Williams' shootout goal lifts Hurricanes past Canucks, 4-3

Justin Williams scored the winning goal in a shootout to lift the Carolina Hurricanes over the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Sunday afternoon.

Williams wristed a shot inside the post to the right of Thatcher Demko, giving the Hurricanes a 2-1 edge in the shootout. Carolina goalie James Reimer then used his left pad to stop Bo Horvat to clinch the win.

It was Williams’ second shootout winner in four games since returning to the Hurricanes following an extended offseason. Carolina, which is 3-1 since Williams’ return, got goals in regulation from Nino Niederreiter, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov as Reimer made 32 saves.

Elias Pettersson scored twice, Tyler Myers added a goal and Oscar Fantenberg and J.T. Miller each had two assists for Vancouver, whose five-game winning streak was snapped. Demko made 29 saves.

Pettersson scored the only goal of the first period when he corralled a loose puck in the slot and lifted a shot past Reimer high into the net. The Hurricanes responded with an energetic start to the second period, tying the score on a spinning backhander by Niederreiter and taking the lead when Aho scored after Jaccob Slavin's shot hit teammate Warren Foegele in front of the net.

The Canucks tied it at 2 before the second intermission by taking advantage when Slavin broke his stick while attempting to start a breakout from the Carolina zone. Vancouver eventually worked the puck to Oscar Fantenberg, who backhanded it to the front of the net where Myers knocked it into the open net.

Svechnikov put the Hurricanes back in front 5:23 into the third period when he raced past Quinn Hughes and lifted a shot over Demko’s right shoulder. Pettersson tied it at the 9:06 mark of the third period when he knocked a bad-angle shot off Reimer and into the net.

In overtime, Temko preserved the tie when he stopped Teravainen with the shaft of his stick after a cross-ice feed from Brett Pesce.

NOTES

Hughes, the NHL’s rookie points leader, added to his total with an assist on the game’s opening goal. Hughes has 39 points on eight goals and 31 assists. The Canucks selected Hughes seventh overall in the 2018 NHL draft. ... Hurricanes points leader Teravainen has a three-game point streak, with six points on two goals and four assists during that time. … The Canucks didn’t get called for a penalty until there was 9:06 remaining in the third period; the home crowd registered its disappointment with the officiating throughout the game. ...T he Hurricanes appeared to suffer a serious loss in the second period when Brett Pesce was hit in the wrist on a shot from the point. Pesce collapsed immediately to the ice, which was soaked with blood before he could rush off to the locker room for treatment. But Pesce returned to the ice in the third period.

UP NEXT

Canucks: Visit Boston on Tuesday in the fourth of five road games in a row.

Hurricanes: At St. Louis on Tuesday for the opening game of a four-game road trip.