Quinn Hughes scores early in OT, Canucks top Golden Knights

There have been instances within the third interval Tuesday night time when Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau felt like a cartoon rabbit.

His staff got here into the ultimate body up by two, however conceded a pair of objectives to the Vegas Golden Knights, forcing additional time in a vital sport for either side.

“I used to be telling the blokes in there, ‘Have you ever ever seen the outdated Bugs Bunny cartoons when he sees one other bunny that’s actually fairly and the pink coronary heart retains popping out of your chest?’ I felt like that within the third interval,” Boudreau mentioned.

Quinn Hughes scored 51 seconds into additional time and Vancouver saved its slim playoff hopes alive with a 5-4 win over Vegas.

The end result strikes Vancouver inside three factors of Vegas. Each groups are battling for wild-card spots within the Western Convention.

“We all know the place we’re within the standings and the place we’re,” Hughes mentioned. “It will have been good to get it in regulation, however on the finish of the day, we nonetheless acquired two factors and on the finish of the day, that’s what we wished to do.”

Elias Pettersson had objective and a pair of assists for the Canucks in regulation. Bo Horvat had a objective and an help. Vasily Podkolzin and Brad Richardson rounded out the scoring for Vancouver, which has gained 4 straight video games.

“It’s fairly clear what we’ve acquired to do. We’ve acquired to win,” Pettersson mentioned.

“We really feel fairly good now, we’ve gained 4 in a row. But it surely doesn’t imply (a lot) if we don’t proceed this manner, taking part in good hockey. We’re nonetheless behind, we’ve nonetheless acquired to win video games. And we’re simply eager about the subsequent one.”

Shea Theodore scored two objectives within the third interval, Alec Martinez had a objective and an help and Michael Amadio added a rating for the Golden Knights (40-30-4).

“Clearly happy with the best way the blokes battled again,” Martinez mentioned. “Getting factors this time of yr is large however that mentioned, we’re taking pictures for 2, not one. There’s one thing that we have to tighten up, some issues we have to work on however we simply acquired to concentrate on subsequent sport.”

Vancouver acquired a 41-save efficiency from Thatcher Demko. Robin Lehner stopped 22 of 27 pictures for Vegas.

The Golden Knights pulled Lehner with 1:46 left on the sport clock in favor of an additional attacker.

With 41.4 seconds to go, Theodore launched a shot from the highest of the faceoff circle and the puck flew over Demko’s glove for the tying objective.

Theodore introduced Vegas inside one 6:27 into the third interval, whipping a shot previous Demko’s blocker aspect from the faceoff dot. Theodore has 12 objectives this season.

The Golden Knights outshot the Canucks 8-0 within the first 10 minutes of the interval.

Pettersson arrange Vancouver’s fourth objective with a highlight-reel play halfway by way of the second, intercepting the puck within the impartial zone and streaking down the ice with Richardson on a 2-on-1. He appeared poised to shoot in tight, however as an alternative despatched a no-look move throughout the slot to Richardson, who tapped it in.

Vegas reduce the deficit to a objective 4:35 into the second when Amadio’s shot from the low slot deflected in off of Horvat to make it 3-2.

Vancouver took a two-goal lead 79 seconds earlier when Conor Garland sprang Pettersson for a breakaway and the star ahead fired a shot on internet. Lehner made the cease, then fell backward with the puck falling between his legs. Vegas defenseman Zach Whitecloud pushed it over the objective line together with his skate.

Officers on the ice initially waved the objective off, however after a video evaluation, Pettersson was credited together with his twenty sixth of the season and the Canucks took a 3-1 lead.

Vancouver opened the second with greater than a minute and a half left on an influence play after Evgenii Dadonov was known as for high-sticking late within the opening body.

Stationed in entrance of the web, Podkolzin took a slap move from Pettersson and seemed to snap a shot previous Lehner. His preliminary try hit the submit however the Russian rookie collected his rebound and popped it in.

His eleventh objective of the season, coming 1:27 into the second, put the Canucks up 2-1.

Vancouver went 2 for 3 on the person benefit, whereas Vegas failed to attain on three energy performs.

Particular groups are one thing the Golden Knights have to work on, head coach Pete DeBoer mentioned.

“Properly, we’ll take the purpose. I feel we’re gonna should be higher than that down the stretch with a view to get the place we need to go,” he mentioned. “You’ll be able to’t lose the particular groups battle 2-0 and count on to win any sport, in order that’s in all probability the primary place we acquired to wash up.”

The Golden Knights dominated the motion by way of a lot of the primary interval and eventually acquired on the board on the 16:59 mark.

Martinez despatched a puck hovering from above the faceoff circle, with the shot ticking off Vancouver defenseman Travis Dermott in entrance of the web earlier than skittering in previous Demko. It was Martinez’s first objective of the season.

The Canucks had been being outshot 13-5 when the Golden Knights put away the equalizer, forcing Demko to make some large stops.

A lot of the group had barely settled into their seats when the Canucks opened the scoring.

Alex Pietrangelo was known as for tripping Horvat simply 57 seconds into the sport and Vancouver was fast to capitalize on the person benefit.

A fast passing sequence noticed J.T. Miller dish the puck to Alex Chiasson on the objective line and Chiasson ship it to Horvat on the hash marks. The Canucks captain ripped a snap shot, beating Lehner for his thirty first objective of the season.

The objective prolonged Horvat’s scoring streak to 5 video games, with 5 objectives and two assists in the course of the stretch.

NOTES: Mark Stone returned to the Golden Knights’ lineup after lacking 26 video games with a again harm. … Chiasson notched an help on Horvat’s objective and now has assists in 4 straight video games.

UP NEXT

Golden Knights: On the Calgary Flames on Thursday night time.

Canucks: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night time.