Canadiens win despite Vanek hat trick
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Nicolas Deslauriers scored two goals and Jeff Petry had a goal and an assist as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks 7-5 on Tuesday night.
The Canadiens (15-15-4) posted only their second victory in the past six games. The Canucks absorbed their sixth loss in seven games and their 12th home setback compared to just six wins in their own arena.
Daniel Carr, Paul Byron, Alex Galchenyuk and Phillip Danault supplied Montreal's other goals.
Thomas Vanek led the Canucks with three goals and one assist, while Daniel Sedin and Brock Boeser each had a goal and an assist.
The score was tied 1-1 after the first period and Montreal led 4-3 after the second.
Canucks rookie Boeser played Tuesday despite fears he would miss the game due to a foot injury suffered while blocking a shot Sunday against Calgary early. A bone scan showed that Boeser sustained a bruise rather than a fracture.
Vanek opened the scoring on a power play 11:37 into the game. He poked a loose puck into a vacant net after Derrick Pouliot's slapshot hit him in the pelvic area.
About five minutes later, Carr created a 1-1 tie with a goal on a power play.
The goal came after Canucks goaltender Anders Nilsson made a spectacular diving save on Max Pacioretty's one-timer in the first two minutes.
Meanwhile, Canadiens goaltender Cary Price was forced to make several difficult saves as the Canucks outshot the Canadiens 18-9 in the initial stanza.
Deslauriers put the Canucks ahead at 7:18 of the second period. He roofed in a back-door pass from Byron Froese after Petry zigzagged with the puck through the Vancouver zone.
Vanek's second goal of the game forged a 2-2 deadlock at the 14-minute mark of the second as he ramped defenseman Alex Biega's pass up and over Price.
The teams then combined for three goals in the final three minutes of the middle frame.
Deslauriers' second goal of the night -- through Nilsson's legs -- sent the Canadiens ahead 3-2 at 17:05. Daniel Sedin then drew the Canucks even only 34 seconds later as he stuffed in Vanek's rebound.
But with just 43 seconds left in the period, Petry fired in a slapshot during a power play, giving Montreal a 4-3 advantage after 40 minutes. The goal came only four seconds after Biega was penalized for cross-checking.
Byron gave the Habs a 5-3 lead just 1:37 into the third period. After losing control of the puck on a deke, he fired in Pacioretty's behind-the-back pass from behind the net with Nilsson caught out of position.
Boeser pulled the Canucks within a goal on a power play at 13:29. but Galchenyuk restored Montreal's two-goal lead before Vanek completed his hat-trick and then Danault supplied an empty-netter.
NOTES: F Reid Boucher played for the Canucks Tuesday after being called up from Utica on Monday. ... Vancouver D Chris Tanev missed his third straight game due to a groin injury. ... Canadiens D Karl Alzner played his 574th consecutive contest.