Hurricanes score six, rally late to defeat slumping Canucks 6-3 at Rogers Arena

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The Carolina Hurricanes turned a one-goal game into a decisive win on Tuesday night, scoring three times in the third period to beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-3 at Rogers Arena. Deslauriers, Ehlers and Stankoven each reached the scoresheet twice, and the Hurricanes’ three-goal third period helped them bounce back after a 3-2 loss at the Calgary Flames on Sunday.

Carolina entered the third period with the contest tied 3-3, and the push began at 4:07 when Nicolas Deslauriers scored to make it 4-3. Deslauriers, who had gone 38 games without a goal dating back to April 13, 2025, received a pass from Bradley Nadeau behind the net, moved to the edge of the crease, and one-touched a shot under the blocker of Leevi Merilainen.

Nikolaj Ehlers extended Carolina’s lead at 10:22 with a breakaway goal, scoring between Merilainen’s legs to make it 5-3. Ehlers later added a key setup for the final score as he passed to Stankoven on a 2-on-1 rush for an empty-net goal at 17:57, sealing the 6-3 outcome.

The Hurricanes received additional support throughout the game. Stankoven and Ehlers both added assists, and Jackson Blake recorded three assists as Carolina improved to an 8-2-1 record. Pyotr Kochetkov made 14 saves for the Hurricanes in the win.

Vancouver’s offence was spread among multiple players, but the Canucks struggled to stop Carolina’s late surge. Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Max Sasson scored for the Canucks, while Jake DeBrusk added two assists. Leevi Merilainen made 38 saves, but Vancouver still dropped to a 2-8-1 record after losing eight straight games, including a 7-2 defeat at Carolina on Oct. 8.

The game began with Carolina striking first, taking a 1-0 lead at 4:44 of the first period. Stankoven scored on a drop pass from Jackson Blake above the left hash marks in the high slot, firing a quick wrist shot over Merilainen’s glove.

Vancouver responded and evened the score at 10:10 when Linus Karlsson capitalized on a loose puck. The goal came after Elias Pettersson was knocked down while attempting to cut into the middle of the ice; Karlsson skated onto the puck that slid off Pettersson’s stick in the right face-off circle and sent a wrist shot in under Pyotr Kochetkov’s blocker.

Carolina regained the lead at 12:09 as Ehlers scored to make it 2-1. Blake spotted Ehlers alone on the backdoor with a cross-ice pass, and Ehlers finished with an open net.

The Canucks tied the game again late in the first period on the power play. At 19:58, Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored on a cross-crease chip pass from DeBrusk following Brock Boeser’s shot from the right boards, making it 2-2 as Vancouver drew even.

Early in the second period, Deslauriers pushed Carolina back in front. At 2:26, Jesper Kotkaniemi intercepted Merilainen’s pass from behind the net and fed Deslauriers at the bottom of the right face-off circle; Deslauriers converted with a quick short-side shot over Merilainen’s glove for a 3-2 advantage. The goal was Deslauriers’ first with Carolina since he was acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers on March 6.

The Canucks answered quickly to restore a tie. At 13:07 in the second period, Max Sasson scored at 13:07 shortly after coming out of the penalty box. Sasson finished a give-and-go with Zeev Buium on a 3-on-2 rush from the bottom of the left circle, with Pyotr Kochetkov out of the play as Bradley Nadeau knocked into Arshdeep Bains and both players slid into the net, resulting in a 3-3 score.

Penalties and momentum continued to shape the middle stretch of the game. At 16:55, Sebastian Aho was awarded a penalty shot after Pettersson threw his stick at him in an attempt to knock the puck away; Merilainen made the stop on that opportunity.

Carolina’s final scoring burst arrived after returning to the third period with the game tied. Deslauriers’ go-ahead goal at 4:07 set up Ehlers’ breakaway score at 10:22 and then Stankoven’s empty-net finish at 17:57, giving the Hurricanes the 6-3 victory over a Canucks team that had been in a prolonged slump.

For Vancouver, the night closed with another loss in their eight-game skid, with Merilainen’s 38 saves unable to prevent Carolina from finding scoring in multiple phases, including the decisive third-period run. For Carolina, the win marked an eighth victory in their past nine games, and it featured two-goal performances from Deslauriers, Ehlers and Stankoven as the Hurricanes secured the full two points at Rogers Arena.