Demko, Vancouver Canucks finish strong to hand Kings 3-2 shootout loss

Elias Pettersson had a power-play goal, Thatcher Demko made 38 saves and the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in a shootout Saturday night.

Brock Boeser also scored in regulation for the Canucks, who have won six of seven. J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes each had two assists, and Demko saved a penalty shot by Adrian Kempe midway through the second period.

“We kind of played better in the third, and you rope-a-dope and you win the game,” said Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet.

Miller and Andrei Kuzmenko converted in the shootout. Demko denied the second and decisive Los Angeles attempt.

Carl Grundstrom and Alex Edler scored for the Kings, who earned one point and moved into a tie with Vegas for first place in the Pacific Division. Joonas Korpisalo made 15 saves.

Los Angeles hasn’t lost in regulation in the past nine games and is 12-2-3 since the All-Star break. But in the shootout, Gabe Vilardi fired over the net and Trevor Moore was stopped after Demko waited him out.

“It’s a tough game for me to describe,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said Saturday. “I think we can play that game over again and have a chance at success. I think we were trying to bear down and it just didn’t go for us tonight.”

The Canucks were outshot 23-6 through two periods but were able to stay in it thanks to Demko’s outstanding play.

“I mean, Demko was incredible tonight,” Tocchet said Saturday. “He kept us in the game. L.A.’s an impressive team, they defended really well, and we didn’t have an answer the first two periods.”

Pettersson buried a shot from the right circle seven seconds into Vancouver’s lone power play of the night to tie it at 2 midway through the third period.

Tocchet was pleased with the character demonstrated by his group once again in a lost season.

“We can’t afford to just, you know, ‘Let’s wait for next year,'” Tocchet said. “These are important games for us. We’re trying to build stuff around here.”

by The Associated Press