by Kevin Woodley / NHL.com Independent Correspondent. Dec. 10, 2021

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks won their third straight game with new coach Bruce Boudreau, 4-3 in a shootout against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Arena on Friday.

Nils Hoglander scored two goals, and Thatcher Demko made 34 saves for the Canucks (11-15-2), who have won three in a row for the first time this season.

Elias Pettersson scored the only goal in the shootout for Vancouver, which has won five of its past six. The Canucks were 1-8-1 in the prior 10 games and fired coach Travis Green on Sunday. 

Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor each had a goal and two assists, and Eric Comrie made 33 saves in his first start since Nov. 19 for the Jets (13-9-5), who had won three of four.

Wheeler left at 8:44 of the third period after his right knee buckled in a collision with teammate Nathan Beaulieu in a penalty kill scramble atop the Jets crease.

Hoglander made it 1-0 and ended a 12-game goal drought at 6:29 of the first period with a between-the-legs move in the slot and a high backhand.

Wheeler tied it 1-1 with a screened one-timer on the power play at 11:07, his first goal since May 11 (23 games).

Hoglander made it 2-1 at 19:40 on a rush shot from the top of the left face-off circle that trickled in off Comrie’s glove. 

Connor tied it 2-2 on a backdoor pass from Wheeler at 6:09 of the second period. 

Conor Garland put the Canucks ahead 3-2 on breakaway deke at 7:06, but Mark Scheifele tied it 3-3 at 11:08 by one-timing a cross-ice pass from Connor.