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Markstrom, Canucks shut down Hurricanes

Vancouver goalie makes 30 saves in 3-0 win
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Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom (25) stops a shot from Carolina Hurricanes left wing Jeff Skinner (53) during third period NHL action in Vancouver, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

VANCOUVER (CP) — Jacob Markstrom made 30 saves for his first career NHL shutout as the Vancouver Canucks blanked the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Derrick Pouliot had a goal and two assists and Nikolay Goldobin and Thomas Vanek also scored for the Canucks (14-10-4), who have won three straight.

The Hurricanes (11-10-5), who opened a season-long six-game road trip, have lost 10 straight games at Rogers Arena (0-7-3), where they last won in October of 1999.

Scott Darling stopped 19 shots for Carolina.

Carolina, which entered the game leading the league in shots on goal per game, outshot Vancouver 12-3 in the first period. Darling didn’t have much to do at the other end with the Canucks firing all of three shots, including a power-play chance.

That all changed quickly in the second. Canucks winger Bo Horvat missed on a breakaway chance in the first minute and then Pouliot scored the game’s first goal 2:58 in. Pouliot carried the puck into the slot, made a nice deke move to fake Darling and snapped it over the goalie’s shoulder.

It was 2-0 with just over six minutes in the period while on a Canucks power play. Sam Gagner fired from top of the face-off circle and Vanek, parked in front of Darling, tipped the puck into the top corner of Carolina’s net. Pouliot also collected an assist on the goal

Justin Williams had the Hurricanes’ best chance in the second with five minutes left on a point-blank shot from the slot that Markstrom just got a glove on.

Carolina came out firing on Markstrom in the third, but it was Vancouver extending its lead at six minutes in. Goldobin took a pass from Horvat in the slot, hit the post, collected his rebounded and scored his first of the season to make it 3-0. Pouliot added his second assist of the night on the goal.

Notes: Horvat left the game in the third period and did not return. … The Canucks were without defenceman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) and forward Brandon Sutter (lower body) … The two teams meet once more this season, Feb. 9 in North Carolina.

Jason Keller, The Canadian Press