Non-Tanking News! It's 2 Gratuitous Points!

Good news... Canucks WIN a game! Finally. Wooooooooooo!!!

Here's what we learned:

What a different game, different team from LA. Fast, fun, loose. Lotsa mistakes on both sides. That's Canucks hockey.

6 Rounds in Lanky time to win it. Only player to beat Lanky in the game and the season, was North Van's Celebrini. Of course.

Nucks never led. Until the final shot of the game.

Three comebacks right into the shootout.

-- Thursday

Exciting!

As much as San Jose is a pretty likeable team, selfishly it's better if they miss the playoffs for the next 6 years. #Canucks

— Ryan avgtraveller (@viewfromtherog.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 10:06 PM

Tanks off until tomorrow!

Period 1

Fun period. Lots of back and forth. Lots of mistakes from both teams. Lots of amazing saves from both goalies.

Looked like it would be a tie going into the 2nd.

Until it wasn't. Right off the face off to the left of Lanky, Shark player gets the puck with no Nucks D to bother him getting in on Lanky. 1-0 Sharks. Shots pretty even, Nucks with 10, Sharks 11.

#Canucks discovering not just the 2nd, but 1st periods are too long. Kinda like this season.

— NucksMisconduct (@nucksmisconduct.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 8:00 PM

Period 2

You may have heard about the Nucks 2nd period tribulations. Won't hear about it in this one.

AskYourOff misplays the puck behind his net. Squirts out front where he wasn't. But Rossi is barrelling down on the errant puck. Knowing he's misplayed the play Asterisk decides to knock over the net.

That would make hockey way more interesting, if a goalie could be allowed to just flip the net to make a save. Make the game like Pong on ice.

-- Twitch

Can't put the puck in the net if the net is protecting the net. However, Rossi scores into the half-fallen net.

Tied 1-1 up in the tank.

But our old fav flavour of Toffee sneakily put a puck on a screened Lanky.

2-1 Sharks.

Then the Nucks get a PP. The Nucks PP, recently top 5 in the league. Heating up at just the right time.

Crisp puck movement and Ronnie puts a hot shot on goal. Rebound pops out to DeBrusk for DeGoal!

DeBrusk #20!

-- Twitch

And 17 of them on the power play. Amazing.

-- Thursday

Tied at 2 and SJ challenges... and go back on the PK.

Nucks don't score, but win out a period. Outshoot Sharks 14-10.

#Canucks WIN the 2nd! Outscore Sharks 2-1. What sort of wizardry is this?

— NucksMisconduct (@nucksmisconduct.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 8:50 PM

The #Canucks exit a second period after outscoring their opponent! When is the last time THAT happened?

— Erin Butler (@eleighbutler.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 8:48 PM

#Canucks Kierszenstat of the Game: Jake DeBrusk scores his 20th goal of the season. His 3 even-strength goals are tied for the lowest in NHL history in a 20+ goal season. The other player is Adrian Aucoin, who achieved the feat while playing for Vancouver in 1998-99.

— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 8:48 PM

Period 3

Nucks tied and have everything to play for. And nothing to lose. Sharks are desperate for points in their faint hope to grab 2nd seed that LA has already grabbed. So much grabbing.

Turns out, the Nucks just weren't destined to lead in regulation.

Instead, that amazing Celebrini kid sets up 2024 2nd rounder, Chernyshov, for his 2nd goal of the game.

3-2 Sharks and all we could hope for was an exciting Footey gambit.

However, Nucks get a late PP. 1st unit doesn't score. 2nd unit scores right off the faceoff. A faceoff Teddy lost, but Linus takes the puck to net. Asteroffing poked the puck off Karlsson's stick. Right onto Teddy's stick to score!

Teddy performs the normal western final game 7 winning celebration. Or celebrating his 1st PP goal in 450 NHL games. What?

It seems so improbable that I had to triple check. Blueger had never had a PP point until now. 18 short handed points, tho. #Canucks

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— Ryan avgtraveller (@viewfromtherog.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 9:45 PM

We're going to OT.

WOOOOOOOOOOO! #Canucks pick up a loser point! Can they go all the way to Lanky time?

— NucksMisconduct (@nucksmisconduct.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 9:42 PM

OT

The usual puck-ragging happens. Then DeBrusk gets called for something something that apparently resembled a trip. Nucks PK start killing it off, then some young punk Sharklet low bridges Ronnie and we're back to 3-on-3 OT... Nucks get a 12 second PP, but aren't going to ruin...

LANKY TIME

Been far too long since we've seen the NHL's best shootout goalie do his shootout stopping.

Lanky stops all the Shark shooters. But one. Yup, Macklin.

Doesn't matter, as DeBrusk skates in to pot his DeFlip shot!

In the 6th round, Lanky stops another Sharkie.

Asterrockof can't stop Linus!

W00T!

KARLSSON WITH THE WINNER!

-- Thursday

Lanky wins Lanky time. With a little help from Linus. Wooooooooo!

Karlsson with a sick move to win the shootout. #Canucks

— LesnielBC 🇨🇦🇩🇰 (@lesnielbc.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 10:03 PM

Karlsson with a sick move to win the shootout. #Canucks

— LesnielBC 🇨🇦🇩🇰 (@lesnielbc.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 10:03 PM

Lankinen is now 22/23 in the shoot out. Absolutely unhinged numbers. #Canucks

— 🇨🇦 Trent Leith 🏳️‍🌈 (@trentleith.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 10:02 PM

What a fun game. Nucks for only the 2nd time this season put over 40 shots on goal.

WOOOOOOOOOOOO! Karlsson WINS It For #Canucks! Plan the parade!

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— NucksMisconduct (@nucksmisconduct.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 10:03 PM

Wow, finally a fun game.
Too bad that it was against the Sharks.
That Celebrini kid is the classiest player of all. Probably the future version of Joe Sakic.

-- Atty

OBSERVATIONS:

After the lockup in LA, this game was just plain fun to watch. Lots of zipping up and down the ice. Lots of mistakes from young players on both sides.

And what a comeback for the Nucks... all 3 of them.

Players of Interest:

• Great game from Linus - shootout winner and an assist on Teddy's tying goal.
• EP40 didn't score in the SO, but did 7 shots on goal!
• Lanky played great all game. So many 5 alarm saves all game.
  

Linus Karlsson is my #Canucks 2025/26 good news story.

— CrankyCanucksFan 🇨🇦🏒 (@crankycanucksfan.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 10:05 PM

Kevin Lankinen gives up his first shootout goal of the year tonight to Macklin Celebrini, but stops the other five to get Vancouver the win. Didn't expect this game, this late in the season, to be this tense! Great crowd in San Jose! #Canucks

— Erin Butler (@eleighbutler.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 10:06 PM

Mean nothing win... but still as Juice said on HNIC, playing the spoiler is the next best thing to making the playoffs.

Shoutout to Scott Oakes. His final appearance of the regular season on HNIC. He's retiring. Great guy from the Peg.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Shortie and Dave in the tank... the other tank.

Full Shootout Glory.

GAME STATS

COMMENTING OUT LOUD

Rossi shoots to score and wins the presser.

Footey with his 4th last presser? Bonus points for those predicting the 'resilient' keyword.

What a fun game! With the added feat of a Lanky Time win.

No savouring the win. Nucks off to Disneyland to face the ugly ducks later today.