Linus Karlsson gets 1st NHL goal as Canucks beat Predators 3-1

Vancouver Canucks center Linus Karlsson (94) celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Linus Karlsson scored his first NHL goal and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Nashville Predators 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Nils Hoglander and Pius Suter also scored, and Quinn Hughes had two assists and for the Canucks, who have won three straight. Thatcher Demko made 31 saves.

Tommy Novak scored and Juuse Saros had 19 saves for the Predators, losers of two straight.

Early in the second period, Tyler Myers fired a pass from the left faceoff dot to Karlsson standing just off of the right goalpost, where he had a tap-in for his first career goal at 1:28 to put the Canucks up 2-1.

Hoglander scored the game’s first goal at 7:11 of the opening period. He had the puck on the right side before toe-dragging into the slot and beating Saros with a wrist shot.

Novak tied the score 1:30 later.

Suter scored an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Takeaways

Canucks: Demko had lost four of his previous five starts, but he was sharp against the Predators,, especially in the first when he turned aside 12 of 13 shots.

Predators: After winning a season-high five consecutive games, the Predators have dropped their last two. The winning streak gave the team faint hopes of rejoining the playoff race, but losing to teams they are chasing in the standings makes it more difficult.

Key moment

With 13:00 remaining in the third and the Canucks on a power play, Nashville’s Gustav Nyquist came in on Demko on a short-handed breakaway. Demko was able to turn the shot aside, preserving Vancouver’s 2-1 lead.

Key stat

With his two-assist effort, Hughes extended his point-scoring streak to seven games. He has five goals and six assists over that span. Hughes has two points in each of his last three games.

Up Next

Canucks visit Dallas on Friday, while Predators play at Buffalo.

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

Jim Diamond, The Associated Press