Canucks double up Oilers to end six-game skid

Vancouver Canucks’ Nils Hoglander (third from left) celebrates a first period goal against the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton, Canada, on Thursday. (USA TODAY Sports)

Nils Hoglander, Jayce Hawryluk, Travis Hamonic and Brock Boeser each had a goal and an assist as the Vancouver Canucks snapped a six-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory against the host Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. Jack Rathbone scored his first career goal and Tyler Graovac also tallied for the Canucks (20-25-3, 43 points), who are in last place in the NHL’s North Division. Goaltender Thatcher Demko made 39 saves, including one on a penalty shot by Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, the league’s leading scorer, in the third period. Leon Draisaitl scored twice and Jesse Puljujarvi also tallied for second-place Edmonton (32-18-2, 66 points), with all the goals assisted by McDavid. That gave McDavid 96 points this season as he neared the 100-point plateau in the pandemic-shortened 56-game schedule. The Canucks scored on their first four shots in the opening 12 1/ 2 minutes to chase Oilers starting goaltender Mikko Koskinen. Hoglander scored just 31 seconds in, taking a pass from J.T. Miller from behind the Edmonton net, deking a defender and putting a wrist shot past Koskinen from the right faceoff circle. An Oilers turnover in their own end led to the second goal, as Hawryluk’s shot was deflected into the air by a defenseman before Rathbone jumped on the puck and put a one-timer from between the faceoff circles into the net. Hamonic made it 3-0 at 6:33 on a slap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that went off Koskinen’s right shoulder and fell just over the goal line. Hawryluk beat Koskinen between the pads on a rebound from the slot at 12:22. The goaltender reacted by shattering his stick on the left post and was replaced by Mike Smith, who stopped 21 of 23 shots the rest of the way. Draisaitl and Puljujarvi scored late in the first period to pull the Oilers within 4-2. Demko thwarted the Oilers’ comeback bid by stopping all 17 of their shots in the second period. Graovac scored the lone goal of the second period to make it 5-2. Draisaitl and Boeser traded goals in the third.Results Boston    4-0    NY Rangers Chicago    2-1    Carolina New Jersey    2-1    NY Islanders Pittsburgh    8-4    Buffalo Toronto    5-2    Montreal Vancouver    6-3    Edmonton