Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko (35) stops Toronto Maple Leafs' William Nylander (88) as Vancouver's Oliver Ekman-Larsson (23), of Sweden, defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Juho Lammikko scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, and the Vancouver Canucks held on to defeat the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 Saturday night.
Thatcher Demko was superb in goal for Vancouver, making a career-best 51 saves. J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser each had a goal and an assist for the Canucks.
Auston Matthews and Ondrej Kase scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost the first two games of a three-game trip.
Petr Mrazek stopped 21 shots for Toronto.
Miller scored his 17th goal of the season at 1:29 of the first period. He shot from the lower edge of the left circle high over a sprawling Mrazek, who had poke-checked the puck away from Bo Horvat.
Boeser scored his 14th goal at the six-minute mark of the period on a power play, putting home the rebound on a deflected shot from Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Pierre Engvall was serving a high-sticking penalty.
Toronto’s TJ Brodie hit the post with a shot two seconds from the end of the first period.
Toronto tied the game with two quick power-play goals in the second period.
Matthews scored his 32nd goal on a power play at 12:46. After Demko stopped William Nylander’s shot, John Tavares grabbed the rebound and fed Matthews, who was lurking low in the right circle. Horvat was off for high-sticking.
Kase scored his ninth goal of the season, tipping in Jason Spezza’s shot at 15:41. Luke Schenn was off for tripping.
Vancouver regained the lead at 18:30 of the second period when Lammikko scored his fourth of the season on Alex Chiasson’s rebound. The play developed after Nylander’s turnover in the neutral zone.
Toronto had a 36-18 advantage in shots on goal after two periods.
Demko was solid in the third period under constant pressure from Toronto. He held firm when Nylander broke in and tried a backhand.
Tavares took a high-sticking penalty at 17:38 of the third, but Toronto still removed Mrazek for an extra attacker. Miller put the puck into the empty net, but a video review determined that the play was offside.
The game ended with a scramble around the Vancouver goal.