By Canadian Press

Elias Pettersson scores twice, Canucks beat Preds to snap slump

Nov 12, 2019 | 11:49 PM

VANCOUVER — Elias Pettersson celebrated his 21st birthday with a pair of goals as the Vancouver Canucks ended a four-game winless streak with a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators Tuesday.

Tanner Pearson also scored twice for Vancouver, his second into an empty net. Adam Gaudette got the other for the Canucks (10-6-3), who are 1-3-1 in their last five games. Vancouver scored three times on the power play.

Filip Forsberg scored twice for the Predators (9-6-3). Calle Jarnkrok also scored for Nashville.

A wild third period saw the teams combine for six goals.

Pettersson’s first goal came at 6:09 of the third. With the Canucks on a power play, Pettersson knocked down an attempted clearing pass with his chest. He gained control of the puck, took a couple of strides, then ripped a shot over the glove of Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne.

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His second of the night, and eighth of the season, came off the rebound on a rush at 11:41.

Forsberg scored twice in the third. He tipped a Mattias Ekholm shot past Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko at 8:35 and then scored his 10th of the year on a one-timer at 14:26.

Demko made 34 saves for the Canucks. Rinne stopped 21 shots for Nashville.

The teams exchanged goals during a second period that saw the Predators outshoot the Canucks 19-7.

Pearson opened the scoring for Vancouver just 85 seconds into the period on a power play. Gaudette fed a streaking Pearson the puck and he beat Rinne on the blocker side for his third goal of the season and first in 15 games.

Jarnkrok tied the game at 13:35. Matt Duchene fired a shot that Demko stopped but gave up a big rebound. Jarnkrok put the loose puck into the net for his sixth goal of the year.

After giving up the early goal the Predators controlled much of the play and peppered Demko with shots. The Vancouver goalie faced a pair of breakaways in a 20-second span. First Craig Smith put a shot over the net, then Demko blocked a Mikael Granlund shot.

Early in the third period Kyle Turris was alone in front of the net but Demko stopped the shot with a left pad.

Rinne made a couple of big saves during a scoreless first period. He got a right pad on a shot from Sven Baertschi who was alone at the side of the net. Later, he made a glove save on a shot after Josh Leivo had stolen the puck from a Nashville defender.

NOTES: Canuck goaltender Jacob Markstrom announced on social media Sunday that his father had died in Sweden. … Vancouver centre Brandon Sutter, who has a history of sports hernias, left the game early in the first period with what the team called “a lower body injury.” .… Centre Jay Beagle was a late scratch for Vancouver after missing practice Monday with an undisclosed injury. …. Lui Eriksson drew into the Vancouver lineup. …. Nashville defenceman Dante Fabbro, a native of Coquitlam, B.C., played his first game in Vancouver and had over 100 family and friends in attendance. … Actor Bill Murry attended the game.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2019.

Jim Morris, The Canadian Press