ST. PAUL, Minn. — Brock Boeser scored in his NHL debut a day after signing with Vancouver, Reid Boucher added two in a four-goal second period and the Canucks defeated the slumping Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Saturday.
Boeser was Vancouver’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft. He joined the Canucks just hours after his North Dakota Fighting Hawks were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Jack Skille also scored for Vancouver, while Richard Bachman stopped 25 shots in just his third start of the season.
Ryan Suter and Eric Staal scored for Minnesota late in the third period and Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves in his first start since March 12. The Wild have lost seven of their last eight and are now 3-10-0 in March.
The Canucks were 1-5-2 in their last eight games, but they didn’t have any problem with the Wild. Boucher scored a power-play goal 19 seconds into the second period, gathering a rebound in the slot and wrapping it around a crowd of players and past Kuemper. Two Minnesota defenders had a chance to clear the rebound but couldn’t control it, leaving Boucher free to tuck it into the corner of the net.
Boucher put Vancouver up 2-0 just over five minutes later with a wrist shot that appeared to hit the crossbar and ricochet off into the corner. Video replay confirmed that the puck hit the camera inside the net.
Boeser then scored to make it 3-0. Bo Horvat broke in alone on Kuemper, who stopped a backhander but couldn’t control the rebound. The puck fell at his feet and Boeser jammed it home.
Less than two minutes later Skille beat a screened Kuemper with a wrist shot from left circle.
In the game’s final three minutes, Suter threaded a wrist shot through traffic to end Bachman’s shutout bid. Staal beat Bachman after jumping on a funny bounce off the end boards.
Notes: Boeser played two seasons at North Dakota. … Minnesota had not allowed a power-play goal at home in 12 games before Boucher’s tally. .. The Wild tied a franchise record for most goals allowed in a period with Vancouver’s four-goal second. . Wild D Christian Folin returned after missing 10 with an upper-body injury. . Skille injured his ankle late in the second period and did not return.
UP NEXT
Canucks: At Winnipeg on Sunday.
Wild: At Detroit on Sunday.
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