Smith makes 32 saves, Oilers shut out Canucks for fifth straight victory

VANCOUVER -- Mike Smith made 32 saves for the Edmonton Oilers in a 3-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday.

Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist to become the first NHL player to 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) this season.
"I don't care if it's a shutout," Smith said. "I don't care how many goals there are. I want to win. Shutouts are hard to get, especially now with how many power plays there are, but it's not just a credit to the goalie, it's a credit to the team in front of him and what they do."
Alex Chiasson and Jesse Puljujarvi each scored a power-play goal for Edmonton (14-8-0), which swept two games here and has won has won five in a row and eight of nine. The Oilers have won six straight on the road, the longest streak in the NHL this season.
"I like the strides we're taking," Edmonton coach Dave Tippett said. "Smitty's come in and our goaltending has given us a real boost."

Thatcher Demko made 31 saves for Vancouver (8-14-2), which is 2-9-2 in its past 13 games.
"We've been playing a lot better and just not getting the results, and obviously that has a different kind of frustration," Demko said. "It's another thing this team is going to have to battle through."
Smith is 6-0-0 for the first time in his 15-season NHL career. After missing the first 13 games with an undisclosed injury, the 38-year-old has two shutouts and a .944 save percentage in seven games.
Chiasson put the Oilers ahead 1-0 at 7:41 of the second period. He took a pass atop the left side of the crease, spun back across and swept the puck just inside the far post.

The Canucks are 0-12-0 when the opponent scores first.
"We're just not putting the puck in the net when we need to right now," Vancouver coach Travis Green said. "We had a lot of good looks tonight. We had some guys that haven't scored in a while that normally that puck probably goes in for them. You feel for those guys because you know they want to score bad and help."
Smith made a save against Brandon Sutter on a shorthanded breakaway 1:36 into the first period. His best saves came against Jake Virtanen in the second period, on consecutive point-blank rebound chances in tight at 12:33 and on a one-timer off a cross-ice pass at 12:59.
"I just want to play well for this group," Smith said. "I feel like we've done a lot of good things this year and we're in a good spot right now, and I don't want that to slide away because of goaltending."
The Canucks were 0-for-4 on the power play and didn't get a shot during two third-period opportunities.
"Our guys just ate pucks tonight," Smith said. "That's a huge part of it. You've got guys out there putting their bodies on the line. It's a huge thing when your PK gets some huge kills and your power play goes out and scores one."

Puljujarvi scored 1:37 after Vancouver's second failed chance, squeezing a rebound between Demko and the post from a sharp angle to make it 2-0 at 12:35 of the third. Edmonton was 2-for-5 on the power play.
"You get a little frustrated," Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler said. "We played a better game tonight but it came down to the special teams, and they scored twice on the power play."
McDavid scored into an empty net with 23 seconds left for the 3-0 final.
NOTES:Smith has 41 NHL shutouts. … Edmonton defenseman Tyson Barrie had an assist for the fourth straight game and has scored 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in his past 13 games. ... Chiasson has scored six points (four goals, two assists) in his past six games. … The Oilers used 11 forwards and seven defensemen, including Ethan Bear, who was plus-1 with three shots on goal in 14:13 after missing 11 games with an undisclosed injury. … Forward Jayce Hawryluk played 3:28 in his Canucks debut after sustaining an upper-body injury in a scrimmage during training camp. … Vancouver defenseman Travis Hamonic returned after missing 18 games with an upper-body injury and played 11:01 on a pair with Quinn Hughes.