This was a siren, of course, for Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau, the catalyst for the team’s upset in the middle of the season. But it was more than that on Wednesday, as the Canoks, who have only won once in four years in Vegas since the Golden Knights rallied spectacularly in the National Hockey League, won 5-1. The performance almost certainly came too late to really help Vancouver, who had won just three of their previous 12 games and lost nine points from a place in the wild. But it was a show of determination not to go to the draft lottery quietly, and it was certainly satisfactory for the Canuck players who suffered a lot from the Golden Knights, but on Wednesday they hit the Vegas playoff ambitions. It erased the Knights’ five-game winning streak and kept them one point out of the playoffs in a game against teams that have played fewer games. “Yes, it is a tough barn,” Canucks defender Tyler Myers told the T-Mobile Arena. “I have played a lot here, I played a series of playoffs here (with the Winnipeg Jets). They are a good team there. We played exactly as we should to get two points. “It was nice to have one, especially on this pitch.” And it’s nice to win while top defender Quinn Hughes and top-6 striker Brock Boeser were missing, sick and injured respectively, after the Canucks lost 3-2 in extra time to the Knights in Vancouver on Sunday. Kyle Burroughs, who had played five NHL games in the six years before joining the Canucks’ hometown this season and was forced into the starting line-up, is playing his first game since suffering an upper body injury on 19 February. Boudreau said he owed Burroughs a chance to reclaim his post. Oliver Ekman-Larsson replaced Hughes in power play and had two assists. Myers recorded 25:10 ice time in rebuilding the defense. But the creator of the difference, apart from goalkeeper Thatcher Demko, was striker Elias Pettersson, who played right-back in a line with JT Miller and Tanner Pearson and scored two goals and two assists and seemed to lead the game whenever he was in ice. “I thought it was his best game,” Myers said. “I thought it was his best game of the year. He played very good hockey last month, the last two months. The points do not matter. . . Petey is a special player and he played special tonight. We make him play like this more often, he will be a great player for a long time for us “. Speaking about Myers’ assessment that this was Petterson’s best game, Boudreau said: “It could have been. I mean, he was all around him. He did some really clever projects. He knows where to go. And I think I play on the right side. . . he sees the ice so well, so when he has the elf on the right side and turns, he has everything in his hand. If you look at the story, (Alex) Ovechkin, guys who played off the wing, were very good. “And I think Peterson has that same vision.” Peterson, a center-left who has played far left this season, has six goals in five games. He was involved in all but the Cannix’s second goal as Vancouver, which virtually relegated 1-0 against the game when Jack Eichel scored at 12:02 in the first half, dominated much of the first half and allowed the Golden Knights just nine shots on goal in the first 29 minutes. Bo Horvat’s rebound from Ekman-Larsson’s shot equalized the game to a power play at 16:38, and just 17 seconds later, Brad Richardson buried a loose buck behind Vegas goalkeeper Robin Lehner after the first of many gifts from Knights defender Alec Martinez. . Pearson, in a great backhand setup by Pettersson, made it 3-1 at 11:40 of the second before Pettersson scored at 16:03, free from Eichel by turning around the Vegas net just in time to redirect the excellent power supply of Ekman-Larsson. to the rear pillar. Another gift from Martinez and a nice cross from Alex Chiasson allowed Pettersson to score again at 1:11 of the third period as Vancouver’s power play went two-three. Everything was over except for the song. “For the season and for what we needed, it was a very good all-around game,” said Boudreau. “The goalkeeper had to be great, but also the players in front of him were very good. “When they play 60 minutes, it is a difficult team to win because we are usually very good when we play with the lead.” Asked about the win without Hughes and Boeser, Boudreau said: “It made them more coordinated to play their best game because we are missing two top players. When you have it – and I have seen it happen many times – when your composition is exhausted, everyone’s senses are strengthened. . . they just play a better game. “ “I thought the kids came up tonight,” Myers said. “Some kids out of the starting lineup from the previous game – important kids out of the starting lineup – and kids got up. I thought it was one of our best team games in a while. “We talk about it almost every day – how we are at our best when we play over the leg. And when we do not, we are very mediocre out there. We just have to do it more consistently. “I know there are not many games left, but we have to do it for the other 11 here.” The Canoks visit the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday before opening a five-game stadium on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.
