VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) â Bo Harvat scored his second goal of the game 1:19 into overtime, giving the Vancouver Canucks a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night in their return from a nearly four-week layoff because of a COVID-19 outbreak.
Horvat also had an assist, Nils Hoglander had a goal and an assist, and Braden Holtby made 37 saves as the Canucks played their first game since March 24. At least 21 players and four members of the coaching staff tested positive for the coronavirus and Vancouver had 11 games postponed since the outbreak hit late last month.
No Canucks players remained on the NHLâs COVID-19 protocol list Sunday, but some of Vancouverâs regular starters remained out of the lineup, including goalie Thatcher Demko, defenseman Nate Schmidt and forwards Tyler Motte and Jake Virtanen.
VANCOUVER The Vancouver Canucks made a splash in their return from a COVID-19 outbreak Sunday, edging the No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. Captain Bo Horvat snapped in the game-winner 1:19 into the extra frame for his second goal of the game. He also registered an assist on the night. Nils Hoglander also scored and notched a helper in regulation for the Canucks (16-20-3), who were playing their first game since March 24. William Nylander had a goal and an assist for the Leafs (29-12-4), while Auston Matthews added a goal in his return from a nagging wrist injury and John Tavares contributed a pair of assists.
Canucks embark on unprecedented journey with gutsy win over Maple Leafs
Braden Holtby turned away 37-of-the-39 shots he faced, while Bo Horvat scored twice including the overtime winner as the Vancouver Canucks defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2. | April 19, 2021, 12:28 AM
April 19, 2021, 12:28 AM
VANCOUVER This has never been tried.
Nobody has done what the Vancouver Canucks are trying to do because no major professional sports team in North America has been attacked the way the Canucks were the last three weeks by COVID-19’s vicious P.1 variant.
There is no precedent. Finishing the National Hockey League season with nearly an entire roster of coronavirus survivors is a monumental challenge that seems almost impossible to conclude with any competitive success. It seems the Canucks are playing for degrees of failure, because how could any team thrive over 19 games in 32 days after a 24-day layoff in which many players were sicker than they’ve ever been?
The Leafs remain atop the all-Canadian North Division and hold a 4-2 edge in the season series with three games to go.
The Canucks suffered the NHL’s worst COVID-19 outbreak when the P. 1 variant of the virus swept through the team late last month.
Twenty-one players and four coaches tested positive for the virus, one other player was deemed a close contact, and another received a false positive result. Family members including one player’s pregnant wife also fell ill.
No Canucks players remained on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list Sunday. Nineteen were on the list at the height of the outbreak.
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