National Hockey League
Vancouver 7, Chicago 5
When: 10:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 2, 2020
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Referees: Pierre Lambert, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: Brandon Gawryletz, Matt MacPherson
Attendance: 18871

Adam Gaudette scored the game-winner while J.T. Miller collected four points as the Vancouver Canucks claimed their sixth straight win with a 7-5 home-ice victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.

With overtime looming, Gaudette gained the puck near the boards, went to the slot and sent a wrist shot that found the mark with 4:11 left on the clock.

Bo Horvat rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal to cap a three-point game (two goals, one assist). Elias Pettersson also had three points (one goal, two assists) for the Canucks, who received a 28-save outing from goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

Both clubs blew leads before the second intermission in a see-saw affair. Miller opened the scoring when he capped off an excellent shift by the hosts by deflecting Horvat's long shot at the 5:04 mark of the first period, but Connor Murphy tied the game when he one-timed a loose puck from the right face-off dot exactly 14 minutes into the clash.

After Tanner Pearson deflected a shot to restore Vancouver's lead 2:48 into the second period, the Blackhawks scored three times four minutes apart to move ahead by a 4-2 count.

David Kampf's long wrist shot from the high slot evened the count at the 4:15 mark, after which Patrick Kane put the visitors ahead with a power-play goal -- a one-timer from the top of the right circle. Then Jonathan Toews put Chicago ahead by a 4-2 score when his cross-ice pass ricocheted off Vancouver defenseman Quinn Hughes at 8:17.

However, the hosts responded to tie the score again. Hughes blasted a point shot for the power-play goal to make it a one-goal game at 10:20 of the period, and Pettersson scored 85 seconds later with a one-timer from the slot to make it a 4-4 game.

The roller coaster didn't end there. After Horvat put the Canucks ahead with a fortunate bounce 8:10 into the third period, Kane potted his second of the night -- a one-timer from below the right face-off circle -- with 6:16 remaining in regulation.

Lehner stopped 30 shots for the Blackhawks, who saw their three-game winning streak snapped.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Chicago   Vancouver
Dominik Kubalik 3 Points J.T. Miller 4
Patrick Kane 2 Goals Bo Horvat 2
Dominik Kubalik 3 Assists J.T. Miller 3
Patrick Kane 1 Power Play Goals Quinn Hughes 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Robin Lehner .833 Save Percentage Jacob Markstrom .848
Robin Lehner 30 Saves Jacob Markstrom 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Chicago 33 5 1-4 1-2 6 29
Vancouver 37 7 1-2 3-4 10 33
Upcoming Games
  • Vancouver will play their next game at home against NY Rangers. The Canucks have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Chicago will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .417 after a loss.