Canucks defeat Wild in Game 2 of Cup Qualifiers, even series

The Vancouver Canucks held on for a 4-3 win against the Minnesota Wild in Game 2 to even the Stanley Cup Qualifiers series at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tuesday.

J.T. Miller and Bo Horvat each had a goal and an assist for the Canucks, the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Jacob Markstrom made 32 saves for his first NHL postseason win.

"We knew we needed a big game, and so many different players stepped up," Markstrom said. "We battled hard for 60 minutes, and that's what you need to do in the playoffs. We got rewarded and got a huge win to tie up the series, and now we look forward to the next game."

Kevin Fiala scored twice in the final 2:29 to get the Wild, the No. 10 seed in the West, within one goal.

"We were a step behind tonight," Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. "We didn't have that same emotional charge that [they] seemed to have. Give them a lot of credit; they did from the get-go. … Hopefully, Game 3 will shift back to us."

Game 3 of the best-of-5 series is in Edmonton, the Western Conference hub city, on Thursday (2:30 p.m. ET; NHL.TV, NHLN, SN, FS-N).

WATCH: [All Wild vs. Canucks highlights]

Tanner Pearson scored with a high shot from the right face-off circle to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead 24 seconds into the first period. It was their first goal in the series after losing 3-0 in Game 1 on Sunday.

"It's big. Obviously just to get the confidence going," Pearson said of the early goal. "… Can't wait around and wait a few games to get it going."

Luke Kunin scored a shorthanded goal off a cross-ice pass from Zach Parise to tie the game 1-1 at 17:16.

Miller gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead at 3:01 of the second when he scored unassisted off a turnover by Wild forward Alex Galchenyuk.

Brock Boeser scored off a rebound for a 3-1 lead at 8:42.

"It's exciting to score your first playoff goal," said Boeser, who was playing in his second NHL postseason game. "I think it was a big goal for our team. … We showed up tonight knowing we needed to get a win and we did that, and that's huge for our group."

Horvat tipped a shot by Quinn Hughes on the power play for a 4-1 lead at 6:22 of the third.

Fiala scored to make it 4-2 at 17:32 and again with eight seconds left to make it 4-3.

"We'd like to take all the positives we can," Kunin said. "[Fiala] getting on the board, a couple of late goals with the goalie pulled. We just got to regroup. We know what we got to do to be better and have success."

Fiala has scored three goals in the series.

Despite being without Tyler Toffoli, who was unfit to play, Vancouver's top two lines scored all four goals and combined for seven points (four goals, three assists).

"I think they all knew for us to move or to win, to move on from the series they were going to have to be a factor," coach Travis Green said. "It's hard to win in any playoff series when your top guys aren't producing, and I was happy for them tonight."

Canucks forwards Micheal Ferland and Antoine Roussel each left the game. Ferland did not return after playing 2:36 in four shifts in the first period. Roussel left the game 4:18 into the third period after getting hit in the face by a deflected puck.

As part of the NHL Return to Play Plan, a team is not permitted to disclose player injury or illness information.

Toffoli and forward Adam Gaudette (unfit to play) were replaced in the lineup by Jake Virtanen and Loui Eriksson, who played 20:07, 3:01 more than he played in any game during the regular season.

"Everybody had to step up tonight. Bench was short for a while," Miller said. "I think that's going to happen over the course of the playoffs; I think the team responded really well. … I think up and down the lineup, everyone contributed today."

Teams that took a 2-0 lead are 56-1 (98.2 percent) winning a best-of-5 NHL series (39-1 when last used from 1980-86; the New York Islanders defeated the Washington Capitals in 1985). Teams that win Game 3 after a series is tied 1-1 are 21-7 (75 percent; 14-2 when last used from 1980-86).

"Best-of-5, best-of-7, that's how playoffs go," Parise said. "You go from feeling great after Game 1, a pretty complete game by us, and all of a sudden, you come back and now it's 1-1. Those are the roller coasters of playoffs. Both teams regroup. See what's been working, where we can get better. But playoffs are emotional, no matter what. Win or lose, you have to turn the page and move onto the next game."

The Wild were 0-for-6 on the power play. They allowed one power-play goal on seven chances, but it turned out to be the game-winner.

"We got to capitalize when we get the power plays," Kunin said. "We got to kill it and take the momentum away from them when they're on the power play. And 5-on-5, we got to get back to what makes us a great group. Getting in there on the forecheck."

NHL.com staff writer Pete Jensen contributed to this report