Markstrom gets 1st shutout of season, Canucks top Ducks 4-0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves for his first shutout of the season and Bo Horvat scored twice, leading the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.

Alex Biega and Nikolay Goldobin also scored as the Canucks snapped a three-game skid and won in regulation for the first time in their last 11.

The shutout was the third of Markstrom’s career. His previous one came against Dallas on Feb. 11, 2018.

Kevin Boyle stopped 25 shots for the Ducks.

One of Markstrom’s biggest saves came with nine minutes to go, when Derek Grant found the puck down low and Markstrom dove to make the stop.

Horvat’s second goal of the night came midway through the third period after he dove to keep the puck in Anaheim’s end. Josh Leivo got it back to Horvat in the faceoff circle and he sent a rocket past Boyle to make it 4-0.

The 23-year-old center has a career-high 23 goals this season.

Goldobin opened the scoring 8:04 into the first after star rookie Elias Pettersson sliced a cross-ice pass to him in the neutral zone. The right wing ripped a shot over Boyle’s shoulder for his eighth goal of the season and first in nine games.

Biega added another goal before the end of the period with a long shot that somehow wound its way through traffic and slid in under Boyle’s pad.

Early in the second, Anaheim’s Brendan Guhle was sent to the penalty box for leveling Tyler Motte along the boards and the Canucks capitalized on the power play. Brock Boeser made a nifty pass to Horvat below the goal line and he poked it in to put Vancouver up 3-0.

NOTES: Ryan Spooner got his first point with the Canucks, assisting on Biega’s goal. Vancouver acquired the 27-year-old forward in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers this month. … British Columbia native Angus Redmond was called up to the NHL for the first time Monday. The 23-year-old goalie backed up Doyle for the Ducks. … It was linesman Lonnie Cameron’s 1,500th game in the NHL. His milestone was celebrated before puck drop.

UP NEXT

Ducks: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

Canucks: Begin a three-game road trip at Colorado on Wednesday.