Pettersson has 5 points in Canucks win against Flyers

VANCOUVER -- Elias Pettersson had two goals and three assists for the Vancouver Canucks in a 6-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Rogers Arena on Saturday.

Pettersson has an NHL career-high 71 points (27 goals, 44 assists) in 54 games this season, three more than he had in 80 games last season.
"Obviously, it was something that was on my mind when I got close," Pettersson said of his career high. "But I'm happy we got the win and happy for Arturs to get his first NHL win."

Arturs Silovs made 35 saves for his first NHL victory in his second start for the Canucks (22-30-4), who had lost three straight. Anthony Beauvillier scored twice, and Luke Schenn had three assists.
"We need some positive stuff around here, right?" Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. "It's been kind of negative and we need some positive."
Silovs, a 21-year-old rookie from Latvia, bounced back after giving up five goals on 27 shots in his NHL debut on Wednesday, a 6-4 loss to the New York Rangers. He made his best saves on Travis Konecny in the second period, first getting his right pad across on a backdoor chance at 16:52, and his blocker on a short-handed breakaway with 1:50 left in the period.
"Feels great," Silovs said. "I was working for that and finally accomplished."
Scott Laughton and Morgan Frost scored, and Carter Hart made 17 saves for the Flyers (22-25-10), who have lost four straight (0-3-1).
"It's hard to reflect right now, but I thought that there was no quit even though you can look at the score, how it ended up. It's not a reflection of the game," Konecny said. "We worked really hard, we believed in ourselves and they just had a few more bounces that ended up in net."
Beauvillier put Vancouver ahead 1-0 at 14:24 of the first period, deflecting Schenn's point shot from the left hash marks.
Laughton tied it 1-1 at 15:56, deflecting a shot from Justin Braun under the arm of Silovs. It was the first point in 36 games this season for Braun, who dressed as the seventh defenseman and was playing for just the fourth time in the past 23 games.
"He's a great pro and he's a guy that you cheer for, and he just hangs in there," Philadelphia coach John Tortorella said. "I thought he played hard, and good for him."

Andrei Kuzmenko put the Canucks back in front 2-1 at 1:53 of the second period, finishing off a three-way passing play with Pettersson and Schenn with a backdoor tap-in.
Beauvillier extended it to 3-1 at 13:35 when he deflected Pettersson's one-timer up past the blocker of Hart four seconds into a power play.
"We try to play fast," Pettersson said of his line with Beauvillier and Kuzmenko. "We play good together, all three of us, and we're trying to grow each day and every game."

Frost cut it to 3-2 at 17:28 with a power-play goal. He jammed in a loose puck at the side of the net after Silovs couldn't control a one-timer.
Phillip Di Giuseppe pushed it to 4-2 at 10:04 of the third period, scoring from the same spot after a rebound trickled away from Hart as he dropped to cover it.
"They make a couple of good deflections, and that fourth one is on me," Hart said. "That's one that I got to have. It squirts under my glove and that's the game."
Pettersson scored a short-handed empty-net goal at 18:03 and again at 19:19 for the 6-2 final.
"I think he's starting to learn how to be a leader," Tocchet said.

NOTES: Schenn was plus-5 in 18:45 of ice time. … Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed the game and will be out for "some weeks," according to Tocchet, because of an ankle sprain he sustained against the Rangers on Wednesday. Christian Wolanin, who was called up from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League on Saturday, replaced him in the lineup and was plus-3 in 15:51 of ice time. … Thatcher Demko, who has been out since Dec. 1 with a groin injury, did not back up Silovs as planned after leaving practice early Thursday, but Tocchet said he will join the team on a two-game road trip that starts on Tuesday at the Nashville Predators.