With a 2-1 lead and just over a minute left in the game, Jannik Hansen made a great play by sending the puck all the way down the ice with perfect velocity; just enough so that there wouldn't be an icing call.
Not so fast.
Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas decided to take an indirect route to the puck, and it apparently fooled the linesmen as Robidas' slow loop resulted in the puck crossing the goal line before he touched it. Usually an obvious attempt at creating an icing call would be waved off.
Not this afternoon.
Off the ensuing faceoff in the Canucks zone (which should have never been), Mike Ribeiro tipped an Alex Goligoski point shot passed Roberto Luongo to tie the game with 56 seconds left, and ultimately sending the game to overtime.
In OT, Loui Eriksson converted on a cross-crease pass from Trevor Daley to give the Stars a 3-2 win, and extend their winning streak to four games.
In fairness to the linesmen, they get about 99 percent of the calls right, but it's funny how those blown calls nearly always result in a game-changing play.
Vancouver earned a single point and now hold a two point lead over Detroit in the Conference Standings.
The Canucks, playing their sixth game in nine nights - including their fifth in a row on the road - understandably looked sluggish for most of the afternoon, but were able to stay in the game with great goaltending and a solid overall defensive game.
Vancouver won 2-1 in New Jersey on Friday night, then endured a long flight to Dallas for the afternoon affair today.
The Canucks finish off their six game roadtrip Tuesday night in Phoenix against the red hot Coyotes.
Other News: Keep in mind that the trade deadline is tomorrow (Monday) at noon and Vancouver is expected to make some deals.
GM Mike Gillis announced on Saturday that they have put defenseman Keith Ballard on Long Term Injury Reserve which means his contract comes off the books. This frees up over four million dollars in salary cap room for the Canucks which will allow them to make some additions by the deadline.
Stay informed of all of Vancouver's moves and my analysis of the additions tomorrow here at Canuck City!
Follow me on twitter. @mikekermode
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