VANCOUVER — Another overtime, another disappointing loss for the Vancouver Canucks.
After coughing up a two-goal lead in the third period, the Canucks fell 3-2 to the Minnesota Wild in extra time on Saturday.
Vancouver's overtime record fell to 9-14 this season.
“Little careless mistakes have cost us overtime," said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. "If you got back to all the overtimes, there’s some carelessness you need to clean up.”
Kirill Kaprizov set up the game-winning strike Saturday, spotting an unmarked Mats Zuccarello alone at the top of the slot and slipping him the puck. Zuccarello glided toward the Vancouver net and wrapped a shot around goalie Kevin Lankinen for his 19th goal of the season.
Canucks winger Nils Hoglander missed his check on the play, Tocchet said.
"He's not out (in overtime much) and he missed his man. That's it. It’s not a microcosm. Individual mistake. So that’s what happens," he said. "He's playing good hockey, and he missed his man. You move on."
Success in extra time comes from a variety of factors, including strategy, personnel and momentum, said Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk.
When teams struggle in overtime, those struggles can compound, he added.
"Honestly, I think there's so many spurts this season where it wasn't going our way and it just felt like every game we're going overtime," DeBrusk said.
"I think it's one of those things where, once you kind of have confidence, and you know where guys are going to be, and you know what the looks are, you're trying to generate, I think it helps.”
Once a game gets to three-on-three overtime, an opponent is generally putting out their very best players, Tocchet noted, so any lapses in judgment can be extra costly.
“I think it's just the understanding of when you're vulnerable and when to go for it and when not to," the coach said. "And it's on me, I’ve got to start teaching it better. And maybe we’ve got to practice it even more, because they don't practice a lot of it. But I have to look into that, obviously, a lot more for next year.”
Correcting the overtime issue will have to wait until the fall. The Canucks (37-29-14) have been eliminated from playoff contention and will play just two more games this season, starting with a home tilt against the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
CUSP OF CLINCHING
After Saturday's win, the Wild (44-30-7) know exactly what they need to do to finally clinch a playoff spot — beat the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
Minnesota finished Saturday sitting in the Western Conference's first wild-card spot, one point up on the St. Louis Blues and five points up on the Calgary Flames, who still have three games to go.
A win would over the Ducks would officially secure the Wild's post-season berth.
"That was a huge, huge two points," defenceman Brock Faber said after the win. "We control our own destiny. Now it's just on to the last one and the biggest one of the year. It's exciting."
FORBORT OUT
The injury-riddled Canucks lost another body early in the third period when defenceman Derek Forbort was hurt during a fight with Yakov Trenin.
The pair fell to the ice during the scuffle and the Minnesota forward punched Forbort in the face while he was down, leaving him bloodied.
Trenin received a game misconduct and Forbort did not return from the injury. Tocchet did not have an update on his status after the game.
Asked about the incident, Vancouver's Marcus Pettersson was blunt.
“I didn’t like it at all. I think it’s one of the dirtiest things I’ve seen," he said. "So we’ll see what the league does. … That was a scary punch and I didn’t like it at all.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press