Canucks score twice early in 2nd period, defeat Predators

NASHVILLE -- Phillip Di Giuseppe and Nils Hoglander each scored early in the second period for the Vancouver Canucks in a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.

Thatcher Demko made 15 saves for the Canucks (4-2-0), who won the last two of a five-game road trip.

“We’re just starting to have that confidence," Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes said. "That's how we should be doing it. That’s how we should be playing and the result we should have. Not just hoping we’re going to get a win but expecting to play like that.”

Juuse Saros made 21 saves for the Predators (3-4-0), who lost for the first time in three games.

“I just think it was about will, work, compete,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “We fell a little bit short. It wasn’t like we didn’t want it, but they wanted it a little bit more. It’s the same old thing. You can go back in hockey 200 years. Usually, the team that wants it a little bit more wins the game, and they wanted it a little bit more.”

Ilya Mikheyev gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead at 4:29 of the first period with a wrist shot off the rush that deflected off Predators defenseman Roman Josi’s stick and past Saros.

“We were on top of pucks,” Vancouver coach Rich Tocchet said. “They were snapping pucks around. It was nice to watch behind the bench. You chip away. The Tampa [Bay] game (4-3 loss last Thursday), we were a little bit better, Florida (5-3 win Saturday), we were a little bit better, and I thought tonight, we kind of put it together.”

Colton Sissons scored for Nashville to tie it 1-1 at 15:38 of the first period when he kept the puck in the offensive zone on a clearing attempt from defenseman Carson Soucy and beat Demko with a wrist shot.

“I don’t really think our offensive game was the issue,” Sissons said. “It was just a little sloppy and disjointed for too much of… certainly for the first two periods. We couldn’t really get anything going. There were little flashes of some good hockey in the second but not enough.”

Di Giuseppe gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead 22 seconds into the second period, chipping a bouncing puck past Saros. Hoglander made it 3-1 at 3:11 on a redirection of a shot from the point by Hughes.

“It was a good sequence,” Di Giuseppe said. “We put them on their heels for a bit, but then I think they pushed. They pushed pretty hard and got some [offensive] zone time. Give credit to them, but I thought we did a good job of sticking to it and gutted it out.”

Kiefer Sherwood scored at 9:18 of the second period on a one-timer off a cross-ice pass from Tommy Novak for the 3-2 final.

“I’m just trying to put the work in and feed off of linemates, whoever we play with,” Sherwood said. “There’s so many battles to be won. I think I heard [Sissons] talk about mindset. I just try to put my work boots on, create chances and create energy for my team.”

NOTES: Canucks defenseman Mark Friedman joined Ian Cole on the second pair. Tyler Myers was moved to the third pair with Soucy. … Novak is tied for the Predators lead with five points (four goals, one assist) in seven games. Filip Forsberg (one goal, four assists) also has five points.