It was a eventful day at GM Place, and it continued that way into the evening. The Canucks capped off their home portion of the 2008 schedule with a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. In the process, goalie Curtis Sanford went down with a groin injury that could keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks. This occured on the same night that the Canucks made a trade to acquire goalie Jason LaBarbera from the Los Angeles Kings. More on that later.
A lot of Canucks fans might have expected the club to be distracted heading into this game following the debut of Mats Sundin at practice for the first time earlier in the day. However, the home team came out with lots of energy to start the contest. Kevin Bieska through a solid hit on the opening shift against Flyers forward Simon Gagne and then proceeded to drop the gloves with Philly captain Mike Richards. Gagne wound up leaving the game with a shoulder injury just 15 seconds into the action.
The Flyers drew first blood on a nice passing play during a rush into the Vancouver zone. Claude Giroux and Matt Carle did great work to get the puck to Jeff Carter, who wound sliding his back-handed chance past Sanford. For Carter, it was his team-leading 27th goal of the season at 3:16.
The Canucks were able to tie the game up on their first power play chance of the night. Off a face off in the Flyers end, Pavol Demitra wound up getting the puck low in the zone to Henrik Sedin, who wasted no time dishing it off to his brother. Daniel Sedin was then able to snap home his shot over the shoulder of Martin Biron. Daniel's team-high 18th of the season was also his third power play marker of the season at 16:54.
Less than a minute later, the Flyers got their lead back. Scott Hartnell's long blast found its way by Sanford. Carter and Joffrey Lupul help Hartnell notch his 14th of the season at 17:39. That would be the last goal allowed by Sanford, who didn't return after the first intermission. It was revealed afterwards that he suffered a groin injury and has subsequently been placed on the club's injured reserve list for up to two weeks.
Cory Schneider came in to start the second period and wound up allowing the first shot that came his way. Josh Gratton was able to get a loose puck into the slot which wound up being gobbled up by Jonathon Kalinski. He was able to scoop the puck to the back of the net for his first ever NHL goal. It also proved to be the game winner and it came at 2:36.
The Canucks picked up their play and had a couple of great chances to capitalize on the power play. Both Daniel Sedin and Mason Raymond had some golden opportunities in close, but were unable to get the chances past Biron. Eventually Vancouver did get the goal they deserved. Alex Burrows fed a beautiful pass off the half boards to the low slot, where Ryan Kesler re-directed a nifty finish benhind the netminder. Steve Bernier gets the other assist on Kesler's 9th of the season at 11:56.
Schneider came up with a couple of hi-lite reel saves to keep his team close before the period was out. He robbed Lupul and Hartnell on chances that on many other nights would be sure-goals. At the other end of the rink, Willie Mitchell had a couple of fantastic chance down low around the Flyers crease, but was unable to finish.
Both goalies were the best players in the final frame, where no goals were scored. The best save for Biron came on Bernier with under seven minutes to play. He looked to have found the top corner with a wrist shot, until Biron made a miraculous glove save. The best save for Schneider came off of Hartnell who was robbed on a toe save after going to the back-hand on a breakaway. The Canucks were able to get Schneider to the bench for the extra attacker and finished the period on the power play, but were unable to force the game to overtime.
Final shots on net favoured the Canucks 31-29. In what was a relatively disciplined night for both clubs, the Canucks finished the night 1-for-3 on the power play while the Flyers were 0-for-1.
As mentioned off the top, the Canucks announced a trade during the first intermission of tonight's contest. LaBarbera comes to the Canucks from L.A. in exchange for a 7th round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The 28 year-old who grew up in both Burnaby and Prince George, B.C. has appeared in 19 games this year with the Kings. His overall record is 5-8-4 with a 2.83 GAA and a save percentage of 89.3%. He has appeared in 98 career NHL games split between L.A. and the New York Rangers. He will join the Canucks for their two-game trip to finish off this week in Nashville and Atlanta.
Now with an overall record of 20-15-3, the Canucks complete 2008 with a 12-month record of 37-34-9. To open up 2009, the Canucks will play the Predators on New Year's Day. Game time on Thursday will be 5:00pm PST.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Canucks/Flyers Game Day & Sundin Meets Media
It wasn't your typical game day skate for the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place today as the team prepares to play the Philadelphia Flyers.
