Brock Boeser shootout goal pushes Canucks past Blackhawks

Brock Boeser scored the shootout winning goal to give the visiting Vancouver Canucks a 3-2 comeback victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. Jake DeBrusk and Max Sasson scored in regulation time for Vancouver, which has won the first two outings of a five-game road trip, and erased 2-0 deficits in both of them. Goaltender Kevin Lankinen made 31 saves through overtime in a strong outing. He also stopped all four opponents in the shootout. Ryan Donato and Tyler Bertuzzi scored early for the Blackhawks, who saw their modest two-game winning streak snapped. Goalie Spencer Knight stopped 30 shots before the shootout. Boeser was the only player to score in the four-round shootout, coming through with the game on his stick by whipping a shot just inside the glove-side post from the slot to give his club the victory. The Canucks have won 11 consecutive games against Chicago. Despite the defeat, Chicago has earned points in three consecutive outings. The Blackhawks earned their two-goal lead with a strong start from the drop of the puck. They were rewarded at 12:41 of the opening period when Donato was set up by Andre Burakovsky for a tap-in tally while on the power play. Bertuzzi doubled the lead by driving to the net and pouncing on a rebound with 46 seconds remaining in the frame. The Canucks clawed back with a two-goal second period, despite managing only four shots on goal during it. DeBrusk, on his 29th birthday, put them on the board at 6:49 of the period by whacking home a loose puck from the edge of the crease for the power-play goal. Then Sasson tied the clash with his second goal in as many nights and second NHL game of the season, redirecting the puck into an open net thanks to a slick pass from Filip Hronek at the 13:42 mark. –Field Level Media

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