucks

— Fay khan (@Faykhan11858202) April 11, 2025

I find it hard to call another man Junior, so I will take a page out of cinematic history and simply call the defenseman Elias Petterson ‘Indy’ going forward.

And much like any history professor from Marshall College worth his salt, Indiana sure packs a hell of a punch:

Like Alex Edler and Chris Tanev before him, Elias Pettersson has seemingly burst onto the NHL scene and shown he’s ready for active duty right away. And like Edler and Tanev, he’s not above punishing other people or his own body in order to help the team out.

Now, I am not saying Indy has locked himself into an NHL career like Edler and Tanev; I don’t need people screaming at me for daring to mention his name with theirs.

All I am saying is the former Canucks were once young D-men themselves who just sort of showed up and never went away, much like a stray cat.

So welcome to your forever home Indy, something tells me you’re a big part of this team’s future.

Best smiles are free

Glad to see some smiles on the bench. How rare has that been this season? #Canucks

— Canucks Deluxe (@CanucksDeluxe) April 11, 2025

After being in the dressing room during the dark days of the JT Miller and Elias Pettersson divorce battle, I will take this every single day of the week over that:

A nice light moment in a season full of not-so-light ones.

Best closing it out

YOOOOO BIG HÖG!!!!! #Canucks

— 🇨🇦 A Smartass Username 🇨🇦 (@JustLetMeFail) April 11, 2025

And how do you close out a game? By putting your Hög on the ice and letting people know:

Nice bit of skill for Nils to sneak in and tap in the missed shot from Garland, and that was the ballgame.

Again, nothing much to gain from this win but some potential insight into next season’s roster, really.

But with an off-season full of huge questions, something tells me these final four games won’t amount to too much in the grand scheme of things.

Still, gif money and all that.

See you Saturday.

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