EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Matthew Highmore scored twice in the third period to help the Vancouver Canucks beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 on Saturday.
“He’s tenacious on pucks, he’s good in his own end and obviously you saw tonight that he can put the puck in the net when he wants to,” Canucks captain Bo Horvat said. “He’s been a great addition to our group, a good guy in the locker room and we’re happy to have him.”
Travis Boyd and Bo Horvat also scored and Thatcher Demko made 31 saves. J.T. Miller added two assists.
Adam Larsson scored for the Oilers in their regular-season finale. Mikko Koskinen made 37 saves.
Edmonton will open the playoffs Wednesday at home against Winnipeg.
“That game was a win if nobody got hurt and nobody got hurt so we’re taking a win,” Oilers coach Dave Tippett said. “Other than that, it was a game that had no meaning to it from our side so we got through it fine.”
Connor McDavid had an assist to finish the season with an NHL-leading 105 points.
He missed a prime chance to score in the third period when he picked up a turnover in the neutral zone and sped away for a breakaway. The Oilers captain attempted to put a wrist shot in from the top of the crease, but Demko made a blocker save.
“I got my eyes on it, kind of noticed he was in a good enough spot to raise it so I was just trying to elevate my leg, too, a little bit to help give me a chance to get a piece of it,” Demko said. “It was kind of sitting there on the goal line for a split second. Luckily we were able to live to see another day.”
The Canucks have three games left against Calgary.
