Myers has goal, assist, Canucks hold off Capitals

WASHINGTON -- Tyler Myers had a goal and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks held off the Washington Capitals for a 4-3 win at Capital One Arena on Sunday.

Elias Pettersson scored his first goal of the season, and Thatcher Demko made 28 saves for the Canucks (4-2-0), who held a four-goal lead in the second period and have won the first three of a five-game road trip. Conor Garland had two assists.

“I think we’ve been getting better and better,” Myers said. “I think we’re building our team game. We’re a pretty young team and we’re learning as we go still, but guys are doing a good job of staying in it and playing with a lot of good work ethic, and we showed it tonight.”

Vancouver played short two forwards after the first period due to undisclosed injuries to Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimaki. Teddy Blueger, another forward, also left in the third period. The Canucks entered the game without forward Brock Boeser, who was unavailable for personal reasons.

“We had a really good start, and as the game went on we lost a couple of guys, so we were trying to keep it together,” Vancouver coach Adam Foote said. “They made a strong push, as we knew they would, and we were able to get the big win.”

Ryan Leonard, Jakob Chychrun and John Carlson scored, and Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome each had two assists for the Capitals (4-2-0), who had won four in a row. Charlie Lindgren made 20 saves.

“Just weren’t ready to play in a bunch of different facets,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “Couldn’t forecheck, couldn’t get a puck in, struggled to exit our zone.”

Pettersson gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead 59 seconds into the first period when he scored from the right face-off circle off a pass from Garland.

Myers increased the lead to 2-0 at 17:11. Lindgren was unable to cover the puck during an extended scrum in front, and eventually it squirted out to Myers, who scored over the fallen goalie.

The Capitals called timeout and then challenged the play for goaltender interference, but the goal was upheld after video review.

“The way we saw that is [Lindgren] puts his hand on the [puck], and (Evander) Kane’s stick pushes through his glove so that he can’t freeze it there,” Carbery said.

It was Myers’ first goal of the season. The 35-year-old defenseman scored six in 71 games in 2024-25.

“I got lucky,” Myers said. “[Kane] did a good job going to the net. The puck popped out to me and I was able to put it in. It always feels good to score. Got a little lucky.”

Kiefer Sherwood scored on the ensuing power play after the failed challenge, knocking in a rebound at the right post to make it 3-0 at 17:52.

Blueger, one of the first six players named to Team Latvia’s roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, gave Vancouver a 4-0 lead at 4:54 of the second period. He controlled a loose puck and scored from the slot for his first goal of the season.

Leonard cut it to 4-1 on a power play at 13:42, scoring on his own rebound at the left post.

Chychrun made it 4-2 at 9:01 of the third period after receiving a pass across the slot from Hendrix Lapierre.

“Obviously, that first period was pretty bad,” Chychrun said. “That’s one thing that’s great about this group, our bad periods don’t seem to carry over into another one. We come in here, we regroup and get back to work.”

Carlson got the Capitals to within 4-3 at 17:46 with a slap shot from the point and Lindgren on the bench for an extra attacker.

Washington outshot Vancouver 12-5 in the third.

“Guys took it upon themselves to right the ship, and certainly everyone did that,” Lindgren said. “That’s where, as a goalie, you have a lot of respect for the guys in front of you with the way they compete and battle back.”

NOTES: Washington forward Alex Ovechkin was limited to one shot on goal. He remains two goals from 900 in his NHL career. … Foote said Chytil, Lekkerimaki and Blueger were still being evaluated. The Canucks continue their road trip at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. … Sherwood has four goals in six games. … Myers’ goal was his 100th in the NHL. … Strome (two goals, six assists) and Wilson (two goals, five assists) each has a three-game point streak.