Elias Pettersson had a goal with two assists and Ilya Mikheyev scored twice as the visiting Vancouver Canucks continued their hot start with a fifth straight victory, 5-2 over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night

With three more points, Pettersson raised his team-leading total to 24 for Vancouver, perhaps the NHL’s biggest early surprise at 10-2-1 and riding an 8-0-1 stretch. Casey DeSmith made 28 saves for the Canucks, who prevailed despite being held to 16 shots on goal.

With the game tied 2-2 late in the second period, Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk missed an open net when he slid the puck through the crease and behind DeSmith. Moments later in transition, J.T. Miller converted through traffic in front of the net by going to the short side of Ottawa netminder Anton Forsberg (11 saves) with 1:52 remaining before the second intermission.

Mikheyev added some insurance with 10:37 left in regulation when Pettersson’s shot deflected in off his leg for his fifth goal in nine games this season. Pettersson’s seventh goal came on the power play with 6:32 to go.

Drake Batherson and Artem Zub scored for Ottawa, which has dropped six of eight overall and five straight at home.

Vancouver wasted no time taking control. Just 15 seconds in, it appeared Forsberg made a stellar save on Brock Boeser’s drive, but the play went to video review. Replay showed that the puck completely crossed the line before landing in Forsberg’s glove for Boeser’s 11th of the season. Just 2:45 later, a Senators’ own-zone turnover ended up with Mikheyev going through Forsberg’s legs for a 2-0 Vancouver lead.

Ottawa managed to halve that deficit with 1:45 remaining in the first. Batherson took advantage of a Vancouver turnover in its own end, then beat DeSmith for his third goal. Ottawa, which outshot the Canucks 11-3 in the opening period, tied things with 9:02 left in the second, when Zub’s strike was redirected into the net by the stick of Pettersson.

Zub missed the previous seven games with a concussion.

–Field Level Media