Canucks Outlast Avalanche 8-6, Brock Boeser Leads the Way with Four Point Night

The Vancouver Canucks showed resilience in knocking off the NHL’s league-leading Colorado Avalanche 8-6 at Ball Arena. 

Brock Boeser recorded a hat trick on a four-point night (3-1-4). It marked Boeser’s seventh career hat trick, making him just the fourth player in Canucks history to register a hat trick on the road in Colorado. 

Teddy Blueger had two goals and Marcus Pettersson had three points (1-2-3) in the win. 

After surrendering three straight goals in the third period, Vancouver saw their lead erased when Colorado tied the game 6-6 at 13:58 in the third. The Canucks focused on the forecheck and played fast to re-establish control.  

“Obviously, they were pushing, and you could do two things, just sit back and let them keep coming, or try to respond, and we responded there. I'm just proud of our group for tonight,” Boeser said. 

Head Coach Adam Foote praised his team's start and consistent pressure on Colorado throughout the game. 

"Guys were playing hard. They were playing real aggressive, which led to a few odd-man rushes for us [and] we were able to capitalize. They’re a potent team, so they got a few too many from the point, I think we let them have two or three they shouldn’t have had, honestly, but we played hard,” Foote said. 

Kevin Lankinen made 24 saves on 30 shots he faced, and Boeser credited the goaltender’s steady approach. 

“He comes to the rink with the right mindset each and every day, works super hard, and I'm just happy that we could get him that win,” Boeser said. 

Goals 

The Canucks opened the scoring less than a minute into the contest, Filip Hronek making a stretch pass to Max Sasson on the left wing and Sasson going short side on Av’s goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood.

Nathan MacKinnon evened the score before the Canucks scored two to regain the lead. 

The next goal came from good work on the penalty kill, Liam Öhgren recovering the puck, heading up ice on a two-on-one with Teddy Blueger. Öhgren timed the pass perfectly, and Blueger finished the job with a wrist shot for his third shorthanded goal of the year.

The Canucks had some nifty passing on the power play. Elias Pettersson found Jake DeBrusk net-front, and jammed the puck past Blackwood.

Gabriel Landeskog scored for Colorado on a tip-in, the Canucks taking a 3-2 lead going into the first intermission. 

In the second period, Blueger scored on the rush off a pass from Sasson; Blueger sniping five-hole on Blackwood.

Boeser made no mistake on his first of the night, Tom Willander passing to Boeser on the weak side, and Boeser snapping it into the net.

Boeser scored his second goal, coming into the offensive zone and unleashing a rocket from the top of the right circle, sending the puck bar down. 

The Avalanche pulled Blackwood, putting Scott Wedgewood between the pipes.

Colorado’s Sam Malinski scored in the second, Vancouver holding a 6-3 lead going into the final break. 

In the third period, the Avalanche tied the game 6-6 with goals from Parker Kelly, Brent Burns, and Malinski, with the fifth and sixth goals coming 37 seconds apart. 

The Canucks didn’t fold against the league-leading Avalanche and instead dug deep. Boeser, Drew O’Connor and Marco Rossi worked hard on the forecheck, and Boeser set up Marcus Pettersson for a slap shot and the go-ahead goal.

Under the two-minute mark and the Avs with an extra skater, Boeser recovered the puck, taking a shot from their defensive zone faceoff circle for the eighth goal to secure the 8-6 win.

Up Next 

The Canucks head to Minnesota for their second game of a back-to-back to take on the Wild at 5:00 p.m. PT.