Quinn Hughes scored twice, and the Vancouver Canucks beat NHL-leading Washington 2-1 on Saturday night, keeping Capitals star Alex Ovechkin 20 goals shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s league record.
Hughes has five goals and two assists in a five-game points streak.
Defenseman Filip Hronek added two assists, and Kevin Lankinen stopped 32 shots.
Photo: AFP
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored for Washington, capping the scoring midway through the third. Charlie Lindgren made 23 saves for the Capitals.
Ovechkin tested Lankinen just over four minutes into the game when he launched a rocket from the top of the circle off of a faceoff. Lankinen got his elbow into the puck’s path, sending it up into the netting.
On Thursday night, Ovechkin scored an empty-netter for his 875th NHL goal. Gretzky had 894.
Canucks coach Rick Tocchet mixed up his forward lines, playing star center Elias Pettersson with wingers Nils Hoglander and Linus Karlsson, and moving Pius Suter up to skate between Jake DeBrusk and Conor Garland. Defenseman Elias Pettersson, called up from the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks, played his first NHL game.
Lindgren was on his way to the bench with just more than a minute to go in the game when Canucks’ winger Danton Heinen sailed a shot toward the Washington net. The goalie sprinted back and dove to make a glove save.
Hughes has 57 career goals to tie Ed Jovanovski for the sixth among Canucks defensemen.
The Capitals are at Calgary, Canada, tomorrow night. The Canucks are at St. Louis, Missouri, tonight to open a three-game trip.
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