Cooley scores winner as Utah Hockey Club downs Vancouver Canucks 3-1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Logan Cooley scored the winner as the Utah Hockey Club edged the Canucks 3-1 in their inaugural visit to Vancouver on Sunday night.

Kevin Stenlund and Clayton Keller — into an empty net — also scored, while Karel Vejmelka stopped 18 shots for Utah. Nick Schmaltz registered two assists.

Quinn Hughes opened the scoring for the Canucks with a power-play tally at the 2:37 mark of the second period.

Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves for Vancouver, which was coming off a 6-2 win over the Blackhawks on Saturday.

The result held playoff implications for both teams as they battle the Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot.

The Canucks finished the night tied with the Blues in points (73), but one spot below the playoff bar with fewer wins (31) than St. Louis (33).

Canucks: Jonathan Lekkerimaki slotted in for Filip Chytil, who left Saturday’s win late in the third period after being hit from behind by Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson. Chytil’s head snapped back before he crumbled to the ice. Coach Rick Tocchet said Sunday that the center is “day to day.”

Utah: Utah swept the three-game season series between the two clubs. Utah won 3-2 in overtime on Dec. 18 and 2-1 on Feb. 23.

Cooley capitalized on a rebound to give Utah the lead at 5:08 of the third period. Schmaltz’s shot hit the skate of a Canucks forward in front of the net, where it was deflected by Sean Durzi. The puck popped out to Cooley, who blasted it in for his 18th of the season.

The physical affair saw 14 penalty minutes doled out to Utah and eight to Vancouver. The Canucks outhit the visitors 38-17.

Utah wraps up a three-game road trip in Edmonton on Tuesday. The Canucks finish a three-game homestand against the Jets the same night.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) stops Utah Hockey Club's Michael Carcone (53) as Vancouver's Marcus Pettersson (29) watches during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) stops the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Utah Hockey Club's Michael Carcone (53) and Vancouver Canucks' Marcus Pettersson (29) vie for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Utah Hockey Club's Michael Kesselring (7) and Vancouver Canucks' Kiefer Sherwood (44) vie for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) stops Utah Hockey Club's Dylan Guenther (11) as Vancouver's Tyler Myers (57) defends during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Utah Hockey Club's Logan Cooley (92) and Vancouver Canucks' Dakota Joshua (81) vie for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Utah Hockey Club's Logan Cooley (92) celebrates after his goal against the Vancouver Canucks with teammates during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) stops Vancouver Canucks' Jake DeBrusk (74) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mixed Wednesday ahead of a decision on interest rates by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

France's CAC 40 inched up less than 0.1% in early trading to 8,117.25, while the German DAX shed 0.3% to 23,319.45. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.3% to 8,678.86. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.1% at 41,984.00. S&P 500 futures added less than 0.1% to 5,620.00.

Japan reported that it logged a trade surplus in February, with exports rising more than 11% as manufacturers rushed to beat rising tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Japanese central bank opted to keep its benchmark rate unchanged, as expected. The Fed also is expected to hold rates steady.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 edged down 0.3% to finish at 37,751.88 after the central bank decided to keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.5%. The U.S. Federal Reserve is also expected to keep rates steady.

Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda reiterated that the Japanese economy is recovering moderately, though risks remain. He declined comment on Trump's policies. Ueda said fluctuations in exchange rates and consumer prices required monitoring.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 149.66 Japanese yen from 149.28 yen. The euro cost $1.0904, down from $1.0944.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.1% to 24,771.14, while the Shanghai Composite declined 0.1% to 3,426.43.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.4% to 7,828.30. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.6% to 2,628.62.

Much attention will focus Wednesday on forecasts the Fed will publish after its meeting, showing the outlook for interest rates, inflation and the economy. For now, traders on Wall Street are largely expecting the Fed to deliver two or three cuts to rates by the end of 2025.

Uncertainty is widespread among global markets about what President Donald Trump’s trade war will do not only to the American economy but also to other economies around the world. Trump’s rat -a- tat announcements on tariffs and other policies have created worries that U.S. households and businesses could pull back on their spending, which would hurt the economy.

That complicates matters for the Federal Reserve, which is beginning its latest meeting on interest-rate policy and will make its announcement on Wednesday.

Virtually everyone expects the Fed to stand pat. Cutting its main interest rate would make it easier for U.S. businesses and households to borrow, helping to boost the economy. But lower interest rates can also push inflation upward, and U.S. consumers shell-shocked by high prices have already begun bracing for even higher inflation because of tariffs.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude fell 51 cents to $66.39 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 46 cents to $70.10 a barrel.

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

An electronic board displays Jakarta composite index at Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

FILE - People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)