Sunday, December 29, 2019 09:30 PM (ET)

Canucks thump Flames to move up in standings

Field Level Media
Dec 30, 2019

Tyler Myers and Tanner Pearson both scored twice and added an assist to lead the visiting Vancouver Canucks to a convincing 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Sunday night and run their winning streak to five games.

Goaltender Thatcher Demko made 23 saves, while Jake Virtanen collected one goal and one assist for the Canucks, who vaulted the Flames to third place in the Pacific Division standings.

Myers opened the scoring with the first of his club's power-play goals just 3:29 into the affair. The rangy defenseman set up at the left point when he received the puck and found the mark with a long wrist shot.

Myers netted his second of the game, and third of the season, just over three minutes later with another long shot, a wristed offering from beyond the right circle that Flames goaltender David Rittich shouldn't have allowed through his legs. Myers is the first Canucks defenseman with a multi-goal game versus the Flames since Alex Edler on Jan 22, 2011.

Then Virtanen made it a 3-0 game with another power-play goal just past the midway point of the opening frame. From the top of the right circle, Virtanen sent a puck to the front of the net that banked off the stick of Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic and into the net. Virtanen has collected 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) in his last five games.

The goal also spelled the end of the game for Rittich, who surrendered three goals and made only four saves and was replaced by Cam Talbot.

Rasmus Andersson gave the Flames new life by putting them on the board with 84 seconds remaining in the second period, cashing in a rebound for his third goal of the season. However, Pearson restored Vancouver's three-goal lead when he ripped a top-corner shot for his 10th goal of the season at the 6:14 mark of the third period.

Noah Hanifin scored with 58 seconds remaining in the game to pull Calgary within a pair again, but Pearson rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal.

Talbot made 19 saves in his relief appearance.

--Field Level Media

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