Canucks News & Rumours: Pettersson, Lankinen & Sasson

The Vancouver Canucks didn’t leave Raleigh with two points, but they went with a clearer sense of where they stand against a fast, aggressive Eastern Conference contender. A 4–3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes isn’t a failure so much as a measuring stick, and in a game defined by pace and precision, Vancouver showed fight, resilience, and flashes of skill right to the final buzzer.

Sebastian Aho (who is an overtime genius) scored the game-winner with 31 seconds left in the extra period, a snapshot from the right faceoff circle. Still, given the Canucks’ injury situation, give the team from Vancouver credit. They lost, but that loss came after a hard-fought game in which they matched Carolina’s intensity for most of the night.

From the Canucks’ perspective, there had to be frustration. They defended hard, grasped chances when Carolina mismanaged the puck, and leaned heavily on goalie Kevin Lankinen, who stopped 34 of 38 shots. With Quinn Hughes sidelined, Lankinen’s performance was especially critical.

Vancouver hung in, tied the game twice, and forced overtime — a credit to both effort and discipline. For a Canadian team still shaping its identity, nights like this offer lessons, not just scores. They took away a point, leaving one on the ice. Still, it was a solid game.

Item One: Is Elias Pettersson Beginning to Take the Wheel?

Last night, Elias Pettersson was Vancouver’s heartbeat. He ended an eight-game goal drought with a short-handed strike early in the first period and added a power-play assist, two hits, and three blocked shots. Goals or not, Pettersson has seven points over his last nine games, including multiple multi-point games.

Pettersson anchored the top line, logging heavy minutes and doing the work down the middle that this roster desperately needs. He now has four goals and 15 points in 19 games, showing why he remains the key to the Canucks’ offense. If he can eventually move past the point-a-game mark, that would help his team immensely.

Item Two: Kevin Lankinen Was Steady Between the Pipes

Lankinen gave up four goals on 38 shots in the overtime loss, bringing his season totals to 3–5–2 with a 3.58 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage over 10 games. The 30-year-old has seen heavy usage with Thatcher Demko out, and Friday’s game reinforced both his value and vulnerability. He made key stops that kept Vancouver in contention late into regulation.