Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) – Radim Vrbata posted two goals and an
assist to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on
Tuesday.
Henrik Sedin had a goal and two assists, Chris Higgins scored once and
assisted on another and Yannick Weber also scored for the Canucks, who have
won their past three games. Eddie Lack stopped 26 shots.
With 90 points, Vancouver holds a four-point lead over Calgary for second
place in the Pacific Division.
Blake Wheeler and Jiri Tlusty lit the lamp for the Jets, who had a five-game
winning streak broken. Michael Hutchinson allowed three goals on 28 shots in
the loss.
Winnipeg sits in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with 88
points, three back of Minnesota for the top wild card position.
Trailing by two, Vancouver got one back at 10:57 of the second period off a
rush play that saw Vrbata send a backhand pass from the left wing to the right
where Higgins one-timed it in for his 10th of the year.
The Canucks then tied the game at 16:29 on the power play as Weber’s blast
from the high slot went through a screen and in for his eighth of the season.
Vancouver took its first lead of the game at the 19-minute mark of the second
as Vrbata took the puck along the left boards and flew across the ice, lifting
the puck over Hutchinson for a 3-2 lead.
Lack held the lead up with just over a minute to play when he made a beautiful
glove save on a Mark Scheifele shot from the right side after a turnover.
Moments later, Sedin put the puck in the empty net and Vrbata did the same a
few seconds later to account for the final score.
Winnipeg grabbed a 1-0 lead at 2:17 of the first on Tlusty’s 14th of the year,
and took a 2-0 lead 5:07 into the second when Drew Stafford wrapped the puck
around from the right side and Wheeler deposited the rebound.
Game Notes
Vancouver hosts Colorado on Thursday … Winnipeg hosts Montreal on Thursday
… Vancouver went 1-for-1 on the power play while Winnipeg was 0-for-2 …
Daniel Sedin had two assists for Vancouver.
