CHICAGO (AP) — Jason Dickinson, Tanner Pearson and Brock Boeser scored their first goals of the season as the Vancouver Canucks topped the winless Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Thursday night.
Thatcher Demko made 29 saves and Conor Garland added an empty-netter with 1:02 left to help the Canucks (2-2-1) end a two-game slide. Vancouver connected for two goals in the second period to take the lead for good in the fifth of a six-game trip, their longest to start a season in team history.
Alex DeBrincat scored a power-play goal for sputtering Chicago, which dropped to 0-4-1. Kevin Lankinen was sharp in stopping 22 shots, but the Blackhawks again failed to cash in offensively despite outshooting the Canucks 30-25.
The Blackhawks have been outscored 21-9 this season and haven’t led in any of their five games.
Dickinson opened the scoring 6:36 into the first period, ripping a one-timer from the left circle over Lankinen’s glove into the upper right corner of the net. Dickinson converted Matthew Highmore’s pass from behind the net.
DeBrincat’s power-play goal about two minutes later tied the game. He also connected on a one-timer from the left circle that found the upper right corner — set up by Patrick Kane with a cross-ice feed from the left side.
Pearson scored on a midair deflection of Quinn Hughes’ high shot from the blue line at 9:55 of the second period to put Vancouver ahead 2-1.
Camped in front of the net and covered by Chicago’s Calvin de Haan, Pearson redirected the puck downward and under Lankinen’s glove as the Canucks capped a dominant shift.
Boeser made it 3-1 with 1:39 left the second, stuffing in a rebound from the left edge for the crease during a 5-on-3 power play after taking cross-ice pass from Elias Pettersson. Lankinen slid and made a right-pad save on Boeser’s first attempt, but the Canucks forward followed through and popped the puck in.
It was the first power-play goal allowed this season by the Blackhawks after they had killed 10 chances against them.