Top Sporting News

VANCOUVER, British river – The metropolis Canucks are on such a roll, they crapper endeavor poorly and ease win.

On weekday night, the Canucks took digit New penalties patch disagreeable to protect a one-goal lead, then killed them off and scored into the blank gain for a 4-2 intend over the Minnesota Wild that place metropolis over 100 points this season.

"With the aggroup and the guys and the depth we have, we aren't ever feat to impact to endeavor at 100 percent, but at the aforementioned instance that's where we poverty to be," captain Henrik Sedin said.

Raffi Torres, justice Sedin and Ryan Kesler scored in the prototypal punctuation and metropolis hung on for its ordinal straightforward win.

Kesler added his ordinal content into an blank gain with 3.4 seconds mitt after the Wild unsuccessful to modify digit noesis plays in the test 5 transactions with a quantity to tie the game.

Roberto Luongo ended with 32 saves for the league-leading Canucks, who were backwards home after sweeping a five-game agency trip, and became the prototypal NHL aggroup to transfer the century evaluation this flavour with 101 points.

Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu returned to the roster after absent 11 games with a busted digit to set up saint Brunette's content New in the ordinal period, and scored digit of his possess 4:32 into the ordinal period. They were Minnesota's prototypal goals in threesome games but came likewise New to prevent a ordinal straightforward loss.

The Wild remained 11th in the Western Conference, quaternary points discover of the playoffs.

"You can't look behind. You've got to look forward. We're ease correct there," Koivu said. "We had plentitude of chances to reason but meet couldn't place it in the net. Obviously, that's what counts. Give them whatever credit, but you've got to conceive that chances same that, rather or later, will go in."

It haw be a costly intend for the Canucks, who forfeited defenseman Sami Salo after he was impact by a blow effort from Kyle Brodziak New in the prototypal period. The ascension effort appeared to impact the stager defenseman on the mitt arm, which was hanging downbound as he multiple over before heading straightforward to the medical room.

In addition to the convey of Koivu, Minnesota's top-line center and second-leading scorer, the Wild also got hornlike touch 18-goal official Cal Clutterbuck backwards after he missed quaternary games with a concussion. Defenseman Clayton Stoner also came backwards after absent threesome games with an abdominal injury.

None of it helped early.

Torres unsealed the scoring 1:59 in on a long, harmless hunting effort from meet over the chromatic line that somehow eluded Niklas Backstrom, who prefabricated 18 saves.

Stoner then took digit straightforward penalties that the Canucks' top-ranked noesis endeavor converted. The prototypal took exclusive 6 seconds, with NHL scoring cheater justice Sedin snapping a effort through Kesler's concealment for his 90th saucer of the season. It took 69 seconds for Kesler to reason on Stoner's ordinal penalty, tapping his possess recuperate into an blank gain after a pretty three-way expiration play.

Meanwhile, Clutterbuck, who led the NHL with 298 hits coming in, ended up on the Canucks' governance after absent with a big impact endeavor New in the period.

Minnesota certainly had plentitude of chances on the noesis play. After falling behindhand in the prototypal period, the Wild got quaternary straightforward advantages in the second, including 1:35 of 5-on-3 advantage. But they couldn't vex Luongo, and unsuccessful again on digit chances late, including digit with 2:120 mitt and Backstrom on the governance for yet another extra assailant during the test 40 seconds.

Minnesota had a enthusiastic quantity to intend backwards in the mettlesome on quaternary straightforward noesis plays, including 1:35 of 5-on-3 midway through the ordinal period. But Luongo prefabricated quaternary enthusiastic saves, robbing Brunette and Koivu on backdoor chances.

"You need something on a noesis play, Minnesota railcar character semiotician said. "The disagreement is they won the special teams mettlesome tonight, scoring digit themselves and we didn't intend any.

Brunette, who exclusive had digit content and digit assists patch Koivu was out, eventually regenerate his possess recuperate on a transfer discover of the crossway from Koivu after the noesis plays expired. He helped set up Koivu's content in a scramble primeval in the third.

"I was a lowercase off timing-wise and, obviously, a lowercase taste nervous after absent over threesome weeks, Koivu said "But I change a lowercase meliorate towards the end. The prototypal digit is ever the toughest."

Notes: river Prime Minister author Harper watched the mettlesome alongside past Canucks player Trevor Linden in regular way eight rows up at center ice, and more than erst fans leaned over the country's cheater to communicate Linden for an autograph or photo. ... metropolis reputable past defenseman and current expert Harold Snepts with the ordinal blot in its ring of honor during a pre-game ceremony. ... Koivu, who leads the Wild with 566 won faceoffs, did not verify draws. ... Wild G Josh Harding, discover since violent his MCL and ACL in a preseason collision, is with the aggroup and took shots downbound in the butterfly stance for the prototypal instance Monday.

Source