Nikita Tolopilo made 32 saves in his seventh NHL start to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 2-0 win against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Tolopilo moved up the depth chart this week after Thatcher Demko underwent hip surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
Drew O’Connor and Teddy Blueger scored for the Canucks, who had dropped 14 of their previous 15 games (1-12-2).
Lukas Dostal made 24 saves in the finale of the five-game road trip for the Ducks, who have lost two in a row following a seven-game winning streak.
O’Connor scored with a one-timer from the right hash marks off a feed from Jake DeBrusk to break the scoreless tie and give the Canucks a 1-0 lead at 10:18 of the third period.
Blueger scored into an empty net with 28 seconds left to make it 2-0.
Dostal had to make just one save through the first 13 1/2 minutes of the game, but the Canucks had two power plays in the final five minutes of the period and Dostal came up with eight saves in that span to keep the game scoreless entering the second.
Vancouver also had no shots on goal the first eight minutes of the second period.
Tolopilo missed the start of the second period after a collision with Ryan Poehling late in the first period that resulted in a goalie interference penalty.
Kevin Lankinen made one save before Tolopilo returned to the game at the first stoppage in play.
The Ducks continued to be without their top two centers, Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish, and right wing Troy Terry.
Carlsson missed his ninth straight game because of a left thigh injury that will keep him out through the Olympic break.
McTavish missed his fifth straight with an upper-body injury and Terry missed his 11th in a row with an upper-body injury.
–Field Level Media
