Does this sound on-brand for the Vancouver Canucks season?
During a rare win at Rogers Arena, Nikita Tolopilo stopped every single shot he faced, but he didn’t get credit for the shutout.
It would have been his first career shutout, and the first-ever NHL shutout by a goalie from Belarus.
Welcome to Canucks hockey in 2025-26.
Tolopilo wasn’t on the ice to start the second period, with Kevin Lankinen stepping into the game. Lankinen stopped one shot in 2:11 of ice time before Tolopilo returned to the game.
And no, Tolopilo didn’t have a Roberto Luongo bathroom moment.
Late in the first period, the 6-foot-6 goaltender was run over by Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Poehling. Tolopilo finished the period but went into concussion protocol during the first intermission.
Head coach Adam Foote explained after the game that the concussion test took longer than normal because he’s a goaltender.
“With his test, he had to take all his gear off for some reason, compared to an actual player,” Foote said. “So that’s why it took so long. We were trying to stall it, but we didn’t have the time.”
“I’m just going to myself, ‘I hope he’s warmed up somehow.’”
Tolopilo expressed some mild frustration that he wasn’t able to get back in time, robbing him of his first career shutout.
However, he said all the right things postgame.
“A win is more important,” he said. “I’m happy we got the win.”
Some of his teammates did feel for him.
“It kind of sucks he doesn’t get the shutout, but I’m sure there’ll be more to follow,” Drew O’Connor said.
He might not have registered the shutout, but the obscurity of the night did make Canucks history.
The Canucks have pull off a team shutout before, meaning that no goalie gets statistical credit for the perfect game; rather, it goes to the team.
This has happened a handful of times in NHL history. Most recently, back in 2024, when Stuart Skinner subbed in for Calvin Pickard after concussion spotters pulled the Edmonton Oilers netminder. It also happened to the Canucks’ netminders, Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith back in March, 2024.
However, Tolopilo has the most saves in a perfect night for a Canucks goaltender without getting the shutout, stopping all 32 shots he faced.
Tolopilo’s memorable night should remind Canucks fans of another noteworthy game where a Canucks goalie had a perfect night but failed to get the shutout, or even the win.
Think you can remember it?
Back in October 2016, Ryan Miller stopped all 25 shots he faced in regulation and overtime. The only goal that went in was when Miller was out of the net for a delayed penalty, and Loui Eriksson accidentally scored on his own net after an errant pass went all the way down the ice and into the net.
At least for Tolopilo, his obscure night had a happy ending.