Pettersson and Brannstrom have a goal and assist each and Canucks top Flames 3-1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Elias Pettersson tied the game on the power play early in the second period and assisted on Erik Brannstrom’s goal in the third as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Pius Suter also scored for the Canucks while J.T. Miller had two assists. Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen stopped 28 shots.

Justin Kirkland scored for Calgary and Flames goalie Dan Vladar made 29 saves.

Brannstrom's goal was his first as a Canuck since he was obtained in an Oct. 6 deal with Colorado.

Swedish rookie Jonathan Lekkerimaki, the 15th pick in the 2022 draft, played his first game as a Canuck, taking Brock Boeser’s spot on the first-unit power play. Boeser is recovering from an upper-body injury after being hit in the head by Tanner Jeannot of the Los Angeles Kings last Thursday.

Canucks: Combined with his goal in the loss to Edmonton on Saturday night, it was the first time in 50 regular-season games that Pettersson has scored in back-to-back games. He last had consecutive goals in a three-game stretch from Jan. 15 to Jan. 20.

Flames: After winning five of their first six games the Flames have just three wins in their last 11 (3-6-2).

Calgary led 1-0 after scoring at the 19-minute mark of the first period but defenseman Daniil Miromanov was called for high-sticking just before the period ended. Pettersson tapped in Miller's shot to tie the game on the power play just 23 seconds into the second, then Suter made it 2-1 2:15 later.

The Canucks gave up the opening goal for the eighth consecutive game but are 5-2-1 during that stretch.

The Flames kick off a four-game homestand against the Predators on Friday, and the Canucks host the Islanders on Thursday.

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

Calgary Falmes' Justin Kirkland, left, celebrates with Kevin Bahl after scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Rich Lam/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen (right) squares up to stop Calgary Flames' MacKenzie Weegar (left) as Canucks' Filip Hronek defends during first period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, B.C., Tuesday, November 12, 2024. (Rich Lam/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks' Filip Hronek, left, and Calgary Flames' Andrei Kuzmenko battle along the boards during first period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, B.C., Tuesday, November 12, 2024. (Rich Lam/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks' Nils Hoglander, right, chases a loose puck after Calgary Flames' goalie Dan Vladar made a save during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Rich Lam/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson, front, hits Calgary Flames' MacKenzie Weegar during first period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Rich Lam/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks' Erik Brannstrom, right, is congratulated by teammate Elias Pettersson after scoring a goal against the Calgary Flames during third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Rich Lam/The Canadian Press via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has sent its response to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal via Pakistani mediators and wants negotiations to focus on permanently ending the war, Iran’s state-run media said Sunday. Pakistan confirmed receiving it.

Iran seeks to end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel fights the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, and to ensure the security of shipping, its state TV said. Washington’s latest proposal addressed a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Iran’s nuclear program, an issue that Tehran would rather discuss later.

The White House had no immediate comment about Iran’s reply. President Donald Trump is giving diplomacy “every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities,” the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told ABC.

Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard publicly since the war began, “issued new and decisive directives for the continuation of operations and the powerful confrontation with the enemies” while meeting with the head of the joint military command, the state broadcaster reported, with no details.

Meanwhile, the fragile ceasefire was tested when a drone ignited a small fire on a ship off Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported drones entering their airspace. The UAE blamed Iran. No casualties were reported, and no one immediately claimed responsibility.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry called it a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and safety of maritime trade routes and vital supplies in the region."

Iran and armed allied groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon have used drones to carry out hundreds of strikes since the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran does not accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. Iran has largely blocked the strategic waterway that's key to the global flow of oil, natural gas and fertilizer since the war began, rattling world markets.

The U.S. in turn has blockaded Iranian ports and on Friday struck two Iranian oil tankers it said were trying to breach the blockade. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy says any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a “heavy assault” on one of the U.S. bases in the region and enemy ships.

The American military said Sunday that it has turned back 61 commercial vessels and disabled four since the blockade began April 13.

Another sticking point in negotiations is Iran’s highly enriched uranium. The U.N. nuclear agency says Iran has more than 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.

In an interview with state media posted late Saturday, an Iranian military spokesperson said its forces were on “full readiness” to protect nuclear sites where uranium is stored.

“We considered it possible that they might intend to steal it through infiltration operations or heli-borne operations,” Brig. Gen. Akrami Nia told the IRNA news agency.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an excerpt of an interview with CBS scheduled to air later Sunday said the war isn't over because the enriched uranium needs to be taken out of Iran. “Trump has said to me, ‘I want to go in there,’ and I think it can be done physically,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Moscow’s proposal to take enriched uranium from Iran to help negotiate a settlement remains on the table.

The majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely at its Isfahan nuclear complex, the International Atomic Energy Agency director-general told The Associated Press last month. The facility was bombarded by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in the 12-day war last year and faced less intense attacks this year.

Pakistan oversaw face-to-face talks between the U.S. and Iran last month and continues to pursue mediation. In rare public comments, army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir said Islamabad remains committed to helping end the conflict. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by phone with his Qatari counterpart.

The UAE's Defense Ministry said it shot down two drones and blamed Iran.

In Kuwait, Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al Otaibi said hostile drones entered Kuwait’s airspace and forces responded “in accordance with established procedures.” The ministry did not say where the drones came from.

Qatar's Defense Ministry said a drone targeted a commercial ship coming from Abu Dhabi, setting a small fire that was extinguished. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the attack happened 23 nautical miles (43 kilometers) northeast of the capital, Doha. It gave no details about the ship’s owner or origin, and there was no claim of responsibility.

Several attacks against ships in the Persian Gulf have occurred over the past week, and a U.S. effort to “guide” ships through the strait was soon paused.

South Korea announced initial findings from a investigation that said two unidentified airborne objects struck the South Korean-operated vessel HMM NAMU about one minute apart while it was anchored in the Strait of Hormuz last week, causing an explosion and fire. A foreign ministry spokesperson said officials have yet to determine who was responsible.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.

Container ships sit at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)