Canucks score 4 goals in 2nd period, rally past Stars

DALLAS -- The Vancouver Canucks scored four goals in the second period, including three in a span of 3:26, to erase a two-goal deficit and defeat the Dallas Stars 5-3 at American Airlines Center on Thursday.

Quinn Hughes and Conor Garland each had a goal and an assist, Filip Chytil, Brock Boeser, and Max Sasson scored, and Filip Hronek had two assists for Vancouver (2-2-0), which had lost its past two games. Thatcher Demko made 28 saves.

“We were 1-2 and now we’re 2-2. We had no panic. It’s early. We’re trying to find our game,” Garland said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys in the lineup just getting used to the League. To hang in there tonight against one of the best teams in the Western Conference, it was a good statement by us.”

Mavrik Bourque, Mikko Rantanen, and Wyatt Johnston scored for Dallas (3-1-0), which lost for the first time this season. Casey DeSmith made 21 saves.

“[DeSmith] was great. As a group, we can’t give up a four-spot in a period. We’re going to have to look at how the goals went in, maybe some tough changes. We’ll check them out,” Dallas forward Tyler Seguin said. “It’s early in the year and we’re looking for our first full game. Tonight, the issue was the second period.”

Chytil started Vancouver's comeback by cutting the lead to 2-1 at 6:40 of the second period on a breakaway right after a Dallas power play expired.

“On that first [goal] we were out there for a long shift. I made an all-or-nothing play in the neutral zone to try and get it, and if not, it’s a breakaway and they got past us. They just kind of built off that. They had the momentum, they were pushing, and we weren’t winning enough battles,” Dallas defenseman Thomas Harley said. “It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but I think we have to be better about weathering the storms.”

Boeser tied it 2-2 at 8:50 on the power play, redirecting Hughes' shot from the point.

“Good bounce back in the second. Had a couple of tough bounces early end up in our net and we just fought our way back,” Garland said. “Go into the third with a two-goal lead and give yourself a little cushion against that lineup that can make plays from anywhere, which they did. [Demko] closed the door for us.”

Sasson gave Vancouver a 3-2 lead at 10:06. He took a pass from Tyler Myers off the wall in the neutral zone behind the Dallas defense and scored on a breakaway down the right wing.

“Myers makes a great play. We made eye contact and he’s such a good player, such a smart player, " Sasson said. "He [gets] the puck, the next thing you know I’m on a breakaway. I just saw [Chytil] score on the blocker side and I tried it. Luckily it went in. That’s a huge win to start the road trip.”

Garland extended the lead to 4-2 at 18:54. After Dallas forward Colin Blackwell turned the puck over in the corner, Garland deked around a defender in the slot and tucked in a backhand at the left post.

“At intermission we were just saying, ‘Guys, I know it doesn’t feel right, but we’re doing all right. Hang in there,’” Vancouver coach Adam Foote said. “They’re transitioning from a man-on-man offense to a little bit of a zone when it’s low, and when it’s passed high it’s more of a man-on-man. They’re learning a new system that Edmonton plays, Vegas, and we kind of play the same way. There was time where [Garland] exposed that and I think the guys kind of picked up some confidence seeing him hold onto pucks.”

Johnston cut the lead to 4-3 at 17:52 of the third period. With Dallas on the power play and DeSmith pulled for the extra attacker, he redirected a Seguin pass at the top of the crease for his fourth straight game with a goal.

Hughes scored into an empty net on the power play at 19:24 for the 5-3 final.

Bourque gave Dallas a 1-0 lead at 4:29 of the first period on a shot from the half-wall to the right of Demko that deflected off of Vancouver forward Elias Pettersson’s stick.

“We’re four games in, we’ve got to figure this out. I think we played pretty good in the first and the third, just not the second. Got to find a way to play 60 [minutes],” Bourque said. “Stop the storm when it happens. We’ll be better.”

Rantanen made it 2-0 at 19:22 from the top of the right face-off circle on the power play.

“This has been brewing. If you want to take an objective view of our record, 3-1-0 is probably where it should stand. The problem we’re getting into isn’t so much structure, it’s just managing the game. We need to manage leads,” Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said. “We came out, we started well. We looked good, we were in control. It’s these leads where we tend to flatline a little bit, and that’s going to be our challenge.”

NOTES: Hughes is the sixth defenseman in Vancouver franchise history to score at least 60 goals. … Hronek recorded his 199th and 200th career assists. … Johnston is the fifth player in Dallas history to score in each of the first four games of a season (Dino Ciccarelli, six games in 1986-87; Alexander Radulov, four games in 2018-19; Mike Modano, four games in 1993-94; and Tim Young, four games in 1976-77). … Harley and Rantanen each extended his point streak to four games. … With two assists, forward Jason Robertson became the third-fastest player in Stars history (378 games) to reach 400 points (Bobby Smith, 332 games; Neal Broten, 367 games).