Andrei Kuzmenko scores twice, Canucks beat Avalanche 4-2

VANCOUVER, CANADA – JANUARY 5: Ethan Bear #74 of the Vancouver Canucks checks Denis Malgin #81 of the Colorado Avalanche off the puck during the first period in NHL action on January 5, 2023 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

Posted: Jan 6, 2023 / 08:43 AM MST

Updated: Jan 6, 2023 / 08:43 AM MST

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Andrei Kuzmenko scored twice and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 on Thursday night.

Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller also scored for the Canucks. They snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 17-18-3.

Collin Delia stopped 29 shots for Vancouver. Elias Pettersson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each had two assists.

Mikko Rantanen and Samuel Girard scored for Colorado and Alexandar Georgiev made 39 saves. The defending champion Avalanche are 0-4-1 in their last five to fall to 19-15-3.

A highlight reel play set up Vancouver’s second goal.

Putting the puck between his own legs, Kuzmenko sprung Pettersson for a partial breakaway. The Swedish center drove into the Colorado zone, took the puck around the net, and got off a shot as he fell to the ice. Kuzmenko then forced the puck in past Georgiev’s skate, tying it at 2 with his 17th goal of the season.

Boeser scored the go-ahead goal 34 seconds later, sending a wrist shot past the netminder from in tight.