Ducks escape early hole, end Canucks’ head-to-head hex

Ryan Strome and Troy Terry each had a goal and two assists as the host Anaheim Ducks recorded their first win over the Vancouver Canucks in three years, a 5-2 victory on Thursday.

Frank Vatrano, Jackson LaCombe and Cutter Gauthier also scored as Anaheim snapped an eight-game losing skid to the Canucks that dated back to the start of the 2022-23 season.

Mason McTavish and Isac Lundestrom had two assists each while Lukas Dostal stopped 22 shots for the Ducks, who rallied from a two-goal deficit to score five unanswered goals in the final two periods.

Defenseman Tyler Myers had a goal and an assist and Pius Suter scored a goal for the road-weary Canucks, who were playing the fourth game of a five-game road trip and the second of a Southern California back-to-back. Arturs Silovs made 20 saves.

Myers, who was injured in Vancouver’s Wednesday win over the Los Angeles Kings after taking a high shot to the throat, took the first penalty of the Thursday game — then scored the first goal as he exited the penalty box.

Myers took a long pass from Drew O’Connor and hammered a slapshot over the far right shoulder of Dostal at 3:17 of the first period.

With less than three minutes left in the first, Myers carried the puck around the back of the Ducks’ net and passed it out front to Suter, who poked it in between Dostal’s legs to make it 2-0.

Vatrano started Anaheim’s rally with a goal at 5:27 of the second. Vatrano positioned himself on the left faceoff dot and one-timed a shot off a pass from the corner by Strome.

Gauthier caught Silovs playing too deep in his crease and scored on a high snap shot from the left side to tie it 2-2 at 9:09 of the second.

Strome gave Anaheim its first lead of the game, 3-2, beating Silovs on the blocker side with 1:19 left in the second period.

LaCombe at 15:46 and Terry into an empty net at 17:54 scored third-period goals to seal the win.

It was the second game back for Canucks captain and leading point-scorer Quinn Hughes, who missed six contests with an undisclosed injury.