Hughes scores twice, Canucks hold off Oilers

Danton Heinen also scored, J.T. Miller had two assists and Thatcher Demko made 13 saves for the Canucks (20-15-10), who ended a two-game losing streak with their second win in the past eight games (2-4-2).

Leon Draisaitl scored twice and Stuart Skinner made 24 saves for the Oilers (29-14-3), who lost for the first time in five games and second in the past 10 (8-2-0).

Hughes scored six seconds into a power play to put the Canucks ahead 1-0 at 14:38 of the first period. Miller won the offensive zone draw back to Hughes and he skated down the left wing before throwing the puck towards Conor Garland atop the crease and having it bounce in off the skate of defenseman Mattias Ekholm. The goal ended a 0-for-10 power play drought over the previous four games.

Heinen converted a rebound of a deflected Tyler Myers point shot from the edge of the crease at 15:49 to make it 2-0, and Hughes scored another power play goal with a high-blocker wrist shot from atop the left circle at 18:00.

Draisaitl pulled the Oilers within 3-1 at 4:01 of the second period, banking a shot from just above the goal line in off the back of Demko right after Connor McDavid almost set up Darnell Nurse for a backdoor tap-in on the other side.

Draisaitl scored again on a power play from a similar spot at 13:38, this time one-timing a pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins cutting behind the net on the other side under Demko’s blocker. The goal was Draisaitl’s NHL-leading 33rd of the season and gave him 10 points (four goals, six assists) during a six-game point streak.

McDavid received a match penalty for cross-checking Garland high and Myers also received a match penalty for a high cross-check on Evan Bouchard after a wild scramble in the Vancouver end with Edmonton trying to tie the game with 2.3 seconds left.