Canucks hold off Jets for first win in six games

VANCOUVER -- Thatcher Demko made 37 saves for the Vancouver Canucks, who got their first win in six games with a 3-2 victory against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Arena on Friday.

Kyle Burroughs scored his first NHL goal, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland each scored on the power play for the Canucks (6-10-2), who were 0-4-1 during their skid.
"We have some ground to make up here. Hopefully tonight is the start of stringing a few together and building some confidence in the room," Demko said. "We are all on the same page as far as what we want to accomplish. Guys aren't turning on each other and getting negative. It's a huge sign. It's something we have to keep building with."
Eric Comrie made 26 saves in his first start in two weeks for the Jets (9-4-4),who were coming off a 2-1 shootout loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday and lost in regulation for the first time in six games (3-1-2).
Winnipeg defeated Edmonton 5-2 on Tuesday in the first of consecutive games against the Oilers.
"We weren't as good as we had been the last two games. I'm not sure you can be, but we were better than maybe I expected we were going to be tonight," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "I didn't think we had a lot to push through it."
Ekman-Larsson put Vancouver ahead 1-0 at 13:51 of the first period with a shot through a screen from the high slot.

Burroughs, who was playing his 19th NHL game, made it 2-0 at 3:12 of the second period with a shot from the blue line that deflected in off the skate of Winnipeg defenseman Nate Schmidt.
Burroughs, a Vancouver native who was selected by the New York Islanders in the seventh round (No. 196) of the 2013 NHL Draft, said he never saw the puck go in the net.
"As soon as it left my stick, God knows what happened. I think I was the last one to celebrate," Burroughs said. "It was a big accomplishment, especially for me. I don't score a lot of goals in any league. To get it here is nice and a little bit of weight off the back. It's even better to get the win tonight."
Nikolaj Ehlers scored for the third straight game at 4:12 of the second to cut it to 2-1, spinning into the slot away from Quinn Hughes before shooting glove side on Demko.
Garland made it 3-1 at 6:54 with a slap shot just under the cross bar after being left alone in the left face-off circle.
Vancouver finished 2-for-3 on the power play after going 0-for-13 in its previous five games.
"It was a big goal for us. It's a big night for our power play," Garland said. "It was the difference in our game. We're excited to get some confidence now and get rolling."

Winnipeg's penalty kill came into the game 31st in the NHL at 65.9 percent, ahead of only the Canucks (60.3 percent).
"Welcome to our world, too," Jets said forward Adam Lowry said of the penalty kill. "It's a couple of inches, a little bit of confidence, too. ... You get a little stagnant at times and you allow the power play to kind of work around you and it's a perfect storm. Give some good players a lot of time and they're going to find the weaknesses."
Pierre-Luc Dubois cut it to 3-2 with 2:28 remaining and Comrie pulled for an extra attacker when a backdoor pass deflected in off his shin.
Ehlers then had an opportunity to tie it with one second left, but his deflection at the top of the crease was stopped by Demko's right pad.
"Maybe the sharpness wasn't there, maybe the execution," Lowry said. "You go from two real hard-fought games against Edmonton, and I think the tendency is maybe a letdown."
NOTES: It was Winnipeg's first loss in Vancouver in nine games dating to Dec. 20, 2016. … Canucks forward Elias Pettersson had the primary assist on Ekman-Larsson's goal, his first point in five games. … The Jets held their opponent to three goals or fewer for the 12th straight game, the longest streak in their history.