Flyers top Canucks for third straight win
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Shayne Gostisbehere and Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist each as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 Thursday night to extend their winning streak to three games.
Michael Raffl and Wayne Simmonds, into an empty net, also scored for Flyers (11-11-7). Jakub Voracek notched three assists, giving him 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 11 games.
The Flyers, who recorded victories at Calgary on Monday and at Edmonton on Wednesday, have their longest winning streak of the season. Prior to the road trip, Philadelphia had lost 10 consecutive games (0-5-5).
Brock Boeser scored for the Canucks (14-11-4), who saw their three-game win streak end.
Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott stopped 36 shots for his 200th NHL victory. Canuck goalie Jacob Markstrom made 22 saves.
Gostisbehere opened the scoring at 14:08 of the first period on the first shot of a Flyers power play. He took a pass from Voracek, then blasted a shot from the point that was tipped by Vancouver's Sam Gagner before sailing through a crowd past Markstrom.
The Flyers took control of the game in the second period.
The period was just 45 seconds old when Raffl put Philadelphia ahead 2-0. Voracek won a puck battle at the blue line, skated into the Canucks' zone and flipped a pass to Raffl, who tipped it over Markstrom's pad for his third goal in as many games.
Giroux made it 3-0 on a power play at 9:52. After taking a pass from Gostisbehere, Giroux ripped a shot from the faceoff circle that beat Markstrom on the stick side.
Boeser scored for Vancouver with just 20 seconds left in the middle period, banging in a rebound of a Michael Del Zotto shot. It was the rookie right winger's team-leading 14th goal of the season.
Simmonds collected his 10th goal of the season with 1:02 remaining in the third period.
NOTES: Canucks C Bo Horvat could miss six weeks with a fractured right foot sustained Tuesday in a win over Carolina. C Alexander Burmistrov, a healthy scratch in 10 of the previous 13 games, took Horvat's spot on the first line. ... Vancouver scratched C Michael Chaput and G Thatcher Demko, who both were called up from the AHL Utica Comets, and D Alex Biega. ... The Flyers went 7:26 of the first period before registering a shot on net, then had seven shots during their first power play. ... Flyers D Radko Gudas sat out the final game of his 10-game suspension. He is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday against Toronto. ... The Flyers won't have another road trip of more than two games until late March. ... Scratches for Philadelphia were D T.J. Brennan and C Jori Lehtera.