Hughes scores twice, Canucks hold off Oilers

VANCOUVER -- Quinn Hughes scored two power play goals for the Vancouver Canucks in a 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena on Saturday.

Danton Heinen also scored, J.T. Miller had two assists and Thatcher Demko made 13 saves for the Canucks (20-15-10), who ended a two-game losing streak with their second win in the past eight games (2-4-2).

“I think everyone in here is excited, and it's a big one,” Hughes said. “We needed it and it shows a lot of character in our group, especially with all the stuff that's been going around last couple weeks, and how our last two games went. They're a really competitive team, and so are we so that's what we showed.”

Vancouver had lost its previous two games by a combined score of 11-2, but limited the streaking Oilers to 15 shots, and just eight across the final two periods.

“It was one of our better team efforts this year, for sure,” Miller said. “So we should feel proud about it.”

Leon Draisaitl scored twice and Stuart Skinner made 24 saves for the Oilers (29-14-3), who lost for the first time in five games and second in the past 10 (8-2-0).

It was the third straight game Edmonton fell behind 3-0. The Oilers rallied to win the first two in regulation -- at the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday and Colorado Avalanche on Thursday -- but couldn’t complete the comeback in Vancouver.

“Not the start we wanted,” Draisaitl said. “Obviously, got to fix that.”

Edmonton only had three shots in the third period.

“Third game in a row we chased from behind, and that makes it a little more difficult,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “I thought we had a pretty good push down three to make it 3-2 after the second period and we just couldn't generate enough to get that third one.”

Hughes scored six seconds into a power play to put the Canucks ahead 1-0 at 14:38 of the first period. Miller won the offensive zone draw back to Hughes and he skated down the left wing before throwing the puck towards Conor Garland atop the crease and having it bounce in off the skate of defenseman Mattias Ekholm. The goal ended a 0-for-10 power play drought over the previous four games, and came after the Canucks made adjustments to their attack.

“Today was more of a numbers to the net type of deal,” Miller said. “We know they have a very aggressive penalty kill and tried to make it a little simpler. Just pucks and bodies there and created a little havoc and got rewarded.”

Heinen converted a rebound of a deflected Tyler Myers point shot from the edge of the crease at 15:49 to make it 2-0, and Hughes scored another power play goal with a high-blocker wrist shot from atop the left circle at 18:00.

“Came up with some new looks on the power play and we stuck to it, and power play got us momentum,” Miller said. “It's a big difference in a game like that. Just buy-in. When we buy-in we normally have success.”

Draisaitl pulled the Oilers within 3-1 at 4:01 of the second period, banking a shot from just above the goal line in off the back of Demko right after Connor McDavid almost set up Darnell Nurse for a backdoor tap-in on the other side.

Draisaitl scored again on a power play from a similar spot at 13:38, this time one-timing a pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins cutting behind the net on the other side under Demko’s blocker. The goal was Draisaitl’s NHL-leading 33rd of the season and gave him 10 points (four goals, six assists) during a six-game point streak.

“Leon's exceptional and he's having an incredible season,” Knoblauch said. “Incredible career, but this year, especially, not only playing good 200-foot game but being able to score the goals that he has been able to do on the power play and even strength. He's a big part of our success that we've had these last two or three months.”

NOTES: McDavid received a match penalty for cross-checking Garland high and Myers also received a match penalty for a high cross-check on Evan Bouchard after a wild scramble in the Vancouver end with Edmonton trying to tie the game with 2.3 seconds left. … McDavid had one assist to extend his point streak to four games and seven points (four goals, three assists).