…did that just happen?

In a game where the Canucks actually scored more than two goals, they not only went up 6-2 and blew that lead, but also still pulled out an 8-6 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Of all teams, the Colorado Avalanche! It was something that had to be seen to be believed, as this game was a track meet from both teams offensively. Not many would’ve seen an outcome like this going into the contest, much less the Canucks coming out on top – but hey, these are the games that make a season like this 2025-26 campaign fun to watch.

Here’s the win, by the numbers.

As always, you can find our glossary guide of advanced stats here.

This game was very much organized chaos. The first period was relatively neck and neck statistically, with the Canucks coming out ever so slightly with a statistical edge at 56.25 CF% and 54.87 xGF%. However, relatively speaking at 5v5, it was pretty low event. There were only 7-6 scoring chances for the Canucks with a narrow 2-1 high-danger chance edge, so a 3-2 lead coming out of the first was definitely a bit of a surprise.

That leads into the second, where the Canucks somehow managed to explode for 3 goals before the Avs found their answer. There was no better period for Vancouver according to the stats, as despite having a 50.00 CF% share, the xGF% was tilted at 76.30 in favour of the Canucks. That’s a very sizeable edge that had much to do with that mid-period surge, and even with the Avalanche getting a goal to respond, it seemed like the Canucks were going to do enough to see this one out… until they just blew it. Most teams can’t afford to blow a 4-goal advantage, much less Vancouver, and when teams blow a lead that substantial, more often than not they’re on the losing side of things. The stats showed that Vancouver was definitely on the back foot possession-wise in the third, which more than likely in part to Colorado’s surge. However, as the game was knotted up at 6-6, somehow, the Canucks managed to answer with a go-ahead tally, before icing the game with the 8-6 insurance marker.

For a game that finished with 14 goals, the heat map seriously didn’t seem to look that way. Overall, the scoring chances stood at 24-23 for the Canucks with an even 9-9 split in high-danger chances. That’s not the kind of numbers that suggest such an 8-6 game, but it was how it ended up after all was said and done. It was just one of those nights for both Vancouver and Colorado, where anything and everything was going in when being tossed at the net.

Corsi Champ: Drew O’Connor has been on a bit of a heater as of late, and continued to contribute positively in a big way against the Avs last night. Leading the Canucks with a 68.75 CF%, O’Connor posted a 4th-best 83.69 xGF% with a 0.92 xGF to his name as well. The two assists came with being on ice for 3 goals for and 1 goal against, something that definitely help tilt the ice in Vancouver favour whenever O’Connor was in action.

Corsi Chump: On the other end of the spectrum, Jake DeBrusk was in the basement of the Corsi department, coming in at a 26.09 CF%. Fortunately, there was no goals against during his TOI, but the numbers were not kind at all to the winger at all. DeBrusk racked up the second-worst xGF% at 14.99 with the second-lowest xGF of 0.14. Things just weren’t the greatest for him when it came to the underlying numbers, but granted, he was tossed out against the Nathan MacKinnon line at 5v5 action alongside Elias Pettersson, tasked with mostly shutting down the opposition’s best players. With that in mind, it could’ve been a lot worse.

xGF: Leading the way in xGF% was… Curtis Douglas? That’s right, the towering fourth-liner racked up a massive 90.59 xGF% during last night’s game, on ice for a 6-1 advantage in scoring chances with a 3-0 high-danger chance lead. It was a great night at both ends of the ice for the depth forward, a 0.11 xGA being a team-best while also posting 1.06 xGF, which was the 4th-best amongst all skaters. Marcus Pettersson was the one pacing all Canucks with a raw xGF of 1.50, scoring the eventual game-winning goal after the Avs tied things up.

GSAx: The players who had the worst numbers out of anyone were the goaltenders last night. Kevin Lankinen unfortunately had to bear the brunt of that, only facing 2.52 xGF against all contest. That meant that with 6 goals against, the Finn finished with a -3.48 GSAx on the night. Of the 6 shots that got past him, none of them came from high-danger chances, with an even split between middle and low-danger goals against. That isn’t the greatest look, and this game probably isn’t one that Lankinen wants to remember. That being said, all he had to do was outduel the Avalanche netminder, and he actually managed to outlast both of them.

Somehow, someway, the Canucks were able to win this one. It was probably a game where most people expected the Avalanche to absolutely demolish them, but with the start that they had, the Canucks were able to hang in there. And even despite blowing the 4-goal lead, the Canucks just had some sort of horseshoe in their pocket when it came to their goal-scoring touch to pull this victory off.

Vancouver is right back in action tonight, facing off against Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild on the road.

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