Whether you consider this once-in-a-lifetime play-in round an official series or not, it doesn't matter anymore to the Vancouver Canucks.
That's because the Canucks are onto the legitimate first round of the NHL playoffs are a 3-1 play-in series win over the Minnesota Wild.
Vancouver advanced thanks to a dramatic 5-4 overtime win on Friday night, which showcased why the young team might be able to do some damage in the post-season.
THAT'S A WRAP! 🎬
The @Canucks advance to the First Round. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/ejpO7fxU1y— NHL (@NHL) August 8, 2020
Down 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3, the Canucks were able to claw back every single time.
Tanner Pearson tied it at one in the first period, before Brandon Sutter and Quinn Hughes scored goals in the second to tie it at three goals apiece.
In the third, it was looking grim for Vancouver with six minutes left to play, but Bo Horvat, who's in his first season as the team's captain, buried his second goal of the playoffs to tie the game at four.
BO KNOWS CLUTCH pic.twitter.com/m7bJKvTlnF
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) August 8, 2020
The last Canucks playoff overtime winner before tonight was in 2011, when Alex Burrows scored 11 seconds into game two of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins and 11 was the magic number again tonight.
Before many had a chance to sit down with a fresh beer, Chris Tanev put an end to the game just 11 seconds into the extra frame to give Vancouver a 5-4 overtime win and a 3-1 series win over the Wild.
"It's an awesome feeling and I'm happy for all the boys. It just shows how hard we worked all year, we were down, but we made some big time plays by some big time guys." - Tanev pic.twitter.com/xMO1JIdUfM
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) August 8, 2020
"It's an awesome feeling and I'm happy for all the boys," a smiling, gap-toothed Tanev said after the game.
"It just shows how hard we worked all year, we were down, but we made some big time plays by some big time guys."
With Minnesota out of the way, the Canucks will play either the Dallas Stars or St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs.
The Stars and Blues play each other on Sunday and whoever loses will be the fourth seed in the Western Conference and will take on the fifth seed Canucks.
