Boeser, Canucks power past Pens
PITTSBURGH -- Brock Boeser scored twice to keep his hot streak alive and former Pittsburgh defenseman Derrick Pouliot netted the winner Wednesday night as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Penguins 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena.
Boeser has six goals, seven points in five-game point streak. Pouliot, a 2012 first-round draft pick who never panned out with Pittsburgh and was traded earlier this season, scored on a power play at 7:08 of the second for a 3-1 lead.
Loui Eriksson also scored for Vancouver (11-8-3), which improved to 8-3-0 on the road, and goaltender Anders Nilsson made 43 saves. Michael Del Zotto and Thomas Vanek each had two assists.
Jake Guentzel scored twice and Phil Kessel had two assists for Pittsburgh (11-9-3), which lost in regulation for the second home game in a row after starting 6-0-1 at PPG Paints Arena.
Matt Murray stopped 32 Canucks shots.
Vancouver took a 1-0 lead at 3:52 of the first on a wrist shot by Boeser from the inner edge of the right circle after he got a perfect saucer pass from Sven Baertschi.
On a Penguins power play, Kessel sprang Guentzel down the slot. Guentzel got around defenseman Erik Gudbranson for a clear shot on Nilsson, who stopped an initial shot, but Guentzel swatted the short rebound inside the left post to tie it 1-1 at 6:28 of the first.
The Canucks regained the lead, 2-1, on a fluke play. Sidney Crosby's stick broke in his own end, and the puck glanced off the shaft lying on the ice and went right to Vanek. He drove to the net but was stopped by Murray before Eriksson scored on the rebound at 8:33 of the first.
Pouliot upped the lead to 3-1 with a power-play goal, and his first goal with the Canucks, at 7:08 of the second. His wrist shot from the left circle went far side and caromed in off the shin of Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
Boeser struck again at 9:47 of the second, another Canucks power-play goal, for a 4-1 lead. He roofed a one-timer from the top of the left circle over Murray's glove.
Pittsburgh has allowed two power-play goals in four of its past six games.
Guentzel got his second, on a power play, 1:24 into the third to make it 4-2. After Crosby won a faceoff, a Kessel pass deflected in off of Guentzel's skate.
Another former Penguins player, Brandon Sutter, added an empty-netter with 1:20 left.
NOTES: Penguins C Evgeni Malkin, who missed his first game this season because of an upper-body injury, skated on his own before the morning skate. He will be re-evaluated Thursday. ... There was no update on Canucks RW Derek Dorsett, who returned to Vancouver because of neck stiffness. ... Pittsburgh C Carter Rowney, who was a game-time decision, missed his 14th game because of a broken hand. ... Vancouver LW Loui Eriksson played in his 800th NHL game.