By Canadian Press

Demko solid yet again as Canucks edge Oilers 2-1, snapping Edmonton win streak

Mar 13, 2021 | 11:49 PM

VANCOUVER — A third-period dagger from Tyler Myers vaulted the Vancouver Canucks to a 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers Saturday. 

Bo Horvat put away the first goal of the night for the Canucks (12-17-2), shovelling the puck in on a second-period power play.

Leon Draisaitl responded for the for the Oilers (19-11-0), collecting his 16th goal of the season. 

Edmonton goalie Mikko Koskinen had 26 saves and Thatcher Demko stopped 34-of-35 shots for Vancouver. 

The result snapped a four-game win streak for Edmonton, who fell to third in the North Division behind Winnipeg Saturday when the Jets downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. 

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Vancouver has won five of its last seven games but remains second-last in the all-Canadian division with 28 points. 

Edmonton caught a late break when Vancouver’s Tanner Pearson was called for hooking with two-and-a-half minutes left in the game. 

The Oilers pulled Koskinen with 1:45 to go and called a 30-second timeout to game plan their attack, but ultimately couldn’t beat Demko.

The Canucks goalie stopped five shots in the final penalty of the night to collect his ninth win of the season. 

Myers put the Canucks up 2-1 with just over 10 minutes left on the clock, sailing a shot over Koskinen’s stick with a one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle. 

It was the defenceman’s 300th point in the NHL. 

The Canucks broke a scoreless stalemate 12:59 into the second with a gritty power-play tally. 

Koskinen stopped a long blast from J.T. Miller but couldn’t corral the rebound, and several players clamoured for the loose puck. With bodies littered across the crease, Horvat poked the loose puck over the goal line from the side of the net. 

Vocal opposition could be heard from the Oilers on the ice, but there was no call for review. 

Edmonton responded with a power-play strike of its own four minutes later. 

The Canucks had just finished killing off 23 seconds of five-on-three hockey and were working to whittle down the remaining penalty when Draisaitl sent a shot screaming into the Vancouver net from the bottom of the faceoff circle. 

The goal extended his point streak to six games (six goals, five assists). 

The Oilers were 1-for-4 with the man advantage on Saturday while the Canucks went 1-for-2 on the power play.

The action followed a first frame where Edmonton outshot Vancouver 13-4 but couldn’t get a puck past Demko. 

A long pause was required in the middle of the period after Canucks forward Zack MacEwen crushed defenceman William Lagesson with a bruising hit along the end boards. The force knocked a pane of glass loose and a crew required several minutes to make the repairs. 

Both teams are set to begin road trips on Monday, with the Oilers visiting the Flames in Calgary and the Canucks heading to Ottawa where they’ll take on the Senators. 

NOTES: Connor McDavid assist on Draisaitl’s second-period power-play goal extended his point streak to five games. The Oilers captain has three goals and nine assists across the stretch. … The Oilers came into the game having topped the Sens 6-2 on Friday. Saturday’s result marked Edmonton’s first loss in the second-half of a back-to-back this season. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2021. 

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press