That was one way to snap a 10-game losing streak.

The Vancouver Canucks finally found a way back into the win column Tuesday night, but the underlying numbers from their 6-5 overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks finally offer something more encouraging than an empty-calorie win.

After controlling just 26.75% of expected goals at five-on-five against Minnesota on Sunday, Vancouver flipped that figure to 59.24% in Anaheim. The Canucks generated 12 high-danger chances while surrendering seven, and a surprising combination of Liam Öhgren, Marco Rossi, and Linus Karlsson produced some of the team’s most dominant possession numbers of the season. However, a difficult outing from Leevi Meriläinen nearly spoiled the improved performance, leaving Vancouver needing six goals to secure its first victory in 11 games.

Here’s the win, by the numbers. As always, you can find our glossary guide of advanced stats here.

The Canucks’ five-on-five performance was a considerable improvement from Sunday’s loss, particularly in their ability to generate quality scoring chances. Vancouver finished the opening period with a 54.84 CF%, out-attempting Anaheim 17-14. That translated into a 71.92 xGF%, with the Canucks producing 0.92 expected goals while allowing 0.36.

After an early push from the Ducks, Vancouver began steadily tilting the ice in its favour. Unlike Sunday, when the Canucks controlled shot attempts without building a significant expected-goals advantage, their early pressure in Orange County produced dangerous looks around the blue paint.

Things became considerably less comfortable in the second, when the Ducks took a 63.16 CF% while out-attempting Vancouver 12-7 at five-on-five. Still, Vancouver’s underlying numbers weren’t nearly as disastrous as the scoreboard suggested after 40 minutes. Its 45.05 xGF% in the middle frame represented a relatively modest disadvantage, with Anaheim generating 0.71 expected goals compared to Vancouver’s 0.58.

Vancouver regained control during the third, generating 13 shot attempts to Anaheim’s seven at five-on-five. Its 65% CF% and 61.02 xGF% reflected a stronger territorial performance as the Canucks mounted their comeback.

By the end of regulation, Vancouver had out-attempted Anaheim 37-33 at five-on-five and produced 2.22 expected goals against 1.53 for the Ducks. It was a substantially better performance than Sunday’s, even if the defensive breakdowns and goaltending nearly

Vancouver’s improvement in shot quality becomes particularly apparent when looking at the concentration of unblocked attempts around Anaheim’s crease, with the strongest clusters extending through the low slot and into the areas surrounding the net.

That pressure translated into 12 high-danger chances at five-on-five, compared to seven for the Ducks. Vancouver controlled a 63.16 HDCF%, an impressive turnaround after surrendering 17 high-danger opportunities and generating just seven against Minnesota. The opening period was especially productive, with the Canucks generating five high-danger chances while allowing just one. They added three more in the second and four in the third, consistently finding ways to reach dangerous areas even when Anaheim carried long stretches of play.

Despite being outshot 18-15 at five-on-five, one important distinction was that Vancouver limited the quality of the chances against. Anaheim’s strongest concentration appeared around one side of the Vancouver crease, however, the Ducks couldn’t match the overall volume of high-danger chances Vancouver created. The larger concern was how frequently those opportunities became goals against Meriläinen, despite the Canucks conceding fewer dangerous chances than they generated.

Corsi Champ: Liam Öhgren finished with a team-leading 73.33 CF% at five-on-five, with Vancouver generating 11 shot attempts and allowing just four during his 13:28. Vancouver generated six scoring chances and allowed only one during his minutes, and after a difficult outing against Minnesota, the winger delivered one of his strongest performances of the season.

Corsi Chump: Victor Mancini found himself at the opposite end of the spectrum. The defenceman finished with a team-low 33.33 CF% at five-on-five, with Anaheim generating 10 shot attempts against Vancouver’s five during his 11:01. Those numbers came despite reasonably favourable deployment, including one offensive-zone shift start and none in the defensive zone. Although his high-danger chances were even at two apiece, Vancouver spent too much of Mancini’s ice time defending rather than generating sustained pressure.

xGF: Öhgren’s dominance extended past the shot-attempt differential, as his 98.07 xGF% led all Canucks skaters at five-on-five. The Canucks held a 3-0 advantage in high-danger chances with him on the ice, while the overall scoring-chance battle finished 6-1. Marco Rossi wasn’t far behind at 93.35 xGF%, followed by Linus Karlsson at 93.02%.

GSAx: The final result was considerably kinder to Leevi Meriläinen than his underlying numbers. Vancouver’s goaltender stopped 18 of 23 shots for a .783 save percentage, surrendering five goals against just 2.16 expected goals, leaving him with a minus-2.84 goals saved above expected.

His numbers at even strength were particularly concerning, allowing four goals on 18 shots at five-on-five, where Anaheim generated just 1.53 expected goals, producing a minus-2.47 GSAx in those situations. Four of the five goals he surrendered were classified as high-danger, although he faced only six high-danger shots throughout the game.

Anaheim’s Lukas Dostál struggled as well, allowing six goals against 4.33 expected goals and finishing with a minus-1.67 GSAx.