EDMONTON, Alberta _ Had the season progressed as normal, the Minnesota Wild might have cruised into the playoffs and beyond.
The team had one of the best second-half offenses in the NHL, and it was peaking at just the right time _ in those weeks before seeding is solidified and matchups get set.
But what might have happened with the Wild during those circumstances was lost when the season was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
All that's clear now is what the team's potential is in a tournament-style return four-plus months later.
And it wasn't what the team previewed before the pause.
The Wild was bounced from the bubble in Edmonton Friday night, getting eliminated after a 5-4 overtime loss to the Canucks in Game 4 at Rogers Place to fade 3-1 in the best-of-five qualifying-round series.
Vancouver's Christopher Tanev scored on a point shot just 11 seconds into overtime, this after Canucks captain Bo Horvat was left all alone in front to bury a Tanner Pearson pass with 5:46 to go in the third to tie the game at 4.
Before then, playoff newcomer Nico Sturm broke a 3-3 tie with 52 seconds remaining in the second period after the Wild blew a two-goal lead.
Sturm became just the second player in Wild history to score his first NHL goal in the playoffs, with this just his second postseason appearance after he debuted in Game 3.
Goalie Alex Stalock totaled 26 saves, while Jacob Markstrom had 25 for the Canucks.
Defenseman Ryan Suter was inactive and has been since the final stages of the third period of Game 3, not playing in the last 6:51. Coach Dean Evason didn't have an update after that game, and the team also didn't issue one before Game 4.
Matt Bartkowski took the empty seat on the blue line, but it was the Wild's veterans who set the tone.
Similar to Game 1, there was an early fight with Ryan Hartman dropping the gloves with the Canucks' Jake Virtanen only 1:36 into the first period _ a tussle that boosted both benches but especially the Wild.
Barely a minute later, the Wild opened the scoring on a power play when Luke Kunin crashed the net and stuffed the puck short-side on Jacob Markstrom at 2:58 for his second goal of the series. His other one was also a special-teams specialty, a shorthanded goal in Game 2's 4-3 loss.
The tally ended an 0-for-14 funk on the power play for the Wild.
Vancouver tied it at 1 at 12:52 when Tanner Pearson snuck in for a partial breakaway that he buried behind Stalock.
But the Wild exited the period on top after Eric Staal sent a top-shelf shot in a tight corner over Markstrom's right shoulder only 41 seconds following Pearson's goal _ a quick response that was the Wild's first 5-on-5 goal of the series. The goal was also Staal's fifth point against the Canucks.
In the second, the Wild doubled its lead when Joel Eriksson Ek pounded on a rebound off a Zach Parise deflection for his first career postseason goal at 5:38. Defenseman Jonas Brodin earned his second assist of the game on the play.
It was a poised reaction to a dicey few minutes for the Wild, as Stalock got caught without his stick and the Canucks hemmed the Wild in its zone.
The hard-earned advantage, however, was short-lived.
Just 1:42 later, Brandon Sutter poked in a puck that had bounced behind Stalock and by 8:43, the game was tied at 3. Rookie standout Quinn Hughes recorded his first goal of the tournament when his point shot on a power play sailed through traffic and behind Stalock.
Vancouver finished 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Wild went 1-for-5.
That equalizer by Hughes seemed to tilt the ice in the Canucks favor, but the Wild weathered the pressure and managed to go into a make-or-break third period with a lead after Sturm's shot off the rush at 19:08 trickled between Markstrom and the near post.
Sturm joined teammate Jordan Greenway as the only two players in team history to score their first NHL goals in the postseason.
The finish was a fitting reward for Sturm, who had been solid all game after strong opener in Game 3, and the decision to keep him in the lineup was a shrewd one by coach Dean Evason.
