Canucks come out on top in Calgary
Posted March 13, 2011 11:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
CALGARY — NHL leading scorer Daniel Sedin had two goals and added an assist Saturday as the Vancouver Canucks defeated Calgary 4-3 to deliver a blow to the Flames’ playoff chances.
It was a clash between the top two teams in the NHL since Christmas but the game’s importance was significantly greater for Calgary, which is locked in a desperate battle for a post-season spot in the congested Western Conference.
Vancouver, meanwhile, entered the night a comfortable 16 points up on the second-place Flames in the Northwest Division and seven points better than Philadelphia for top spot in the league.
Tied 3-3, Vancouver took the lead with 16 seconds left in the second period when its No. 1 ranked power play struck for the second time in as many opportunities.
Ryan Kesler beat Alex Tanguay on a faceoff in the Flames end, drawing the puck back to defenceman Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff’s shot through a crowd caromed sharply off Kesler in front and went right to Sedin, who buried his second goal of the period.
Sedin’s 37th goal established a career-high. He scored 36 in 2006-07.
It was the third assist of the period for Ehrhoff, whose three-point night tied a career-high.
Kesler and Alex Burrows also scored for Vancouver (45-16-9). The win capped off a perfect 5-0 roadtrip for the Canucks, who appear to have regained their form after alternating wins and losses through most of February.
Mikael Backlund, Matt Stajan and David Moss replied for the Flames (36-26-9), who lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time since Jan. 3 and 5.
The Flames remain in the top eight in the West, but just barely. Nashville is ninth, one point back with two games in hand. Two points back but with three games in hand are the 10th-place Anaheim Ducks.
Calgary’s best chance to tie the game in the third came late in the period, but the Flames couldn’t capitalize with the man advantage.
Calgary captain Jarome Iginla led a 3-on-1 rush earlier in the period, but his centring pass caromed off the skate of Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis and slid harmlessly into the corner.
The Flames led 2-1 after the first period but Sedin tied it at 9:46 of the second on a Calgary defensive lapse. With the puck in the corner, Sedin skated through the slot uncovered and rifled home a pass from brother Henrik, who finished with two assists.
Calgary regained the lead 66 seconds later off a mad scramble at the side of the Canucks net. Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo couldn’t corral the bouncing puck and Moss eventually jammed it over the goal-line.
Luongo, who finished with 20 saves, was visibly upset afterwards, feeling he had the puck covered.
Vancouver tied it again at 15:41 when Burrows neatly deflected Daniel Sedin’s low slapshot over Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff for his 20th goal.
Calgary entered the night without a goal in the last 111:19 but that drought ended at 2:14 of the first period on a highlight reel effort from Backlund.
The 21-year-old Swede stripped the puck from Mikael Samuelsson and broke in alone on Luongo, zipping a backhand into the top corner.
His eighth of the season snapped a 14-game goalless drought for the Flames rookie.
With the sellout Scotiabank Saddledome crowd of 19,289 still buzzing, the Flames surged in front 2-0 at 3:32 when Stajan knocked a rebound past Luongo for his sixth goal and first in 12 games.
Vancouver got on the scoreboard at 8:48 when Kesler snapped a 11-game drought with his 34th of the campaign.
Kiprusoff, who finished with 28 saves, was back in goal for the Flames after getting a night off in Calgary’s 3-0 loss in Phoenix on Thursday. That ended a run of 22 consecutive starts.
Notes: Calgary D Jay Bouwmeester played in his 495th consecutive game. The NHL’s leading active ironman, Bouwmeester ties Karlis Skrastins for the longest ironman streak for a defenceman.