Mats Sundin officially met the local media for the first time today. 13 television network cameras, plus numerous other reporters were on hand to see the newest Canucks forward on the ice and at the podium. It's been confirmed that he won't travel with the team this coming week to either Nashville or Atlanta. In fact, coach Alain Vigneault said he won't play until at least after the game at home against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 4. He will remain in Vancouver over the next week and skate with the injured Canucks.
Roberto Luongo was on the ice in full gear before the Canucks took their morning skate. He didn't skate for more than ten minutes today, and said afterwards it was just another step in the rehab and recovery process. There was no update given as to his time-line for returning to the line-up.
The Canucks (20-14-3) are likely to go with their same line-up tonight as to the one they iced in a 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Dec 28. Vancouver enters the night three points back of the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Division.
The Flyers (19-10-7) are in second spot in the Atlantic Division, four points back of the New York Rangers. They are sporting the top power play in the NHL (38/141=27.0%) and have not lost a game in Vancouver since 1989.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Nycholat
O'Brien - Edler
Sanford
Schneider
Flyers:
Simone Gagne - Mike Richards - Mike Knuble
Scott Hartnell - Jeff Carter - Joffrey Lupul
Jonathan Kalinski - Darrol Powe - Claude Giroux
Riley Cote - Glen Metropolit - Josh Gratton
Kimmo Timonen - Ossi Vaanenen
Luca Sbisa - Randy JonesBrayden Coburn - Matt Carle
Martin Biron
Antero Niittymaki
Mats Sundin officially met the local media for the first time today. 13 television network cameras, plus numerous other reporters were on hand to see the newest Canucks forward on the ice and at the podium. It's been confirmed that he won't travel with the team this coming week to either Nashville or Atlanta. In fact, coach Alain Vigneault said he won't play until at least after the game at home against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 4. He will remain in Vancouver over the next week and skate with the injured Canucks.
Roberto Luongo was on the ice in full gear before the Canucks took their morning skate. He didn't skate for more than ten minutes today, and said afterwards it was just another step in the rehab and recovery process. There was no update given as to his time-line for returning to the line-up.
The Canucks (20-14-3) are likely to go with their same line-up tonight as to the one they iced in a 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Dec 28. Vancouver enters the night three points back of the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Division.
The Flyers (19-10-7) are in second spot in the Atlantic Division, four points back of the New York Rangers. They are sporting the top power play in the NHL (38/141=27.0%) and have not lost a game in Vancouver since 1989.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Nycholat
O'Brien - Edler
Sanford
Schneider
Flyers:
Simone Gagne - Mike Richards - Mike Knuble
Scott Hartnell - Jeff Carter - Joffrey Lupul
Jonathan Kalinski - Darrol Powe - Claude Giroux
Riley Cote - Glen Metropolit - Josh Gratton
Kimmo Timonen - Ossi Vaanenen
Luca Sbisa - Randy JonesBrayden Coburn - Matt Carle
Martin Biron
Antero Niittymaki
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Sandman Shuts Out Sens Sunday
For the first time as a Vancouver Canuck and for the first time in 35 months, Curtis Sanford held an opponent of the scoreboard. Sunday evening, Sanford turned aside all 18 shots the Ottawa Senators put his way as the Canucks cruised to a 3-0 win.
Sanford's best save of the night came on the first good scoring chance of the game. Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson was able to collect a pass on a 2-on-1 rush from Nick Foligno. His chance looked to be a sure goal, but it was foiled by a great left pad save made by the netminder.
Senators goalie Martin Gerber was tested a short time later by Jason Jaffray at the top of the Ottawa crease. Then Shane O'Brien had a chance to got by Gerber but rattled off the outside of the post.
Vancouver opened the scoring after the Senators turned the puck over. Pavol Demitra was able to find Henrik Sedin all alone in front of the net. His first chance was denied, but he made no mistake burying the rebound. For Henrik, it was his first goal in 11 games. His 5th of the season proved to be his second game winner of the year as well and it came at 8:17.
