VANCOUVER — On Sunday night, the Vancouver Canucks have a chance to do something they haven't done in nearly three weeks – win back-to-back games.
They know it won't be easy.
Brock Boeser scored on a partial breakaway at 14:15 of the third period Saturday night, breaking a 3-3 deadlock and giving the Canucks an NHL victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3.
Conor Garland, Drew O'Connor and Jake DeBrusk also scored for the Canucks (8-8-0), who played the first game of a back-to-back.
Kirill Marchenko had two goals and an assist for the Blue Jackets (7-7-0), who lost their third straight game on the road. Dmitry Voronkov has a goal and two assists.
It was a quick win for a Vancouver team that lost 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.
The Canucks will have little time to savor the win as they prepare to take on the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche lead the league with a 9-1-5 record and have won four of their last five games, including a 9-1 win over the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday.
“We need to build on that,” said DeBrusk, who scored his third goal of the year and his first five-on-five game. “It's a really tough task, probably against the best team in the league. We'll have to give our best. We'll have to put in a great performance.”
Vancouver combined for road wins over Dallas, Chicago and Washington between October 16-19. The Canucks lost their next three games in a row and have maintained a win-one, lose-one pace ever since.
“It would be nice to win a few games in a row,” said Garland, who returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing three games with injury. “They're a tough opponent. We just need to play well. We have some work to do, so we just need to keep going.”
Head coach Adam Foote doesn't want his players to think about who they should play next.
“With such a young group, we have to stick to the process,” the Canuck freshmen bench leader said. “I know it sounds corny and boring, but it's true. We need to focus.
“We can't go too high. We have a lot of young guys, we teach a lot. We want to keep the confidence but also maintain their emotional level.”
Goaltender Thatcher Demko did not suit up against the Blue Jackets after missing Friday's practice. He last played in Monday's win over Nashville.
General manager Patrick Allwine said Demko “maybe” could play against Colorado.
Demko played in just 23 games last year due to a knee injury. He was skating on Saturday morning.
Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankinen stopped 29 shots against Columbus, and Elvis Merzlikins made 21 saves for the Blue Jackets.
The win was the Canucks' first in regulation time in nine games.
Vancouver fought back from a 2-1 deficit and didn't give up when Marchenko's second goal tied the game midway through the third period.
“We stayed within the program,” DeBrusk said. “It’s something we kind of had to learn.”
The penalty kill in Vancouver also prevented him from scoring when he was shorthanded three times. The Canuck penalty kill had given him six goals in his previous four games.
“The guys played hard,” Foote said. “Good teams will look at the power play. We had a lot more confidence, so we applied more pressure. When you see that pressure, you know they're comfortable.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2025.
