Canucks defeat Blackhawks, end seven-game losing streak

CHICAGO --The Vancouver Canucks ended a seven-game losing streak with a 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Thursday.
"Yeah, it's nice to win," Canucks coach Travis Green said. "Nice to see our team get the results. When you're not winning it is frustrating, I said that the other night. It was nice to see our team get a win tonight."

Alexander Edler had two goals, Henrik Sedin, Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter scored, and Jacob Markstrom made 39 saves for the Canucks (26-39-9), who won for the first time since March 5.
\[WATCH: All Canucks vs. Blackhawks highlights\]
"I think we needed a win, that's for sure," Edler said. "I don't think we played a perfect game, but it was nice to get a win."
Nick Schmaltz and
Matthew Highmore
scored for the Blackhawks (30-36-9), who have lost five in a row (0-4-1).
J-F Berube
allowed four goals on 18 shots, and Anton Forsberg made eight saves on nine shots in relief.

"We're doing a lot of good things," Highmore said. "It's just momentary lapses, and in this league, when you don't play a full 60 minutes, teams make you pay."
Edler gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead at 7:11 of the first period, but the Blackhawks tied it at 1-1 51 seconds later when Schmaltz redirected Brent Seabrook's slap shot.

Sedin ended a 55-game goal drought when he scored on a rebound at 17:42 to make it 2-1. It was his first goal since Nov. 14.
"It was fun scoring," Sedin said. "It's a good feeling, but I put zero thoughts into not scoring. I felt good for the most part. Two goals [before Thursday] is not good, but there's been other guys scoring around me and that's helped."

Horvat made it 3-1 at 6:59 of the second period with his 20th goal, tying his NHL-high set last season.
"Obviously I'm happy to get it," Horvat said. "To get it in back-to-back years definitely gives me confidence going forward. ... To finish out strong, hopefully we can get some more wins here."
Edler scored his second of the game at 9:38 to make it 4-1 when his slap shot from the blue line got past Berube.
The lead became 5-1 at 3:24 of the third period when Michael Del Zotto's shot went in off Sutter's foot.
Highmore scored at 16:27 to make it 5-2.

Goal of the game

Edler's goal at 9:38 of the second period.

Save of the game

Markstrom's save on John Hayden at 12:47 of the first period.

Highlight of the game

Horvat's goal at 6:59 of the second period.

They said it

"It's always fun to play these guys. They're good, they're skilled, you always have to be aware of who's on the ice. It's a great building to come in to, and it was nice to get two points." -- Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler
"Everyone loves playing hockey and we want to enjoy it, too. Not every person in the hockey world can say they play in the NHL, so it's pretty special every game. Take advantage of it, don't take it for granted and make sure you're playing hard every game and every shift." -- Blackhawks forward Nick Schmaltz

Need to know

Canucks forward Brendan Leipsic did not play the final 11:15. Green said he sustained an upper-body injury and will be evaluated on Friday. ... Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane has 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in his past 13 games. … Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews did not play because of an upper-body injury.

What's next

Canucks: At the St. Louis Blues on Friday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, SNP, NHL.TV)
Blackhawks:At the New York Islanders on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, WGN, NHL.TV)