Roslovic, Kapanen each scores twice, Jarry makes 31 saves for Edmonton; Vancouver skid hits 10
Oilers at Canucks | Recap
VANCOUVER — Jack Roslovic and Kasperi Kapanen each scored twice during a six-goal second period and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-0 at Rogers Arena on Saturday.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists playing his 999th NHL game in his hometown and Tristan Jarry made 31 saves for his first shutout with the Oilers (24-17-8), who have points in six of seven (4-1-2).
“I like where our team is at right now, everybody is stepping up,” Kapanen said.
Connor McDavid had an assist for Edmonton after his career-high 20 game point streak (46 points; 19 goals, 27 assists) ended in a 1-0 loss against the New York Islanders on Thursday. The Oilers captain has a 13-game road point streak (23 points; 10 goals, 13 assists).
Edmonton was without center Leon Draisaitl, their second-leading scorer behind McDavid, for the first time this season after announcing in the morning that he took a leave of absence to attend to a family illness in Germany and is expected to return later next week.
“We miss Leon and we wish him the best, and to him and his family, obviously going through a lot right now, so obviously playing for him as well, so big win today,” Kapanen said.
EDM@VAN: Jarry turns away 31 shoots in shutout win over Canucks
Nikita Tolopilo made 29 saves for the Canucks (16-27-5), who have lost 10 in a row (0-8-2).
Vancouver was coming off an 0-6-0 road trip and is 4-13-3 at home this season.
“We just have too many mental lapses throughout 60 minutes, and it costs us,” defenseman Tyler Myers said. “Nobody likes to lose. We’ve talked about it within the room. Certainly don’t want to get complacent where we’re at, feel sorry for ourselves. It’s just a recipe for disaster. Come in the next day, get to work. Just got to stay positive.”
Roslovic started the second period outburst with a rush goal at 3:11, faking a shot then sliding a backhand between the legs of Tolopilo from below the left face-off circle to make it 1-0.
Vancouver challenged for goalie interference because Curtis Lazar bumped into Tolopilo’s left pad, but a video review determined Lazar was pushed in by Max Sasson and the goal counted.
“They got a goal and it just felt like everything collapsed, and they scored on another opportunity,” Canucks forward Elias Pettersson said.
Zach Hyman made it 2-0 on the power play at 6:49 by chipping a backhand from close range in off the leg of Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek on the backdoor.
“Jarry made some big saves for us and then you could just see a deflated team after we got that second goal,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “It’s hard when things are going that way and you end up trailing, it’s hard to get out of it when you’re in that. I’ve been in that situation, and I think our guys just continued to play our game.”
Edmonton scored on its next four shots over a 4:52 span.
Kapanen scored on a breakaway wrist shot past Tolopilo’s blocker at 11:42 to make it 3-0.
EDM@VAN: Kapanen buries one on the breakaway
Roslovic scored his second of the game at 14:31 to make it 4-0, driving the net off the rush to redirect an area pass from Isaac Howard that went through the legs of defenseman Victor Mancini.
“Go the net. Get everything to the net,” said Roslovic, who was pointless in seven games coming in. “We’ve been really simplifying our game.”
Kapanen made it 5-0 with his second goal at 15:08, taking a cross-ice backhand pass from Nugent-Hopkins, who spun off an Elias Pettersson check in the corner, and one-timing it past Tolopilo from the right slot.
Kapanen has three goals and four assists in seven games since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out for 36 games but credited his linemates, which on Saturday included Nugent-Hopkins taking Draisaitl’s spot at center.
“He’s a phenomenal hockey player, but he’s even better guy and person so we’re obviously excited to celebrate 1,000 tomorrow, and I’m sure for him to kind of come back to Vancouver, and he played a hell of a game today,” Kapanen said.
Vasily Podkolzin, who moved up into Nugent-Hopkins’ spot on the top line, converted a loose puck after McDavid had it knocked away while driving the net, firing a low glove shot from the right dot to make it 6-0 at 16:34.
“When you’re missing a key player, somebody really important to your team, it just seems like everyone, their game steps up,” Knoblauch said. “I think about throughout our lineup, how many guys really played one of their best games, it was tonight. Obviously, we’re missing Leon and definitely like to have him here, and we’re thinking about him and his family what’s going on right now.”
It was Jarry’s second game back after missing 11 with a lower-body injury. His best saves came in a scramble around his crease shortly before Roslevic’s second goal. It was his second shutout this season, the 23rd of his career and his first since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12 in a trade that sent goalie Stuart Skinner the other way.
“I’ve seen it before in Pitt, and I think guys that have played against him a bunch, we all know he’s a tremendous goalie,” Kapanen said. “He was incredible today, and a big reason we won.”
NOTES: The Oilers have three goalies on the roster, but Connor Ingram did not make the trip to Vancouver, instead staying in Edmonton to start against the St. Louis Blues on the second half of back-to-back games on Sunday. … The Oilers scored six goals in a period for the second time in the past 25 years, following April 27, 2013 (six in the third period against Vancouver). … Kapanen and Roslovic became the first Oilers teammates to score multiple goals in the same period since Oct. 24, 1996 (Andrei Kovalenko, Rem Murray).
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