By Canadian Press

Demko dynamite as Vancouver Canucks beat Ottawa Senators 5-1

Jan 27, 2021 | 8:00 PM

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks downed the Senators 5-1 Wednesday, extending Ottawa’s losing skid to six games. 

J.T. Miller had two goals and an assist for the Canucks (4-5-0), while Tyler Motte scored twice and Elias Pettersson registered a goal and an assist. 

Ottawa’s lone goal of the night came from Josh Norris on a power play in the first period. 

Despite the final score, the Senators (1-5-1) tested Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko early and often on Wednesday, outshooting Vancouver 43-35.

Demko made 42 saves to give Vancouver its second win in a row, and Marcus Hogberg stopped 30-of-35 shots for the Senators. 

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Ottawa has not won since beating Toronto 5-3 in its season opener on Jan. 15. 

The Canucks sealed the game 11:46 into the third period after Jay Beagle collected the puck from a messy faceoff. He sent it careening to the front of the net where it deflected in off Motte. 

Motte now has five goals on the year, surpassing the four he scored for Vancouver in 34 regular-season appearances in the 2019-20 campaign. 

Getting depth scoring has been key for the Canucks this year as Pettersson, the team’s star sniper, has struggled to find the back of the net. 

Pettersson fooled someone from Vancouver’s game-day operations team on a second-period power play Wednesday, blasting a shot from the point. Though Hogberg made the stop, smoke billowed from the centre-ice scoreboard in celebration.

About 30 seconds later, Pettersson scored on a similar play, putting Vancouver up 4-1. 

Miller had given the Canucks a two-goal cushion earlier in the second frame, collecting the rebound off a long shot by defenceman Jamie Benn and flicking it in behind Hogberg.

Pettersson set up Miller’s first strike of the night 1:16 into the period. 

The Swedish centre looked as if he were about to wind up for a big shot on a breakaway, then dropped a pass to defenceman Quinn Hughes instead. Hughes slipped the puck to Miller and the winger buried it from in tight.

It was Miller’s first goal of the year. Last season he led the Canucks in scoring with 72 points (27 goals, 45 assists) in 69 regular-season games.

The Sens dominated the shot clock through the first period Wednesday, outshooting the Canucks 24-7. 

Demko was tested early and often, with one of his best saves of the night coming midway through the first period when he stood down Tkachuk on a breakaway. 

The Vancouver goalie faced a flurry of action on Ottawa’s first power play of the night, with the Canucks’ penalty killers struggling to clear the puck from around the crease. 

Norris took advantage of the commotion and buried a wrist shot 8:16 into the period, tying the game at 1-1. 

Vancouver opened the scoring just 2:06 into Wednesday’s game after Hogberg stopped a shot by Tyler Myers but failed to corral the rebound. Motte collected the puck and batted it in to the wide-open net. 

Ottawa won’t have to wait long for a chance to avenge Wednesday’s loss. The two sides will battle again on Thursday, closing out a three-game series. 

NOTES: Defenceman Jalen Chatfield slotted back into Vancouver’s lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury. … Earlier on Wednesday, the Sens dealt defenceman Christian Jaros to the San Jose Sharks for forward Jack Kopacka and a seventh-round pick in the 2022 entry draft. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2021. 

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press