Lankinen makes 20 saves and Canucks end skid with 3-0 win over Maple Leafs
TORONTO (AP) — Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and the seventh of his career, Quinn Hughes had a goal and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 on Saturday night.
Brock Boeser and Kiefer Sherwood also scored goals while Tyler Myers had two assists for Vancover, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Dennis Hildeby stopped 15 shots for the Leafs, who were coming off Thursday’s 6-3 road loss in Carolina that snapped a five-game winning streak.
Boeser put Vancouver up 1-0 just 31 seconds into the game when he tipped in the game’s first shot off a Myers effort from the point.
Hughes doubled Vancouver’s lead late in the second period on a delayed penalty before Sherwood made it 3-0 early in the third.
Takeaways
Canucks: Coach Rick Tocchet said the team didn’t land in Toronto until noon and arrived at its hotel around 2 p.m. despite a police escort from the airport.
Leafs: Hildeby made his fifth career start with Joseph Woll getting the night off. His last appearance was a 30-save performance in a 3-2 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 5. Anthony Stolarz, who had great numbers to open the season splitting time with Woll, remains on injured reserve with a knee issue that required surgery last month.
Key moment
Vancouver was set to go on its first power play late in the second, but Hughes stretched the visitors’ lead to two when the captain scored his ninth on a shot that caromed in past Hildeby.
Key stat
The Canucks entered Saturday’s game having dropped six of their last seven games (1-3-3) and had just one regulation victory since mid-December.
Up next
Canucks: Conclude a five-game road trip Tuesday night in Winnipeg.
Maple Leafs: Continue a three-game homestand the same night against the Dallas Stars.
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