B.C. product Ben Kindel scored twice, lifting the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in NHL action Sunday afternoon at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Evgeni Malkin had the other goal for the Penguins (26-14-11), with Stuart Skinner making 26 saves for the win in goal.
Jake DeBrusk and Teddy Blueger replied for Vancouver (17-30-5). Kevin Lankinen took the netminding loss, stopping 22 of 25 shots.
The teams battled through a scoreless first period, with each side managing eight shots on goal.
The Penguins believed they had taken the lead with just over 12 minutes to play when Egor Chinakhov beat Lankinen in close but the play was ruled offside after a Vancouver challenge.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring 5:24 into the middle frame, with Malkin potting his 12th goal of the season, dashing up ice and converting a nice feed from Tommy Novak.
At 8:41, rookie Kindel made it 2-0 with his ninth of the year. The 18-year-old Coquitlam-born forward tipped home a pass from Ryan Shea.
Kindel scored again (with approximately 150 of his friends and family in attendance) at 17:22, ripping a shot from the slot and shattering the small camera inside the net behind Lankinen.
Pittsburgh outshot the Canucks 13-10 in the period.
Always follow up on your shot.
pic.twitter.com/oPiblDnLSY
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 26, 2026
The Canucks got on the board 6:29 into the final period, as DeBrusk circled around the net to flip home his own rebound for his 13th goal of the year.
With six minutes to play, Blueger made it 3-2, tipping home a Filip Hronek shot. Blueger now has three goals on the year.
Vancouver pulled Lankinen with 1:50 to play in the period. Skinner robbed Brock Boeser in close with 50 seconds left and the Pens hung on for the win, their fourth in a row.
The Canucks host the San Jose Sharks Tuesday (7 p.m.).
NOTES: Vancouver defenceman Zeev Buium was hit in the face with puck in the first period and returned later with a full face shield… Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby was held off the scoresheet and remains three goals shy of reaching the 30-goal mark for the 14th time in his career and the fifth-consecutive season. Crosby has 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 27 career games against the Canucks… The Pens completed a perfect Western Canada road trip (Calgary-Edmonton-Vancouver) for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.