Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (35) covers the puck from Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele (55) and Paul Stastny (25) as Canucks' Tyler Myers (57) and J.T. Miller (9) defend during third period NHL action in Winnipeg on Jan. 30, 2021.JOHN WOODS/The Canadian Press
Brock Boeser scored twice, including an empty-netter with 2:01 remaining, and Thatcher Demko made 23 saves as the Vancouver Canucks won their fourth consecutive game, defeating the host Winnipeg Jets 4-1 Saturday night.
Nils Hoglander and Zack MacEwen also scored for the Canucks, who were coming off a three-game sweep of Ottawa in which they outscored the visiting Senators 16-3.
Mason Appleton scored and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 35 of 38 shots for the Jets, who are 2-2 in their seven-game homestand. Hellebuyck failed in his bid to become the franchise leader in wins for a goalie, still tied with Ondrej Pavelec with 152.
Vancouver snapped a 10-game losing streak to Winnipeg.
Hoglander scored a highlight-reel goal at 8:17 of the first period to cap an early offensive flurry and give the Canucks a 2-1 lead.
Teammate Bo Horvat got the puck behind the net and tried to pass it out front, but it went off the stick of Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele, popped into the air and off the top netting of the goal. The puck fell just in front of Hellebuyck, and Hoglander batted it out of mid-air and into the net.
Boeser gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead just 29 seconds into the game, deking Hellebuyck and putting a backhander into an empty net after taking a drop pass from Alexander Edler.
MacEwen scored at 6:58 of the second period, redirecting Jordie Benn’s blast from the right point.
Winnipeg’s lone goal came at 2:03 of the first, as Adam Lowry won a faceoff, and Appleton picked up the puck at the top of the right circle. He fired a wrist shot into the top far corner of the net.
The Jets’ Paul Maurice coached in his 1,608th career NHL game and moved past legendary New York Islanders coach Al Arbour for fourth on the league’s all-time list.