Canucks top Senators 5-2 to extend winning streak to five games

Nov 9, 2023 | 7:21 PM

OTTAWA — Elias Pettersson had one goal and two assists, Ilya Mikheyev netted two goals and the red-hot Vancouver Canucks defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Thursday.

With his three points on the night, Pettersson took hold of the NHL scoring lead (24 points) and is riding a seven-game point streak (five goals, nine assists).

Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller also scored for Vancouver (10-2-1), which extended its winning streak to five games. 

Casey DeSmith made 28 saves.

Drake Batherson and Artem Zub scored for Ottawa (5-7-0), which has lost three of its last four games and was coming off a 6-3 win over Toronto Wednesday night. 

Anton Forsberg stopped 11-of-16 shots.

Boeser got Vancouver going early, scoring just 15 seconds into the game. However, it wasn’t called a goal until 48 seconds later when it was reviewed at the first stoppage of play.

Filip Hronek picked up an assist on the play to extend his point streak to eight games.

The Canucks made it 2-0 at the three-minute mark of the opening period after an Ottawa giveaway led to Mikheyev beating Forsberg five-hole. 

Batherson cut the deficit in half with 1:45 left in the first when he got DeSmith moving, pulled the puck back and beat him high.

Zub, who returned to Ottawa’s lineup after a seven-game absence due to a concussion, tied the game after his point shot was redirected in off Pettersson at 10:52 of the second period.

With 1:52 remaining in the middle frame, Miller took a drop pass from Phillip DiGiuseppe and went bar down to restore the Canucks lead.

Mikheyev scored his second of the night tipping in a Pettersson shot from the point 9:23 into the third period. 

Pettersson fired in a one-timer on the power play with 6:32 remaining in the final frame to cap the scoring.

INTERESTING FACT OR STAT

The Canucks have only allowed seven goals across their five-game winning streak.

NOTES 

Ottawa’s Mathieu Joseph played in his 300th NHL game on Thursday. … Matthew Highmore was recalled from American Hockey League’s Belleville Senators and made his debut for Ottawa on Thursday. … Vancouver’s Teddy Blueger is now listed day-to-day after suffering an ankle injury on Oct. 6.

UP NEXT 

The Senators take on the Calgary Flames on Saturday. 

The Canucks head to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2023.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press