Hurricanes 6, Canucks 3: Deslauriers Twice, Then the Third

October 20, 2026 - Vancouver - Nicolas Deslauriers took a pass from Bradly Nadeau behind the net, one-touched it under Leevi Merilainen's blocker, and Rogers Arena had a 4-3 game it did not get back. Deslauriers had not scored since April 13, 2025. His last multi-goal night was Feb. 19, 2022, also against Vancouver, the NHL recap said. "We should play them more often," he told NHL.com. "Don't get used to it."

The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-3. Carolina is 8-2-1, eight of nine, a bounce-back from 3-2 at Calgary on Sunday. The Associated Press recap said the win put the defending Stanley Cup champions in the NHL points lead. Vancouver is 2-8-1, eight losses in a row (0-7-1), including 7-2 in Carolina on Oct. 8. Shots were 44-17 Carolina. Deslauriers, Nadeau, Juuso Valimaki, Merilainen, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Max Sasson, and Linus Karlsson are not seeded on AthX player pages, so those names stay unlinked.

Logan Stankoven scored twice. Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice. Deslauriers scored twice. Jackson Blake had three assists. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 14 of 17. Karlsson, Lekkerimaki, and Sasson scored for Vancouver. Jake DeBrusk had two assists. Merilainen stopped 38 of 43.

3-3 after 40, then a door Vancouver left open

Stankoven opened it at 4:44 of the first, a drop from Blake above the left hash marks, wrist over Merilainen's glove. 1-0.

Karlsson tied it at 10:10 after Elias Pettersson was knocked down cutting to the middle. The puck slid into the right circle. Karlsson buried it. 1-1.

Ehlers made it 2-1 at 12:09 on a backdoor from Blake. It was the first time this season Ehlers played with Stankoven and Blake, the NHL recap said. The trio combined for nine points (four goals, five assists).

Lekkerimaki evened it at 19:58 on the power play, a cross-crease chip from DeBrusk after Brock Boeser threw it from the right boards. 2-2.

Deslauriers scored his first at 2:26 of the second. Jesperi Kotkaniemi intercepted Merilainen behind the net and found Deslauriers at the bottom of the right circle. 3-2. It was Deslauriers' first goal with Carolina since the March 6 trade from Philadelphia.

Sasson tied it at 13:07, just out of the box, a give-and-go with Zeev Buium while Kochetkov was out of the play after Nadeau and Arshdeep Bains slid into the net. 3-3.

Sebastian Aho got a penalty shot at 16:55 after Pettersson threw his stick. Merilainen stopped it. Rod Brind'Amour told NHL.com Kochetkov made one big save they needed, denying Drew O'Connor on a breakaway with the game tied late in the second. Kochetkov is 6-0-0 this season.

Three in the third, none the other way

Deslauriers scored the 4-3 goal at 4:07. Ehlers went in alone at 10:22 and beat Merilainen between the legs. 5-3. Ehlers then found Stankoven on a 2-on-1 for an empty-netter at 17:57. 6-3.

The NHL recap said it was the fourth straight game Vancouver was tied or leading into the third, and that the Canucks have lost all four (0-3-1) while being outscored 9-0 in the third period and overtime. Manny Malhotra told NHL.com 40 minutes is not good enough, 45 is not good enough, 50 is not good enough.

Stankoven has five of his six goals this season against Vancouver, including a hat trick here on Oct. 8, the NHL recap said. Carolina has won six straight against Vancouver dating to Oct. 28, 2024. Marco Rossi missed a second game with an illness. Valimaki had an assist in 11:29 in his Hurricanes debut.

AthX Engine on a 6-3 that waited for the third

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Stankoven at 14.00 (two goals, an assist, five shots, one block). Ehlers is 12.90. Blake is 10.50. Deslauriers is 9.20. Lekkerimaki is 6.30. DeBrusk is 5.60. Merilainen's 38-save loss is 9.20. Kochetkov's win, 14 saves, and three goals against land at 5.00.

Carolina's team line is 22.20. Vancouver's 3-6 is 0.60.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Hurricanes depth winger who scored twice in 10:44, and for a Canucks group that keeps reaching the third and leaving empty. They are not the same number.

Track Stankoven, Ehlers, Blake, and both clubs on the marketplace. Carolina visits Edmonton on Thursday. Detroit visits Vancouver that night.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard, ESPN NHL scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020150. Information only; not financial advice.*