The Canucks have finally broken through the ice! When the puck dropped in Tampa, things didn’t look good for Vancouver, where the Lightning first scored in the final seconds of the game. Nikita Kucherov fired the puck right into the net as soon as the stick touched it. For a moment, the game felt the same as last game all over again.

But the Canucks didn’t fold. In the Second period, they slow clawed their way back. Jake DeBrusk put one into the net on the power play, poking in the rebound to make the game 2-1. In that moment, you can feel a shift in the game as if the Canucks are finally waking up.

Then came the third period, the period that changed the entire outcome of the game. In a total of 100 seconds, they scored three goals back-to-back, first it was Kiefer Sherwood who tied the game with a power play shot that deflected off the lightning defenseman’s skate. Then, Linus Karlsson scored a backhander to put the Canucks ahead. Not even a minute later, Drew O ‘Conner tipped in another goal, it was pure chaos on ice and looks as if the Canucks were finally in control.

Just as it seemed like the lightning might strike back, the Canucks buried two more goals. Mackenzie MacEachern made a huge impact with his first goal of the season, and then Marcus Pettersson sealed it with an empty netter. On the back end, Kevin Lankinen stood tall, stopping 28 shots and giving the team the chance for this comeback. But the main driving force was Quinn Hughes, returning from injury and dropped four assists on the night. His vision and timing made everyone clicked and in synced. What makes this win feel historic wasn’t just the scoreboard. The Canucks ended a three-game losing streak, with this game on the road, they played with heart, discipline and effort to win using the momentum they gain all through out and dominated the competition.

This game was a statement win, where the Canucks can be explosive not just resilient and for a team that’s had its ups and downs this season, this game was just a reminder of how capable of a team they can be when things are clicking and having players back from injury can make a major difference compared to the league. The Canucks will be looking to go up against the Florida Panthers next, we will see how they face off after this win under their belt.

Ben Chan kchan467@my.bcit.ca