Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander each had two goals as the visiting Vancouver Canucks earned a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Monday night.
The Canucks improved to 10-2-2 in their past 14 games thanks to the big performance by the duo. Pettersson registered his ninth career four-point showing, while Hoglander notched his fourth career two-goal game.
Pettersson gave the Canucks a two-goal lead with 4:27 left in the second period thanks to a tenacious effort. After his initial attempt was stopped by New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin, Pettersson got his own rebound and finished off the play by sliding the puck over Shesterkin’s pad from a sharp angle near the red line.
With 3:13 left in the period, Hoglander made it 5-2 following a New York turnover in the neutral zone, going behind his back in the right circle following a cross-ice pass from Pius Suter.
J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser also scored for the Canucks as coach Rick Tocchet kept them on a line with Pettersson for the second straight game after the trio combined for four goals and four assists in Saturday’s 6-4 win over the New Jersey Devils. Pettersson capped Vancouver’s big night with an empty-net goal late in the third.
Vincent Trocheck scored twice while Artemi Panarin also tallied, but the Rangers lost for the third time in four games and dropped to 8-7-1 since Dec. 5.
Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko made 39 stops, including point-blank saves on Jimmy Vesey and Trocheck in the final three minutes of the first.
Shesterkin allowed five goals on 25 shots.
On a power play, Trocheck opened the scoring with a shot from the right circle that clanged into the net 3:38 into the game, but the Canucks grabbed the lead in a span of 2:14.
Miller tied it 53 seconds after Trocheck scored by lifting a one-timer over Shesterkin following Pettersson’s pass from behind the net. Hoglander then capitalized on Panarin’s giveaway by sending in a shot from between the circles at 6:45, and Boeser slipped a backhander into the net with 16 seconds left in the period following a slow New York line change.
Panarin made it a one-goal game with 11:41 left in the second off a rush, and Trocheck scored again 3:36 into the third.
–Field Level Media