The Canucks padded their lead just past the midway point of the second period. Henrik fed a rink-wide pass through centre to his brother Daniel Sedin, who wasted no time dishing the puck to Demitra. After breaking past the Ottawa rearguards, he snapped home a shot past Gerber. For Demitra, it was his first goal in six games and his 11th of the campaign at 10:15.
Before the period was out, the Canucks dealt a huge blow to the Sens if they thought about any chance of mounting a comeback. Daniel got the puck to the Ottawa line for Alexander Edler, who proceeded to step into a long range slap shot. Whether Gerber was ready for it or not, Edler's blast found the back of the net. Now with three points in back-to-back games, Edler tallied his 3rd of the season at 17:10.
No goals came in the final frame, but there were a couple of physical altercations. Darcy Hordichuk and Chris Neil were involved in a spirited scrap six minutes into the period while Neil and Jaffray exchanged shots in an after-the-whistle scrum.
Final shots on net favoured the Canucks 32-18. Vancouver didn't score on any of their seven power play chances, but they were a very disciplined group in this game...killing off all five Ottawa man advantages.
Now with an overall record 20-14-3, the Canucks move to within a point of the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Divison. As for the Sens, they drop to 12-17-5 and have now gone 12 straight games on the road without a victory.
Next up for the Canucks, the Philadelphia Flyers. Game time Tuesday night will be 7:00pm.
Sanford's best save of the night came on the first good scoring chance of the game. Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson was able to collect a pass on a 2-on-1 rush from Nick Foligno. His chance looked to be a sure goal, but it was foiled by a great left pad save made by the netminder.
Senators goalie Martin Gerber was tested a short time later by Jason Jaffray at the top of the Ottawa crease. Then Shane O'Brien had a chance to got by Gerber but rattled off the outside of the post.
Vancouver opened the scoring after the Senators turned the puck over. Pavol Demitra was able to find Henrik Sedin all alone in front of the net. His first chance was denied, but he made no mistake burying the rebound. For Henrik, it was his first goal in 11 games. His 5th of the season proved to be his second game winner of the year as well and it came at 8:17.
The Canucks padded their lead just past the midway point of the second period. Henrik fed a rink-wide pass through centre to his brother Daniel Sedin, who wasted no time dishing the puck to Demitra. After breaking past the Ottawa rearguards, he snapped home a shot past Gerber. For Demitra, it was his first goal in six games and his 11th of the campaign at 10:15.
Before the period was out, the Canucks dealt a huge blow to the Sens if they thought about any chance of mounting a comeback. Daniel got the puck to the Ottawa line for Alexander Edler, who proceeded to step into a long range slap shot. Whether Gerber was ready for it or not, Edler's blast found the back of the net. Now with three points in back-to-back games, Edler tallied his 3rd of the season at 17:10.
No goals came in the final frame, but there were a couple of physical altercations. Darcy Hordichuk and Chris Neil were involved in a spirited scrap six minutes into the period while Neil and Jaffray exchanged shots in an after-the-whistle scrum.
Final shots on net favoured the Canucks 32-18. Vancouver didn't score on any of their seven power play chances, but they were a very disciplined group in this game...killing off all five Ottawa man advantages.
Now with an overall record 20-14-3, the Canucks move to within a point of the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Divison. As for the Sens, they drop to 12-17-5 and have now gone 12 straight games on the road without a victory.
Next up for the Canucks, the Philadelphia Flyers. Game time Tuesday night will be 7:00pm.
Canucks Oilers Recap & Senators Preview
On Boxing Day, the Canucks dug themselves too deep a hole against the Edmonton Oilers. Despite a very strong comeback in the third period, they weren't able to get the equalizer and wound up falling 3-2 at GM Place.
Mason Raymond and Kyle Wellwood had the Vancouver goals on a night which saw the home team surrender back-to-back 5-on-3 power play tallies by the Oilers in the second period.
Dwayne Roloson did his part to keep the Oilers in the lead and preserve the win, stopping 26 shots, including 13 in the final frame. Curtis Sanford could not be faulted in the loss as he made 20 saves.
