Canucks take over first place in division
Associated Press
4/1/2004
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Brendan Morrison set up the tying goal by Markus Naslund and the winner by Sami Salo with 21 seconds left, as the Vancouver Canucks took over first place in the Northwest Division by beating the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 2-1 Wednesday night.
Vancouver's fourth straight victory gave them 41 wins and 97 points, tying Colorado's total. The Canucks have won two more games than the Avalanche, with each team having two remaining.
Ruslan Salei scored for the Mighty Ducks, and Martin Gerber made 41 saves but Anaheim lost its fourth straight.
The Ducks, who lead the NHL in faceoff percentage, lost on a faceoff deep in their end. Morrison won the draw cleanly from Sergei Fedorov, and Salo beat Gerber on a long wrist shot. The Canucks outshot Anaheim 22-4 in the third period.
Playing at home for the first time since tying a club record with eight goals on March 21 against Detroit, the Ducks had to wait almost 10 minutes before getting their first shot.
They equalled a season low with just two shots in the first period, but took 17 in the second and opened the scoring at 2:38 with Salei's fourth goal. Joffrey Lupul made a cross-ice pass to Salei, whose one-timer from the top of the right circle was heading wide when it caromed in off Salo's left arm.
Naslund tied it at 6:15 of the second with his 34th goal - a short back-hander over Gerber's glove after Brendan Morrison set him up in the slot.
Notes: Neither team scored on the power play in the season series, with the visiting team winning all four games. Vancouver was 0-for-12 with the man advantage, Anaheim 0-for-8. ... Petr Sykora returned to the Anaheim lineup after missing Sunday's game at Minnesota. He experienced severe dehydration during last Friday's loss at Columbus - and a rapid heartbeat after it - ending his consecutive game streak at 160. ... The Canucks are 5-3-2-1 since Todd Bertuzzi was suspended for the season. ... Vancouver is 3-for-49 on the power play its last 14 games, and 22nd overall in the league. Last season, the Canucks were third best in the NHL. ..n. The Canucks, who set a franchise record for fewest goals allowed last season (208), will break that mark as long as they don't surrender more than 16 goals in their final two games.
Cheers,
Aquaman