Pettersson, Boeser Hit Milestones As Canucks Fall 5-3 To The Ducks

The Vancouver Canucks once again lost at home, falling 5-3 to the Anaheim Ducks. Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser scored on the power play while Drew O'Connor set a new career high with his 17th goal of the season. As for Kevin Lankinen, he stopped 29 of the 33 shots he faced in the loss. 

Before diving into the game, two Canucks celebrated milestones on the night. Elias Pettersson recorded his 500th career point while Brock Boeser passed Tony Tanti for ninth all-time on the franchise's point list. Pettersson also moved past J.T. Miller on the all-time power play points list as he moved into sole possession of ninth. 

Overall, Vancouver played decently, but could not find a way to pick up a win. They once again allowed multiple goals in the second period, which remains a problem area for the organization. Post-game, O'Connor was asked about the Canucks forecheck and the role it played on Tuesday. 

"Yeah, I think we did a good job, said O'Connor. "I think that was a focus of just getting in on them and playing around the net. You know, we've looked at a lot of goals scored recently throughout the league, and a lot of them are just right around the net. So it's been a focus of ours to get there, and a lot of that comes off the forecheck."

O'Connor was also asked about the group's overall effort. Even though Vancouver was down multiple times in the third, the team kept pushing until the very end. Unfortunately, the Ducks were able to find a late empty-net goal, which officially put the game to bed. 

"Thought we were sharp. I mean, I think it helps when we score early. I think that kind of motivates our group. So it's nice when you're playing with the lead for a little bit. But yeah, I think we got off to just a good start and kind of carried it throughout the game And I mean, something we've talked about, like our second periods, especially something we've talked about, and I think, you know, our second maybe wasn't our best period tonight, that may be a little bit better than it's been. So playing a complete game has been something we've talked about."

Tuesday's game is the type of performance the Canucks should aim to replicate for the rest of the season. While there were mistakes, the team fought hard and had a chance to tie right until the end. Overall, the fans at Rogers Arena were entertained while Vancouver once again extended their lead at the bottom of the standings. 

Stats and Facts:

- Drew O'Connor went a perfect two for two in the faceoff dot

- 2025-26 Canucks become first team in franchise history to lose 24 home games in regulation

- Kevin Lankinen now has just one win in his last 13 games

- Vancouver allows 34 or more shots for the 19th time this season

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period:

5:45- VAN: Jake DeBrusk (15) from Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek (PPG)

2nd Period:

5:26- ANA: Alex Killorn (12) from John Carlson and Beckett Sennecke
7:50- ANA: Mikael Granlund (15) from Leo Carlsson and John Carlson
13:13- VAN: Brock Boeser (17) from Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson (PPG)

3rd Period:

1:01- ANA: Mikael Granlund (16) from Chris Kreider and John Carlson
2:22- VAN: Drew O'Connor (17) from Evander Kane
5:45- ANA: Mason McTavish (14) from Jackson LaCombe and Alex Killorn
19:55- ANA: Troy Terry (17) from Chris Kreider and Leo Carlsson (ENG)

Up Next:

The Canucks wrap up their homestand on Thursday when they battle the L.A. Kings. Vancouver and L.A. will play three more times this season, with two being played at Rogers Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT. 

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Mikael Granlund scored twice, Alex Killorn had a goal and an assist, and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 on Thursday night.

Mason McTavish and Troy Terry also scored for the Ducks, while John Carlson had three assists and Lukas Dostal stopped 27 shots.

Anaheim grabbed a 2-1 lead in the second period, only to see Vancouver rally and tie the game twice before McTavish scored the winner at the 5:45 mark of the third.

Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser and Drew O’Connor scored for the Canucks, while Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson each contributed a pair of assists. Kevin Lankinen made 29 saves.

Pettersson’s second assist of the night marked the 500th regular-season point of his NHL career.

Anaheim remains atop the Pacific Division with a five-point cushion on the second-place Edmonton Oilers.

Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas returned to the lineup after serving a five-game suspension for the knee-on-knee hit on Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.

The blow left Matthews with a torn knee ligament that required season-ending surgery.

The Canucks got solid play from their special teams. DeBrusk and Boeser each scored power-play goals, and the penalty kill weathered a 95 second five-on-three before conceding Granlund’s goal late in a penalty to defenseman Elias Pettersson.

The Ducks fell behind 1-0 in the opening frame, then outshot Vancouver 14-12 and scored a pair of goals over a 2:24 span.

McTavish got his first goal in 15 games. He buried his 14th goal of the season at the 5:45 mark of the third period, blasting a one-timer over Lankinen’s glove from the faceoff dot to give the Ducks a 4-3 lead.

Pettersson tallied his 500th regular-season point in his 533rd game. Thomas Gradin is the lone Canuck to hit the milestone faster, doing so in 529 games.

Up next

Ducks: Visit Calgary on Thursday.

Canucks: Host Los Angeles on Thursday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

EL SEGUNDO — Despite the 115-114 loss to the Stockton Kings, Arthur Kaluma recorded a season high, 31 points.

Since Kaluma arrived for the Lakers, he has been the sixth man and an important bench scorer. However, in this game against the Kings, Kaluma was the most important player for the Lakers.

Kaluma delivered as the leading scorer for South Bay and was even more valuable than the final box score.

Scoring Efficiency

While the scoring prowess from Kaluma was evident, the efficiency makes the performance even more impressive. Kaluma made 11 of 13 shots from the field and 9 of 11 shots within the three-point line.

“I just come in every day and put my hard hat on, I see where the game takes me,” said Arthur Kaluma. “Sometimes I gotta play defense and sometimes I gotta score. Today was scoring.”

South Bay uses Kaluma at both ends of the floor, but his offense seems to be amongst the most valuable on the team. The role for Kaluma as a scorer is not to get as many shots as possible but to get the best looks possible.

Malik Williams and RJ Davis run the offense and control the usage rate in the offense. This allows Kaluma to flow within the South Bay offense and take high percentage shots when called upon.

Off-Ball Movement

As efficient of a scorer as Kaluma is, he brings so much more to the Lakers’ offense. Kaluma is an even bigger threat on offense when he doesn’t have the ball.

“Moving without the ball is an important part of basketball,” said Arthur Kaluma. “I feel like we got so much talent, sometimes you gotta make sure you give certain guys space, find actions so the defenses don't just set and sit in gaps.”

Movement without the ball creates more open shots, which leads to higher shooting percentage. The Lakers average 51% field goal shooting, which is the highest in the league.

Kaluma shoots 60% from the floor and spikes up the Lakers field goal percentage. The efficiency from the shooting translates from Kaluma keeping the offense in motion.

Playoff Importance

Come playoff time, Kaluma’s efficiency and off-ball movement will be needed for the Lakers. This game was a preview of how Kaluma can make an impact against a championship contender.

“It gives us a glimpse of what playoff basketball [is] gonna be,” said RJ Davis. “Physicality, I think we did a good job matching that.”

Stockton is the defending champions and rank as one of the best teams this season. Yet, Kaluma had a remarkable performance that kept the Lakers within grasp of victory.

Although the Lakers fell short, this game showed that South Bay has a dangerous weapon. Kaluma is the heart of the South Bay offense and is the biggest x-factor come playoff time.