The Canucks wound up going 1-for-5 on the power play while the Oilers went 2-for-5.
Tonight, the Canucks have a chance to get back to within a point of top spot of the Northwest Division as they prepare for their first of two meetings this season against the Ottawa Senators.
The Canucks (19-14-3) have seen their list of the walking wounded grow as Taylor Pyatt is sidelined indefinitely with a broken foot. Pavol Demitra, who's gone five straight games without a point, will play with Daniel and Henrik Sedin tonight while Jannik Hansen goes back on a line with Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler. Lawrence Nycholat, who came over in an off-season trade with Ottawa, will draw into the line-up and play on defence alongside Mattias Ohlund.
Vancouver is 4-3-1 against teams in the Eastern Conference this season, which includes 1-2-0 against clubs from the Northeast Division.
The Senators (9-6-3) have lost 11 straight on the road and are the lowest scoring team in the NHL, with just 80 goals for in 33 games. They also have the worst road record of any team in the league (3-10-2). The club did not take morning skate after falling 6-3 to the Calgary Flames last night.
Their list of the walking wounded has grown as well. Cody Blass injured his shoulder in a fight last night and he joins defencemen Filip Kuba and Anton Volchenkov on the injured list. Volchenkov though may play tonight. After former Canuck Alex Auld allowed five goals on 42 Calgary shots last night, Martin Gerber is expected to start tonight. Lifetime he is 1-2-1 against the Canucks with a 2.16 GAA.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Nycholat
Sanford
Schneider
Senators:
Chris Kelly - Jason Spezza - Dany Heatley
Nick Foligno - Mike Fisher - Daniel Alfredsson
Jarkko Ruutu - Dean McAmmond - Chris Neil
Antoine Vermette - Ilya Zubov - Shean Donovan
Chris Phillips - Brian Lee
Brendan Bell - Jason Smith
Alexandre Picard - Christoph Schubert
Martin Gerber
Alex Auld
Mason Raymond and Kyle Wellwood had the Vancouver goals on a night which saw the home team surrender back-to-back 5-on-3 power play tallies by the Oilers in the second period.
Dwayne Roloson did his part to keep the Oilers in the lead and preserve the win, stopping 26 shots, including 13 in the final frame. Curtis Sanford could not be faulted in the loss as he made 20 saves.
The Canucks wound up going 1-for-5 on the power play while the Oilers went 2-for-5.
Tonight, the Canucks have a chance to get back to within a point of top spot of the Northwest Division as they prepare for their first of two meetings this season against the Ottawa Senators.
The Canucks (19-14-3) have seen their list of the walking wounded grow as Taylor Pyatt is sidelined indefinitely with a broken foot. Pavol Demitra, who's gone five straight games without a point, will play with Daniel and Henrik Sedin tonight while Jannik Hansen goes back on a line with Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler. Lawrence Nycholat, who came over in an off-season trade with Ottawa, will draw into the line-up and play on defence alongside Mattias Ohlund.
Vancouver is 4-3-1 against teams in the Eastern Conference this season, which includes 1-2-0 against clubs from the Northeast Division.
The Senators (9-6-3) have lost 11 straight on the road and are the lowest scoring team in the NHL, with just 80 goals for in 33 games. They also have the worst road record of any team in the league (3-10-2). The club did not take morning skate after falling 6-3 to the Calgary Flames last night.
Their list of the walking wounded has grown as well. Cody Blass injured his shoulder in a fight last night and he joins defencemen Filip Kuba and Anton Volchenkov on the injured list. Volchenkov though may play tonight. After former Canuck Alex Auld allowed five goals on 42 Calgary shots last night, Martin Gerber is expected to start tonight. Lifetime he is 1-2-1 against the Canucks with a 2.16 GAA.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Nycholat
Sanford
Schneider
Senators:
Chris Kelly - Jason Spezza - Dany Heatley
Nick Foligno - Mike Fisher - Daniel Alfredsson
Jarkko Ruutu - Dean McAmmond - Chris Neil
Antoine Vermette - Ilya Zubov - Shean Donovan
Chris Phillips - Brian Lee
Brendan Bell - Jason Smith
Alexandre Picard - Christoph Schubert
Martin Gerber
Alex Auld
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Sharks Prey on Canucks Monday
It was not the ideal way to head into the Christmas break for the Vancouver Canucks. A combonation of undisciplined play, careless turnovers, and average goaltending all were contributing factors in a San Jose Sharks 5-0 win at the HP Pavillion Tuesday night.
