Andrei Svechnikov scored his seventh goal of the season and the Carolina Hurricanes downed the beleaguered Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Monday.
The result marked the Canucks’ seventh loss in a row. Vancouver (0-5-2) is the lone NHL team without a win this season.
Sebastian Aho and Jesper Fast also found the back of the net for the Hurricanes (4-1-1), and Brent Burns contributed a pair of assists.
J.T. Miller scored both goals for the Canucks, who were coming off an embarrassing 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Frederik Andersen made 14 saves for Carolina and Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko stopped 36 shots.
The ‘Canes outshot their hosts 39-16, including 15-3 over the third period alone.
Vancouver called a 30-second timeout with 2:20 left on the game clock, then pulled Demko in favour of the extra attacker but couldn’t score the equalizer.
The Canucks cut the deficit to 3-2 midway through the third after a stray puck hit ‘Canes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Miller picked it up, firing a quick one-timer past Andersen for his second goal of the game.
A pair of quick goals early in the third gave Carolina a commanding lead.
Fast registered his first of the season at the 1:27 mark when a pass from Jordan Staal caromed off his skate into Vancouver’s net to make it 3-1.
Thirty-seven seconds earlier, Seth Jarvis got a partial breakaway and fired a shot at Demko. The goalie made the stop but couldn’t corral the puck, leaving it unattended in the blue paint. Aho sprinted in and popped it into the yawning net to give the ‘Canes a 2-1 lead 50 seconds into the final period.
The goal extended Aho’s point streak to five games. He has four goals and five assists across the stretch.
Carolina briefly appeared to take a 2-0 lead midway through the opening frame when Derek Stepan batted a puck in over Demko’s pad.
Officials quickly disallowed the goal, citing goalie interference by Paul Stastny, whose skate was in the blue paint. The Hurricanes challenged the call but a video review upheld the ruling and Carolina was handed a delay-of-game penalty.
Vancouver capitalized with Elias Pettersson moving the puck behind the net and whipping it up to Horvat. The captain tapped it across the crease to Miller and he tapped it in to tie the score at 1-1 at the 12:30 mark.
The Canucks were 1-for-2 on the power play Monday while the Hurricanes went 1-for-3.
The visitors opened the scoring early in the first after Dakota Joshua was called for interference on Stastny.
It took the visitors just 11 seconds to score on the man advantage. Necas sent a cross-ice pass to Svechnikov and the Russian unleashed a one-timer that beat Demko 6:06 into the game.
Svechnikov’s goal tied him with Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead at seven apiece.
THE FINAL MELTDOWN
Vancouver has been outscored 15-2 in the third period across their first seven games of the season.
INJURY WOES
The Canucks added star defenceman Quinn Hughes (lower-body) to the injured reserve list Monday, while blue liner Tucker Poolman (undisclosed) was put on long-term injured reserve. Right-winger Brock Boeser and defenceman Riley Stillman both missed the game with injuries.
UP NEXT
The Canucks visit the Kraken in Seattle on Thursday. The Hurricanes will face the New York Islanders in Carolina on Friday.
