By Canadian Press

Brock Boeser, Loui Eriksson lead the way as Canucks thump Kings 6-2

Jan 23, 2018 | 11:35 PM

VANCOUVER — Buried from behind by a cross check to set up a 5-on-3 power play, Vancouver Canucks rookie Brock Boeser waited patiently on the bench to get back in the action.

It took the sniper precisely 12 seconds to exact his revenge.

Boeser scored twice in the second period — including that blast on a two-man advantage — after Loui Eriksson led Vancouver’s early offensive explosion with two goals and an assist before the game was six minutes old Tuesday as the Canucks snapped a two-game slide with a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Thomas Vanek, with a goal and two assists, and Sven Baertschi provided the rest of the offence for Vancouver (19-23-6), which got 30 saves from Jacob Markstrom. Bo Horvat and Alexander Edler each added two assists.

With the Canucks up 5-2 in the second period, Boeser, who came in with one goal and two assists in nine games after wracking up eight goals and five assists in his previous 10, was hooked on a breakaway before Trevor Lewis crumpled him into the boards moments later to set up the 5-on-3.

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The 20-year-old Boeser then emphatically buried his second of the goal night and 24th of the season that leads both the Canucks and all NHL rookies.

“I wasn’t too happy because that hurt pretty bad,” Boeser said of the cross check. “Especially after that breakaway, I wanted to score there.”

Before Boeser’s outburst, the newly formed line of Eriksson, Vanek and Horvat was the story after the trio scored on three straight shifts to open the game.

“It’s a big win for us,” said Eriksson, who has three goals and three assists in his last five games after recording two assists in his previous 17 outings. “We take it and it’s on to the next one now.”

Vancouver went 2-4-1 on a recent seven-game road trip that wrapped around the club’s league-mandated bye week, and was just 3-9-2 over its last 14 outings before Tuesday.

With the Canucks getting back healthy following a slew of injuries that nullified their solid start to the season, head coach Travis Green put Boeser with Henrik and Daniel Sedin to both balance out his first two lines, and get Eriksson and Vanek going.

“I thought putting Horvat with Loui and Vanek would give both of them a little bit of life, a little bit of energy,” said Green. “Those guys know they’re going to play a lot when they play with Bo and they’re going to get offensive chances.”

Anze Kopitar, with a goal and an assist, and Alex Iafallo replied for Los Angeles (25-18-5). Jonathan Quick allowed five goals on 19 shots, including four on 11 in the first 9:58 of the opening period.

Darcy Kuemper stopped 16 shots in relief after Quick was pulled with the score 5-1 early in the second.

“They came in ready to check and play hard on pucks. We tried to play a rush game and allowed people to get behind us,” said Kings head coach John Stevens. “Our two best players in the game were our goalies … not often you say that when you lose 6-2.”

Playing at Rogers Arena for the first time in three weeks, the Canucks opened the scoring 62 seconds into their five-game homestand when Eriksson’s initial redirection off Vanek’s shot squeezed between Quick’s arm and body and landed in the crease. The Kings netminder got a piece of the puck with his stick as he reached back in an attempt to clear the danger, but Eriksson was there to poke in his seventh.

The Swede was at it again a couple of minutes later, taking a slick feed from Horvat — who returned to the lineup Sunday after missing 18 games with an ankle injury — off the rush and firing his second of the night at 3:50.

Vanek continued the onslaught at 5:49 when he fired a slapshot from the top of the faceoff circle past a surprised Quick for his 14th.

The Kings got one back when Iafallo scored his fourth at 8:01, but Baertschi restored Vancouver’s three-goal lead with his 10th on a power play following a Los Angeles penalty for a faceoff violation at 9:58. His initial redirection off Vanek’s hard pass into the slot was blocked, but the Swiss winger followed up to catch Quick going the wrong way.

Boeser made it 5-1 by chipping home a rebound on the power play at 4:21 of the second period to snap a six-game goal drought to end Quick’s night.

Kopitar responded with his team-leading 19th on a Kings man advantage just 1:27 later, but Boeser added his second after the Lewis cross check past a screened Kuemper.

“I knew I had to go back to the basics, work hard, and stick to the structure, and the chances will come,” said Boeser. “Our whole team played a really good game tonight.”

Notes: The Kings, who lost defenceman Derek Forbort to an upper-body injury in the second period, visit Calgary on Wednesday. … The Canucks host Buffalo on Thursday.

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Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press