One night after the Canucks skated away with a 4-3 win at home against the Anaheim Ducks, they wound up being bombarded by the hottest team in the NHL. Cory Schneider wound up getting blitzed early on as Rob Blake deposited a rebound that had rattled off the end boards. For Blake, who hadn't scored in nine games, it was his 6th of the season at 4:22.
Vancouver's first shot on goal didn't come until the 5:30 mark of the period. Shortly after that, the Canucks got into serious penalty trouble. Patrick Marleau snapped home his 18th of the season from the right face off cirlce at 5:55. Then Devin Setoguchi redirected a point shot by Marleau from the slot for his 17th of the year at 7:09.
There would be no more scoring in the opening period, one that saw the Sharks out-shoot their opponents 13-4. It didn't take long though for San Jose to build on their lead in the middle frame. Just 24 seconds in, Joe Thorton wound up beating Schneider with a forehand-to-backhand move at the top of the crease for his 9th of the campaign. Then 19 seconds later, Ryan Kesler turned over the puck inside his own blue line to Thomas Plihal who whistled home his 4th of the season.
That would be the end of the night for Schneider, who left after allowing five goals on 15 shots. He wound up being replaced by Curtis Sanford, who was very strong in keeping the door shut the rest of the way.
At the other end of the rink, Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov had little work to do to collect his second shut-out of the season. The Canucks wound up out-shooting the Sharks 33-31. Vancouver went 0-for-2 on the power play while the Sharks finished the night going 2-for-6.
Next up for the Canucks (19-13-2) will be a Boxing Day match-up at GM Place against the Edmonton Oilers. Game time is 7:00pm PST.
Have a wonderful Christmas wherever you may be reading this!
One night after the Canucks skated away with a 4-3 win at home against the Anaheim Ducks, they wound up being bombarded by the hottest team in the NHL. Cory Schneider wound up getting blitzed early on as Rob Blake deposited a rebound that had rattled off the end boards. For Blake, who hadn't scored in nine games, it was his 6th of the season at 4:22.
Vancouver's first shot on goal didn't come until the 5:30 mark of the period. Shortly after that, the Canucks got into serious penalty trouble. Patrick Marleau snapped home his 18th of the season from the right face off cirlce at 5:55. Then Devin Setoguchi redirected a point shot by Marleau from the slot for his 17th of the year at 7:09.
There would be no more scoring in the opening period, one that saw the Sharks out-shoot their opponents 13-4. It didn't take long though for San Jose to build on their lead in the middle frame. Just 24 seconds in, Joe Thorton wound up beating Schneider with a forehand-to-backhand move at the top of the crease for his 9th of the campaign. Then 19 seconds later, Ryan Kesler turned over the puck inside his own blue line to Thomas Plihal who whistled home his 4th of the season.
That would be the end of the night for Schneider, who left after allowing five goals on 15 shots. He wound up being replaced by Curtis Sanford, who was very strong in keeping the door shut the rest of the way.
At the other end of the rink, Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov had little work to do to collect his second shut-out of the season. The Canucks wound up out-shooting the Sharks 33-31. Vancouver went 0-for-2 on the power play while the Sharks finished the night going 2-for-6.
Next up for the Canucks (19-13-2) will be a Boxing Day match-up at GM Place against the Edmonton Oilers. Game time is 7:00pm PST.
Have a wonderful Christmas wherever you may be reading this!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Canucks & Sharks Game Day
After checking into their hotel just after 3:00am this morning, the Vancouver Canucks get set to play their last game before the Christmas break tonight in San Jose against the Sharks.
The Canucks (19-12-3) are coming off a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night. Daniel Sedin (5g,2a) and Henrik Sedin (4a) both extended their consecutive point scoring streaks to four games last night. Ryan Kesler's goal last night was his 100th career NHL point.
