Hurricanes hand struggling Canucks a 6-3 loss

The Carolina Hurricanes beat the struggling Vancouver Canucks 6-3 in Vancouver on Tuesday. Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers each scored twice and had an assist. Nicolas Deslauriers also scored twice, while Jackson Blake had three assists. Carolina improved to 8-2-1. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 14 of the 17 shots he faced for the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who were coming off a 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Sunday. Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Max Sasson scored for Vancouver, which fell to 2-8-1 and extended its losing streak to eight games (0-7-2). Leevi Merilainen made 26 saves. In the second period, Canucks centre Elias Pettersson was penalized for throwing his stick while trying to interrupt an attack by Sebastian Aho; Merilainen then stopped Aho’s penalty shot.

Stankoven, who is from Kamloops, B.C., opened the scoring at 4:44 of the first period, drawing audible cheers from fans in the lower bowl. Blake chipped him a backhand pass, and Stankoven sent a shot in for his fifth goal of the season. Karlsson tied it midway through the period with a shot over Kochetkov’s shoulder. The Hurricanes regained the lead less than two minutes later. Canucks defenceman Tom Willander lost track of Ehlers behind the Vancouver net, and the winger came up from below the goal line, took a pass from Blake and snapped an uncontested shot into the open net. With two seconds left in the period, Lekkerimaki swiped a shot up and over Kochetkov to tie the game again.

Less than three minutes into the second, Carolina capitalized on a Canucks clearing attempt. Jesperi Kotkaniemi picked the puck off along the boards and passed to Deslauriers, whose shot went under the crossbar to make it 3-2. It was the journeyman forward’s first goal since April 2025. Vancouver rallied again after Carolina’s Bradly Nadeau collided with Arshdeep Bains in the slot, sending the Canucks forward crashing into Kochetkov. Sasson, who had left the penalty box moments earlier, scored to make it 3-3. Late in the period, Kochetkov caught Drew O’Connor’s shot out of the air, preventing Vancouver from gaining momentum and taking the lead.

Deslauriers scored the go-ahead goal at 4:07 of the third. Nadeau chipped him a backhand pass from along the end boards, and the 35-year-old forward put it in off Merilainen for a 4-3 Carolina lead. Ehlers added an unassisted goal at 10:21, then passed to Stankoven, who scored into the empty net with just over two minutes remaining to seal the 6-3 result.

The Canucks entered the game with the league’s worst penalty kill at 58.1 per cent, but killed off three penalties in the second period and a double minor in the third. The already battered Hurricanes had a tense moment midway through the second when Ehlers went down after contact along the boards. He appeared to favour his right leg as he left the ice, but returned after speaking with a trainer on the bench for several minutes.

Carolina also beat Vancouver 7-2 on Oct. 8 and has won six straight against the Canucks dating back to October 2024. Vancouver hosts the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. Carolina visits the Oilers in Edmonton on Thursday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2026.