Canucks extend unbeaten streak to 12
Canadian Press
2/23/2003
EDMONTON (CP) - The Vancouver Canucks are so confident these days they don't just think they can. They know they can.
``It doesn't matter if we're down in a game, we feel we can come back,'' Brendan Morrison said after his overtime goal on Saturday night lifted the Canucks to a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers, extending Vancouver's club-record unbeaten streak to 12 games.
``We're just a confident team right now,'' said Trevor Linden, who evened the score 2-2 late in the second period. ``We're making a habit of doing the little things well and giving ourselves a chance to win the game.''
Morrison knocked in Ed Jovanovski's rebound 1:22 into the extra frame, his 16th of the season, for the victory.
``It came out wobbly and I just tried to get a stick on it,'' Morrison said. ``I didn't try to put it anywhere in particular.''
Linden had tied the score at 19:38 of the second period, redirecting Daniel Sedin's pass into an open net for his 12th of the season.
``We just stuck with what we wanted to do and got the job done,'' said Linden, who also picked up an assist on the overtime winner and extended his scoring streak to five games, during which he has two goals and six assists. ``It wasn't our best game by a long shot, but we did the things we had to do.''
Mattias Ohlund also scored for the Canucks (36-16-9-0), who are 8-0-4-0 in their last 12 games and in second place in the Western Conference, two points behind the Dallas Stars.
Shawn Horcoff and Ales Pisa scored for the Oilers (26-21-6-8), now 1-5-0-2 in their last eight.
``I think we played a pretty decent game,'' said Edmonton winger Jason Chimera. ``Unfortunately, it got away,''
``That's obviously something we need to be wary of,'' Oilers defenceman Eric Brewer said about the team's eighth overtime loss of the season, the second highest total in the league. ``Our four-on-four play hasn't been great. Maybe we're a bit too impatient.''
Edmonton, holding on to the final playoff spot in the West, went 1-3-0-1 on a five-game roadtrip before returning home for a pair of games this weekend. The Oilers host the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday night.
Ohlund opened the scoring with his second goal of the season 4:38 into the first.
Todd Bertuzzi drew a pair of defenders just inside the Oilers zone and with one hand on his stick shoved the puck to Ohlund, who flicked a shot over Tommy Salo's left shoulder.
Horcoff evened the score for the Oilers at 7:38 of the second, jamming his eighth over the line during a scramble in front of Dan Cloutier.
Pisa gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead with his first NHL goal at 18:30 of the second. He one-timed a point shot past Cloutier on a power play.
Edmonton scored three power-play goals in 29 chances in its five-games season series against Vancouver. The Canucks, meanwhile, scored eight power-play goals in 30 opportunities against the Oilers.
Referee Stephane Auger sent Marty Reasoner to the penalty box at 9:17 of the third for hooking down Markus Naslund with Edmonton's Fernando Pisani rushing up ice for a possible breakaway. The controversial call had the sell-out crowd of 16,839 booing for a diving call on Naslund.
Cloutier made a sprawling save on Marchant's attempt with four minutes remaining in the third to preserve the tie for the Canucks.
``We're doing a good job in our end,'' Linden said about Vancouver's 12-game unbeaten steak, which comes in a wake of a 10-game winning steak the team put together in November. ``We're trying to make our end the key. There's no reason you can't be a good offensive team and still be good in your own end.''
NOTES: Edmonton captain Jason Smith missed his fifth straight game with a separated shoulder and winger Ryan Smyth also missed his fifth in a row with a sprained shoulder. ...Vancouver scored the first goal in all five of its games against the Oilers this season, winning four and tying one. ...Sami Salo and Ed Jovanovski returned to the Canucks lineup on Saturday night after missing two games and one game respectively with a shoulder injury and the flu.
Cheers,
Aquaman