The Sharks (26-4-3) sport the best home ice record in the NHL (17-0-2). Their last game was a 3-2 win at home against the New York Rangers on Saturday. Prior to that, they were shut-out 6-0 on the road against the Detroit Red Wings two nights earlier.
The Canucks did not skate today at the HP Pavillion. Only Jason Jaffray and Lawrence Nycholat came out to take shots on Cory Schneider, who is expected to get the start tonight in net. Otherwise it looks like the Canucks will go with the same roster as last night against the Ducks.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Hansen
Pyatt - Demitra - Raymond
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Wellwood - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Davison
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Sharks:
Patrick Marleau - Joe Thorton - Devin Setoguchi
Ryane Clowe - Joe Pavalski - Jonathan Cheechoo
Tomas Plihal - Marcel Goc - Mike Grier
Jody Shelly - Tom Cavanagh - Jamie McGinn
Rob Blake - Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Brad Lukowich - Dan Boyle
Doug Murray - Christan Erhoff
Evgeni Nabokov
Brian Boucher
The Canucks (19-12-3) are coming off a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night. Daniel Sedin (5g,2a) and Henrik Sedin (4a) both extended their consecutive point scoring streaks to four games last night. Ryan Kesler's goal last night was his 100th career NHL point.
The Sharks (26-4-3) sport the best home ice record in the NHL (17-0-2). Their last game was a 3-2 win at home against the New York Rangers on Saturday. Prior to that, they were shut-out 6-0 on the road against the Detroit Red Wings two nights earlier.
The Canucks did not skate today at the HP Pavillion. Only Jason Jaffray and Lawrence Nycholat came out to take shots on Cory Schneider, who is expected to get the start tonight in net. Otherwise it looks like the Canucks will go with the same roster as last night against the Ducks.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Hansen
Pyatt - Demitra - Raymond
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Wellwood - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Davison
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Sharks:
Patrick Marleau - Joe Thorton - Devin Setoguchi
Ryane Clowe - Joe Pavalski - Jonathan Cheechoo
Tomas Plihal - Marcel Goc - Mike Grier
Jody Shelly - Tom Cavanagh - Jamie McGinn
Rob Blake - Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Brad Lukowich - Dan Boyle
Doug Murray - Christan Erhoff
Evgeni Nabokov
Brian Boucher
In their last game on home ice before the Christmas break, the Vancouver Canucks made the most of their match-up against the Anaheim Ducks by skating away with a 4-3 win at GM Place Monday night. It was Vancouver’s fourth straight victory against a Pacific Division opponent.
The Ducks wound up opening the scoring on a first period power play. Ryan Getzlaf found a wide open Bobby Ryan at the side of the net and he had little trouble snapping a one-timer past goalie Curtis Sanford. Scott Neidermeyer collects the other assist on Ryan’s 5th of the season at 8:32.
The remainder of the period was dominated by the Canucks who wound up getting the equalizer with a power play goal of their own. Mason Raymond was able to scoop in a rebound on a back-handed opportunity from the top of the crease. Mattias Ohlund and Steve Bernier collect the helpers on Raymond’s first goal in eight games. It turned out to be his 8th of the season at 12:51.
Before the period was out, Vancouver took the lead on another power play. Bernier’s shot wound up being denied by goalie Jonas Hiller, but the rebound chance by Ryan Kesler made its way through the pads of the netminder. Kesler’s 100th NHL point proved to be his 8th of the season at 17:53.
The Ducks kept getting into penalty trouble in the second period and that turned the tide in favour of the Canucks. After having a couple of close range chances denied, Daniel Sedin was able to give Vancouver a two-goal lead. Rob Davison’s shot from the point would be deflected out of mid-air by the Canucks leading scorer. Henrik Sedin notches the other assist on Daniel’s 16th of the year at 4:35.
Vancouver looked to put the game out of reach in the early going of the final frame. Former Vancouver Giants captain Brett Festerling turned the puck over in the neutral zone to Daniel, who broke in free on a breakaway. His move to the backhand gave Hiller no chance. It was his second of the game and team-leading 17th of the year. What proved to be the game-winner came at 6:31.
