Blues keep playoff hopes alive by beating struggling Canucks 3-1
By Canadian Press on March 21, 2026.
VANCOUVER — Pius Suter and Pavel Buchnevich scored goals 79 seconds apart in the second period as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 Saturday to snap a two-game NHL losing streak.
Jordan Binnington stopped 14 shots for St. Louis (28-30-11).
Jordan Kyrou scored into an empty net on a power play with 48 seconds left in the third period to seal the deal.
Defenceman Filip Hronek scored on a third-period power play for Vancouver (21-40-8).
Goaltender Kevin Lankinen stopped 18 shots for the Canucks.
Suter, a former Canuck, opened the scoring at 10:17 of the second period. Lankinen stopped a Robert Thomas shot but the puck hit Suter and went into the net.
Just over a minute later Buchnevich took a shot from above the faceoff circle that found an empty corner of the net past a diving Lankinen.
Hronek cut the lead to one with a shot from the point that deflected into the St. Louis net off Blues’ defenceman Logan Mailloux.
TAKEAWAYS
Canucks: Hronek played after not practising on Friday. … Forward Marco Rossi collected an assist to extend his points streak to three goals and seven assists in five games. … Left winger Curtis Douglas, who sat out the last two games, replaced Max Sasson on Vancouver’s fourth line. … The game was 5:48 old before the Canucks registered their first shot on goal, during a power play. … Lankinen was called for a tripping penalty in the first period. It was the goaltender’s second penalty of the year.
Blues: St. Louis had lost one-goal games in Winnipeg and Calgary before arriving in Vancouver. … Defenceman Justin Holl replaced Tyler Tucker, who was injured in Thursday’s shootout loss to Calgary. … Forwards Nathan Walker, Jonatan Berggren and Oskar Sundqvist were scratched for the second consecutive game.
KEY MOMENT
The Blues had two goals disallowed with right-winger Jimmy Snuggerud and defenceman Dylan Hooloway involved in both plays. Snuggerud thought he’d given the Blues a 1-0 lead early in the second period, but Holloway was called for goaltender interference. Later in the period Holloway looked to have made it 3-0 only to have his goal called back on a Snuggerud high stick.
KEY STAT
The win kept the Blues’ slim playoff hopes alive. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. They are six points back of Nashville for the final wild-card playoff berth in the Western Conference.
UP NEXT
Blues: Host the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
Canucks: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2026.
Jim Morris, The Canadian Press
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