Stars Fall To Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks staged a spirited comeback on October 16, 2025, defeating the Dallas Stars 5–3 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Despite falling behind by two goals early, Vancouver erupted with four tallies in the second period, turning the game on its head and handing Dallas its first loss of the season.
First-Period Momentum for Dallas
Dallas opened aggressively, continuing the offensive pace that had defined its unbeaten start. Mavrik Bourque broke the ice at 4:29 of the first period when his centering attempt deflected off Vancouver forward Elias Pettersson’s stick and past goaltender Thatcher Demko. Mikko Rantanen doubled the lead late in the period on a power play from the right circle, extending his points streak to four games.
Vancouver’s Second-Period Surge
The visitors responded decisively midway through the second period. Filip Chytil sparked the comeback at 6:40 with a breakaway goal off a stretch pass from Evander Kane. Less than three minutes later, Brock Boeser tied the score on a power-play deflection of Quinn Hughes’s point shot. Just 76 seconds after that, Max Sasson slipped behind the Dallas defense and beat Casey DeSmith for Vancouver’s first lead of the night.
Conor Garland added another marker at 18:54, capitalizing on a turnover deep in the Dallas zone and finishing with a backhand move to give Vancouver a 4–2 edge heading into the third.
Late Push and Final Outcome
Dallas pressed late, and Wyatt Johnston narrowed the deficit to 4–3 with a power-play goal at 17:52, extending his personal goal streak to four games. However, Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 19:24, assisted by Garland.
Goaltending and Team Notes
Thatcher Demko anchored the Canucks with 28 saves, showing composure after the rocky first period. For Dallas, DeSmith stopped 21 shots but was left vulnerable during Vancouver’s second-period surge.
The win lifted Vancouver to an even 2–2–0 record, while Dallas fell to 3–1–0. The Canucks continued their road trip the next night in Chicago, while the Stars prepared to face St. Louis on Saturday.
