Cooley scores winner as Utah bests Canucks amid playoff chase

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Logan Cooley scored the winner as the Utah Hockey Club edged the Canucks 3-1 in their inaugural visit to Vancouver on Sunday night.

Kevin Stenlund and Clayton Keller — into an empty net — also scored, while Karel Vejmelka stopped 18 shots for Utah. Nick Schmaltz registered two assists.

Quinn Hughes opened the scoring for the Canucks with a power-play tally at the 2:37 mark of the second period.

Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves for Vancouver, which was coming off a 6-2 win over the Blackhawks on Saturday.

The result held playoff implications for both teams as they battle the Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot.

The Canucks finished the night tied with the Blues in points (73), but one spot below the playoff bar with fewer wins (31) than St. Louis (33).

Takeaways

Canucks: Jonathan Lekkerimaki slotted in for Filip Chytil, who left Saturday’s win late in the third period after being hit from behind by Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson. Chytil’s head snapped back before he crumbled to the ice. Coach Rick Tocchet said Sunday that the center is “day to day.”

Utah: Utah swept the three-game season series between the two clubs. Utah won 3-2 in overtime on Dec. 18 and 2-1 on Feb. 23.

Key moment

Cooley capitalized on a rebound to give Utah the lead at 5:08 of the third period. Schmaltz’s shot hit the skate of a Canucks forward in front of the net, where it was deflected by Sean Durzi. The puck popped out to Cooley, who blasted it in for his 18th of the season.

Key stat

The physical affair saw 14 penalty minutes doled out to Utah and eight to Vancouver. The Canucks outhit the visitors 38-17.

Up next

Utah wraps up a three-game road trip in Edmonton on Tuesday. The Canucks finish a three-game homestand against the Jets the same night.

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