Hometown product Kyle Burroughs scored his first NHL goal and the host Vancouver Canucks snapped a five-game losing skid with a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland both scored power-play goals for the Canucks, who received a 37-save performance from goaltender Thatcher Demko.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Pierre-Luc Dubois replied for the Jets, who lost in regulation for the first time in six games. Goalie Eric Comrie stopped 26 shots.
Vancouver’s special-team play has been deservedly maligned this season, but Ekman-Larsson’s first-period, power-play goal gave the hosts a jolt of life. Upon being passed the puck at the point, Ekman-Larsson fired a long wrist shot that found the mark on the short side at the 13:51 mark for his second goal of the season.
It was only the third time this season the Canucks held a lead after the first period, and they had lost the previous two such contests.
Burroughs potted his memorable goal to double the Vancouver lead early in the second period. The defenseman sent a long point shot that made it through the screen set up by his teammates. The puck ricocheted off the skate of Jets defenseman Nate Schmidt before finding the twine at the 3:12 mark.
Burroughs, 26, was playing his 14th game for the Canucks this season after starting his NHL career with five games for the Colorado Avalanche last season.
Ehlers responded exactly one minute later to put the Jets on the board. The red-hot sniper spun from a check before zipping to the slot and firing a top-shelf shot for his third goal in as many outings.
However, Garland drilled a power-play goal of his own a couple of minutes later, ripping a top-corner slap shot from just inside the left circle, restoring Vancouver’s two-goal edge.
Dubois scored his 10th goal of the season by batting home a cross-ice pass from Mark Scheifele while at the doorstep to make it a one-goal game with 2:27 remaining in regulation. The visitors couldn’t find an equalizer, though.
–Field Level Media