WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Brock Boeser scored two goals, leading the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
Boeser has eight goals this season, one more than Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and the most in the league.
“I think my shot’s feeling really good, obviously,” Boeser said. “Obviously, there’s been issues with injuries in the past. But I’ve been feeling really good and I’ve been really focusing on staying healthy and feeling good on the ice and I think it’s showing.”
Boeser’s fast start comes after a 2019-20 campaign in which the 23-year-old from Burnsville, Minnesota, struggled to find the back of the net, registering 16 goals and 29 assists in 57 regular-season games.
“I think I was in my head the most I’ve ever been in my head in my hockey career,” Boeser said. “This year is a fresh start and I just felt like I needed to get back to my game, just not overthinking things, just playing off instinct.”
His first goal on Saturday came just 29 seconds into the game.
Rookie Nils Hoglander and Zack MacEwen also scored for the Canucks.
Mason Appleton scored for Winnipeg off an assist from Adam Lowry.
Thatcher Demko made 23 saves as Vancouver extended its winning streak to four games.
Canucks coach Travis Green said his squad wasn’t thinking about bumping the slump heading into the game.
“We’re a team that’s good enough that we can beat another good team. Tonight, all we wanted to worry about was our game,” he said. “It was definitely nice to come in here and get a win.”
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 35 of 38 shots.
Before Saturday, Winnipeg had won 10 consecutive games against Vancouver, dating to December 2016.
The team that worked the hardest won on Saturday, Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said.
“We got beat is the cleanest way to put it,” he said. “After the first period, they were faster and they were harder and heavier on us. We didn’t move the puck well at all.
“But that’s not the story of the game. We had opportunities to win things and get it moving and we just didn’t.”
NOTES: Winnipeg has not scored a short-handed goal this season. … Winnipeg’s three top scorers saw their five-game point streaks snapped. Nikolaj Ehlers had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in the stretch, while Mark Scheifele (two goals, seven assists) and Andrew Copp (four goals, five assists) each registered nine. … Jets bench boss Paul Maurice coached his 1,608th game, surpassing Al Arbour for the fourth in NHL history. Maurice also turned 54 on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Canucks: At Montreal on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Jets: Host Calgary on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights.
___
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
