Zack MacEwen scored his second goal of the night late in the third period as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 Friday to snap a four-game losing streak and climb back into the playoff picture in the tight NHL Western Conference.
J.T. Miller and Antoine Roussel had a goal and an assist each for Vancouver (35-26-6), which managed to hang onto a third-period lead. Troy Stecher and Tanner Pearson, into an empty net, also scored for the Canucks, who had blown third-period leads in their last two losses.
Erik Johnson and Gabriel Landeskog each had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche (40-17-8), who lost in regulation for the first time in 10 games (7-1-2). Valeri Nichushkin added a goal while Nathan MacKinnon had two assists.
The win moves Vancouver into a tie with Winnipeg for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 76 points. Colorado remains second in the West with 88 points, two back of St. Louis.
WATCH | 9 reasons this NHL season feels like the 1980s… in 90 seconds:
Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko, making his fifth start for the injured Jacob Markstrom, stopped 29 shots. Avalanche goalie Pavel Francouz made 19 saves.
MacEwen salted the game away at 16:13 of the third when he took a pass from behind the net from Roussel and beat Francouz.