VANCOUVER — Asked about the opportunity he is getting with the Vancouver Canucks, Jacob Quillan said: “This is everything.”

A scoring star in college, the 24-year-old showed Tuesday night he is willing to do anything to stay in the National Hockey League by delivering the hit of the game and then fighting twice as the Canucks lost 5-4 to the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena.

Quillan did fine in his first two NHL fights when challenged by six-foot-five Roger McQueen, then rugged defenceman Travis Mitchell. He can’t build his career on fighting.

But his willingness to stand up for himself — to show his new Canuck teammates he will fight for them — was notable on a night when Vancouver couldn’t survive its penalty killing or Ducks sniper Cutter Gauthier, but literally and figuratively battled their way back into the game against one of the league’s biggest teams.

It was another game in which the rebuilding Canucks, even with their many flaws, were fully engaged, combative and played their opponents even at five-on-five. 

Down three goals in the third period, the Canucks surged back with a pair of goals from Jake DeBrusk and generated significant offensive-zone pressure at the end. Jonathan Lekkerimaki just missed on a couple of shot-pass redirects from the high slot as Vancouver attacked six-against-five before losing for the 13th time in 14 games.

Their only win during this spiral came a week ago when the Canucks stunned the Ducks in Anaheim by rallying from a three-goal deficit to win 6-5 in overtime, which probably partly explains the feistiness of the rematch. The teams combined for 84 minutes in penalties and five fights.

“I think it shows we have a lot of fight in here and a lot of heart, like I've been saying,” centre Max Sasson said after his first........

© Sportsnet