Canucks edge Coyotes, become 1st team to reach 30 wins this season

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks became the first team in the NHL to reach 30 wins this season with a 2-1 victory against the Arizona Coyotes at Rogers Arena on Thursday.

Elias Pettersson and Dakota Joshua scored for the Canucks (30-11-4), who extended their point streak to seven games (6-0-1) in the first of a five-game homestand. Thatcher Demko made 20 saves.

“It’s tough sometimes after a long road trip (seven games) to come back, but it was a great effort by everyone and even though it wasn’t our best, we found a way to win,” Joshua said. “You’re not going have your best every night and that’s what makes these wins important. You’ve got to find a way, and that resiliency throughout the year to find your way to the top.”

Travis Dermott scored his first goal of the season, and Connor Ingram made 24 saves for the Coyotes (21-19-3), who lost their second straight and went 1-1-1 on a three-game road trip.

“It's easy to get down on yourself and everyone really wanted that win,” Dermott said. “But if you can take a step back and look at that game as an adult and as a mature player in this league, you can see a lot of good things from our team. It's tough not coming out with two points, but with how we've been battling to figure out our identity lately, we can take so many positives from that game.

Pettersson gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead at 16:49 of the first period with a one-timer on the power play. J.T. Miller won an offensive zone face-off back to Quinn Hughes atop the left point. He one-touched a pass across to Pettersson for a slap shot from between the top of the circles that went high past the blocker of Ingram.

“That was a [heck] of a shot,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said.

Dermott tied it 1-1 at 18:40. Alex Kerfoot had the puck knocked off his stick while cutting through the slot, but it went right to Dermott inside the left dot for a quick shot short side before Demko could get across to his post.

“I'm not thinking about scoring too many goals,” Dermott said. “It always feels nice to be able to contribute to your team, but it's the battles, working in corners, breaking pucks out that's really going to give me pride and joy in my game.”

Vancouver outshot Arizona 14-4 in the first period, but the Canucks did not have a shot in the second period when Dermott saved a goal at 13:25 with a hooking penalty that took an empty-net chance away from Joshua. Vancouver got its first shot of the period on the ensuing power play at 15:25.

“My feeling after the [first] period is that's the best team we’ve played,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. “They were fast, hard on pucks, they play well in their structure, and we got better during the game. Our guys worked extremely hard, had good puck pressure, defended really hard. We played rock solid 5-on-5.”

Demko made his best saves early in the second period, including a right pad stop on a Clayton Keller breakaway from the slot at 3:43.

“They have a good goalie,” Tourigny said. “That's part of why they're first overall (in the NHL standings)."

Joshua put Vancouver back ahead 2-1 at 19:02 of the second on a rebound of his own shot around the outstretched left pad of Ingram after redirecting a pass from Nils Hoglander while driving the net.

“It was a good play by Teddy [Blueger] to kick it out, ‘Hoggy’ threw one at the net and I just put home the rebound,” Joshua said.

It was Joshua’s 12th goal of the season, a new NHL career high, and his fourth game-winning goal, second on the team behind Pettersson’s eight.

“Honestly I can’t say enough about that line,” Hughes said of Joshua’s line. “They’ve powered us through a lot of games. If we’re going to be a successful team in the next little while, we’re going to need them to keep going.”

NOTES: Arizona forward Nick Schmaltz, who is third on the team with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists), did not play after sustaining an upper-body injury in a 3-2 overtime loss against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. Tourigny said Schmaltz could return against the Nashville Predators on Saturday. … Keller’s five-game point streak ended (four goals, four assists). … Pettersson has nine goals and five assists in his past seven games. … Demko played his 200th NHL game.