Samuel Pahlsson looked to have gotten the Ducks back on the scoreboard in the third period, but his goal was waved off as he was said to have kicked it into the Vancouver net. Shortly afterwards, while on a two-man advantage, Anaheim did get back into the game on a pretty passing play. Ryan found Perry in the left face off circle, who wound up finding a wide open Scott Neidermeyer beside the crease. He had little trouble burying his 4th of the year at 11:33.
The Ducks made things interesting with under seven minutes to go in the game. Ryan’s dump in to the Canucks zone was deflected off the stick of Kevin Bieksa. In mid-air, Perry batted it down to Pahlsson, who snapped it underneath Sanford. For Pahlsson, it was just his 3rd goal of the season and it had Anaheim within a goal of the Canucks at 13:02.
Anaheim pressed for the remainder of the final period, but were unable to get the equalizer as the Canucks hung on for the one-goal win. Final shots on net did favour the Ducks 27-26. In a penalty-filled game, the Canucks finished the game going 2-for-8 on the power play while the Ducks went 2-for-5.
Having improved their record to 19-2-3, the Canucks get set to play their final game before the brief holiday break Tuesday night in San Jose against the Pacific Division leading Sharks. Game time from the HP Pavillion is 7:00pm PST.
The Ducks wound up opening the scoring on a first period power play. Ryan Getzlaf found a wide open Bobby Ryan at the side of the net and he had little trouble snapping a one-timer past goalie Curtis Sanford. Scott Neidermeyer collects the other assist on Ryan’s 5th of the season at 8:32.
The remainder of the period was dominated by the Canucks who wound up getting the equalizer with a power play goal of their own. Mason Raymond was able to scoop in a rebound on a back-handed opportunity from the top of the crease. Mattias Ohlund and Steve Bernier collect the helpers on Raymond’s first goal in eight games. It turned out to be his 8th of the season at 12:51.
Before the period was out, Vancouver took the lead on another power play. Bernier’s shot wound up being denied by goalie Jonas Hiller, but the rebound chance by Ryan Kesler made its way through the pads of the netminder. Kesler’s 100th NHL point proved to be his 8th of the season at 17:53.
The Ducks kept getting into penalty trouble in the second period and that turned the tide in favour of the Canucks. After having a couple of close range chances denied, Daniel Sedin was able to give Vancouver a two-goal lead. Rob Davison’s shot from the point would be deflected out of mid-air by the Canucks leading scorer. Henrik Sedin notches the other assist on Daniel’s 16th of the year at 4:35.
Vancouver looked to put the game out of reach in the early going of the final frame. Former Vancouver Giants captain Brett Festerling turned the puck over in the neutral zone to Daniel, who broke in free on a breakaway. His move to the backhand gave Hiller no chance. It was his second of the game and team-leading 17th of the year. What proved to be the game-winner came at 6:31.
Samuel Pahlsson looked to have gotten the Ducks back on the scoreboard in the third period, but his goal was waved off as he was said to have kicked it into the Vancouver net. Shortly afterwards, while on a two-man advantage, Anaheim did get back into the game on a pretty passing play. Ryan found Perry in the left face off circle, who wound up finding a wide open Scott Neidermeyer beside the crease. He had little trouble burying his 4th of the year at 11:33.
The Ducks made things interesting with under seven minutes to go in the game. Ryan’s dump in to the Canucks zone was deflected off the stick of Kevin Bieksa. In mid-air, Perry batted it down to Pahlsson, who snapped it underneath Sanford. For Pahlsson, it was just his 3rd goal of the season and it had Anaheim within a goal of the Canucks at 13:02.
Anaheim pressed for the remainder of the final period, but were unable to get the equalizer as the Canucks hung on for the one-goal win. Final shots on net did favour the Ducks 27-26. In a penalty-filled game, the Canucks finished the game going 2-for-8 on the power play while the Ducks went 2-for-5.
Having improved their record to 19-2-3, the Canucks get set to play their final game before the brief holiday break Tuesday night in San Jose against the Pacific Division leading Sharks. Game time from the HP Pavillion is 7:00pm PST.
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