What Vancouver Canucks said after making NHL history with last-minute comeback
The Vancouver Canucks made NHL history Tuesday night in Dallas.
Seemingly out of it until the final minute, down 5-2, the Canucks didn’t stop fighting and pulled off an incredible comeback to beat the Dallas Stars. Remarkably, Vancouver scored three goals in the final minute, including the tying goal with just seven seconds left.
Then Kiefer Sherwood scored the game-winner in overtime.
It was the first time in NHL history that a team came back from a three-goal deficit in the final minute of regulation and went on to win.
CANUCKS SCORE THREE STRAIGHT GOALS IN THE FINAL MINUTE TO TIE IT IN REGULATION! š¤Æ pic.twitter.com/yxhPtSrnvq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 9, 2025
“I love the fight… to do that, it’s a character win for the team,” said head coach Rick Tocchet post-game.
“My son texted me, ‘You look like last year’s team in the third,’ so he gave me a little shot… it was nice to see the fight in the guys.”
The dramatic tying goal from Pius Suter, his second in the last minute, sent the game into overtime. Sherwood finished the job just a few minutes later with a nice one-timer off a slick feed from Conor Garland.
“I think Gar just made an absolutely crazy play,” said Sherwood. “Kind of felt like slow-motion, he just got his head up and put it on my tape in [my] wheelhouse and [I] just put it in.”
The Canucks showed off the never-say-die attitude that made last year’s team so special. While it may be too late for a playoff run this season, they can take a lot of positives to build on from a performance like that.
“It’s not the first time. It’s crazy the resilience,” continued Sherwood. “I don’t know, I’ve never been part of a team that’s had so many crazy comebacks and so much rollercoaster, come from behinds. It says a lot about the group and the quality of the players. When adversity hits, we just dig in, guys are able to execute and make stuff happen.”
The Canucks got plenty of big performances, including a monster game from Quinn Hughes. The reigning Norris Trophy winner finished with two assists and played 31:28.
“I thought our captain was really good tonight,” said Tocchet. “I thought Quinn was so good. I thought he controlled a lot of the play. He took it upon himself to will the game, and I thought everybody kind of jumped on his back.”
The Canucks playoff hopes would’ve been extinguished with a loss. While they’re still a long shot to make the postseason, the victory gives the group life for at least one more day.
To make the playoffs, the Canucks will need to win all four remaining games, and even then, they’re unlikely to qualify. Despite not making a huge difference in their playoff chances, this comeback was still very valuable.
“I think it’s huge for development,” said Tocchet about the win. “You’re sitting on the bench as a young kid, it’s 5-2, whatever time was left and looks like we’re going to lose. Then we score a goal and you see the fight… there wasn’t guys hanging their heads.”
āI think it’s huge for the young guys, and to be honest with you, they were up on the bench, and they were alive. They were cheering the guys who were on the ice ā that’s big for development.”