Canucks fill net against Capitals
Baertschi nets 2 more goals in 6-2 win over visiting Washington
VANCOUVER — Sven Baertschi had two goals and an assist as the Vancouver Canucks downed the Washington Capitals 6-2 for their fourth straight victory on Thursday night.
Derek Dorsett, with his team-leading sixth of the season, and Bo Horvat each added a goal and an assist for Vancouver (6-3-1). Thomas Vanek and Markus Granlund provided the rest of the offence for the Canucks, while Brock Boeser added three assists as the Canucks’ 29th-ranked power play connected three times in six opportunities.
Anders Nilsson had 25 saves for his third victory in four starts.
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Chandler Stephenson, with his first NHL goal, replied for Washington (4-5-1). Former Kelowna Rockets captain Madison Bowey assisted on Stephenson’s late goal for his first NHL point.
Braden Holtby gave up five goals on 22 shots before getting pulled with five minutes left in the second period in favour of Philipp Grubauer, who finished with seven saves.
Coming off a successful 4-1-0 road trip where Nilsson picked up shutouts in two of his first three starts after signing over the summer to be Jacob Markstrom’s backup, the surprising Canucks showed zero letdown in grabbing a 3-0 lead in a dominant first period.
Vanek got things going at 12:53 with his fourth goal of the season when he batted a puck out of the air that Holtby couldn’t corral with his glove.
Horvat doubled that advantage on a power play that was on an 0-for-10 run just 2:10 later when he tapped home a slick between-the-legs feed from Baertschi off a Boeser point shot for his fourth.
Granlund continued the onslaught with 1:17 left in the period when Dorsett separated Capitals defenceman Dmitry Orlov from the puck on the forecheck before centering in front off Kutznetsov and right to Granlund, who made no mistake for his second.
Dorsett then made it 5-0 with five minutes left in the second period when he scored on a wraparound as fans chanted “M-V-P! M-V-P!” towards the grinding forward.