National Hockey League
Vancouver 5, Chicago 2
When: 8:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 22, 2018
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Pierre Lambert, Brad Meier
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Darren Gibbs
Attendance: 21526
Alexander Edler had two goals to lift the Vancouver Canucks out of an extended scoring slump in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday at the United Center.

Vancouver, which came into the game losers of seven straight (all in regulation) and 10 of 11, had its highest scoring output since late-February.

Edler scored at the 7:11 mark of the first period off assists from Henrik Sedin and Brendan Leipsic to put the Canucks on the board first.

Chicago, which has lost five straight, tied the game at one less than a minute later on Nick Schmaltz's 21st goal of the season, off assists from Patrick Kane and Brent Seabrook.

Sedin put Vancouver back on top at the 17:42 mark of the first period with his third goal of the season, assisted by Daniel Sedin and Sam Gagner, and the Canucks added two more in the second period. Bo Horvat scored his 20th off assists from Nikolay Goldobin and Troy Stecher, and Edler added his fifth of the season at the 9:38 mark with assists to Horvat and Goldobin.

Brandon Sutter added his eighth goal of the season off assists from Darren Archibald and Michael Del Zotto at the 3:24 mark of the third period.

Vancouver's Jacob Markstrom, who allowed 11 goals in his last three starts, allowed just two -- Matthew Highmore added a late goal for Chicago -- and finished with 39 saves.

Jean-Francois Berube lost his sixth straight game for the Blackhawks with his third straight brutal performance, allowing four goals before being pulled for Anton Forsberg midway through the second period. Berube, who finished with 14 saves, has allowed 13 goals in his last three games and 21 in his last five.

Despite the score, the Blackhawks -- who were without injured captain Jonathan Toews -- controlled the play for much of the night, outshooting the Canucks 41-27.

Chicago (30-36-9) next heads to play the New York Islanders on Saturday before returning home for two straight.

Vancouver (26-39-9) continues its four-game road trip on Friday at St. Louis before concluding the swing at Dallas on Sunday. The Canucks finish up the season with a five-game homestand and a final road game at Edmonton.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Vancouver   Chicago
Alexander Edler 2 Points Matthew Highmore 1
Alexander Edler 2 Goals Matthew Highmore 1
Nikolay Goldobin 2 Assists Patrick Kane 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jacob Markstrom .951 Save Percentage Anton Forsberg .889
Jacob Markstrom 39 Saves J-F Berube 14
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Vancouver 27 5 0-1 4-4 23 27
Chicago 41 2 0-4 1-1 7 26
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against NY Islanders. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .387 after a win and .409 after a loss.
  • Vancouver will play their next game on the road against St. Louis. The Canucks have a W/L % of .346 after a win and .354 after a loss.