The San Jose Sharks played most of Tuesday night like the playoff team they are, dominating the notably non-playoff-bound Vancouver Canucks for most of the contest.

But the Canucks still apparently had some of that home finale magic from a year ago when the Sedins bade farewell. Though they were outshot by a 35-23 margin and had an atrocious record when trailing by two periods this year, Vancouver was able to send the fans home in the right manner.

This wasn’t the type of game the Canucks had any business winning, but some solid performances allowed them to take it.

And though much will be said of Tanner Pearson, Bo Horvat, and Thatcher Demko (and rightfully so), it was Markus Granlund with the game-winning tally when he refused to give up on a loose puck, finally putting it past an out-of-position Martin Jones.

Granlund probably won’t be back next year—he becomes a restricted free agent and probably hasn’t played well enough to earn a new contract. After all, the team needs to freshen up the roster a little bit and someone like Granlund is an easy candidate to go.

He’ll be gone and (ultimately) forgotten pretty soon, but at least he sent the fans home with a smile in the last game of the year.

Like this season, Markus Granlund has been mostly forgettable, but hey, he had his moments.

Here’s what else we saw in the Canucks’ 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

Three that impressed

1. Joe Thornton

Honestly, what a treat. We’ve been fans of Jumbo Joe for most of his career, but it really is something how he controls the pucks in the offensive zone. He had two secondary assists tonight, but was the main architect in creating both Sharks goals.

He also was something of an unstoppable force against Ben Hutton and Troy Stecher, forechecking them with gusto and making them question every decision they made with the puck.

2. Thatcher Demko

“It was maybe his best game,” said coach Travis Green after the match. He was right. Demko kept the Canucks in the contest for the majority of it and if this is what the team can expect next season from their backup, it’s a mighty good sign.

3. Tanner Pearson

Has Bo Horvat finally found a winger? Maybe not for the long-term, but with five goals in his last seven games, Pearson is certainly making a case to start next season with the Canucks’ future captain.

His two goals tonight were the result of tenacious forechecking and veteran’s intuition. Though Horvat made a sensational play on the first goal, it was Pearson who knew where to be.

https://twitter.com/ryanbiech/status/1113262966965592071

Three that didn’t

1. Brent Burns

About a week ago, Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty called out Burns, who is getting some hype for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best defenceman on the season.

Doughty claimed that Burns gets beat three times a game in his own end. Watching tonight, you couldn’t call Doughty a liar. Burns was routinely burned by Canucks, and though his offensive zone prowess was on full display, his defensive play was lacking.

2. Ben Hutton

Hutton hasn’t been great since coming back from injury (and the advanced stats actually point to him not being great at all this entire season). He coughed up the puck more than a few times tonight. With Edler and Hughes likely to be ahead of him on the depth chart next season, one wonders what Hutton’s pending new contract will net him and what his role will be next year.

3. Adam Gaudette

Concerns about whether Gaudette can hold down a third-line centre role for the entirety of a season aren’t without merit. With just over 14 minutes tonight, Gaudette took a bad penalty (though he did manage to draw another one). It’s not clear what will happen with Brandon Sutter next year, but Gaudette getting hemmed in his own zone for swaths of the game won’t convince the Canucks to let him take on a bigger role.

Notable

- Jacob Markstrom won the Canucks’ MVP in the team’s fan vote, which was surprising, though not undeserved. As great as Elias Pettersson has been this season, it was Markstrom who kept the team in a majority of games. Remember that “most valuable” has never meant best.

- Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski are straight-up scary on the same line. But one wonders whether the Sharks will be too reliant on the duo in the playoffs. The Vegas Golden Knights, their first-round opponent, are about as deep as they come.

- Speaking of which, that’s going to be a hell of a series. If Erik Karlsson isn’t healthy though (he didn’t play tonight), the odds may be stacked against the Sharks.

- The standards seem to have shrunk in terms of winning prizes at Canucks games. It used to be if a Canucks player scored five goals, Brenda from Surrey would have a chance (a chance!) at a Safeway prize. Now, if the Canucks register 20 shots on goal, select fans get 20 More Rewards points. They got them tonight, just barely.

- Luke Schenn kept the physicality going tonight, fighting Sharks enforcer Michael Haley early in the first period. He got fed pretty badly, but it was good to see him answer the bell.

Quotable

“He’s been a nice addition. Bigger body that’s strong on the puck, understands the game, understands what it takes to win. Said it a few times, the guy has won Stanley Cups at a young age and you can really see it in his game.” – Canucks coach Travis Green on Tanner Pearson

“You reflect on it…there’s that stretch where we won one game of 13 and I think that’s kind of the season right there. Three more wins out of that and you’re chasing or you make a push.” – Troy Stecher on the season that was

“Skilled team, we knew they were going to push. Just a matter of getting pucks out and trying to make saves when they’re coming through. I knew they were going to make a push, but I also knew we had some gas in the tank too.” – Thatcher Demko on the Sharks

“As you get more and more games with guys you get more comfortable.…It’s been good so far and happy where my game’s at right now.” – Tanner Pearson on his game

“Took a page out of Hank and Danny's book I guess, after watching them for four years.” - Bo Horvat on his between-the-legs assist

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