Canucks Slip Past Wild In OT 3-2
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Sami Salo scored on a power play at 4:39 of overtime, and the Vancouver Canucks earned a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon.
With Dany Heatley in the penalty box for slashing Ryan Kesler's stick in half, Salo overpowered Niklas Backstrom with a hard slap shot over the glove from the top of the faceoff circle.
Kyle Brodziak put Minnesota ahead with 1:49 left in the second period, but Jannik Hansen tied it with a nifty deflection 2:06 into the third.
Daniel Sedin also scored as Vancouver extended its home win streak over the Wild to eight games. Backup Cory Schneider, making his third start of the season, finished with 21 saves for the Canucks, who also posted consecutive wins for the first time this season.
Devin Setoguchi also scored, and Backstrom made 29 saves for Minnesota.
The Wild are still looking for consecutive wins under new coach Mike Yeo, but have points in all but two of their first eight games (3-2-3).
It was the fifth time in six games the Wild have gone past regulation, but Minnesota still hasn't won in Vancouver since Jan. 31, 2009.
Setoguchi opened the scoring at 8:57 of the first period after a fake shot and nice pass from former San Jose teammate Heatley sent him in alone below the faceoff circle. Setoguchi beat Schneider with a backhand under the blocker.
The Canucks, coming off consecutive 40-shot games, only managed four in the first period of a rare early afternoon home game.
But they fired 15 on Backstrom in the second, and forced a couple of great saves before Sedin tied it on a power play with 3:32 left after a hard pass from behind the net pinballed off Backstrom, defenseman Nick Schultz and past the Wild goalie.
Brodziak restored the lead less than two minutes later, getting position on defenseman Kevin Bieksa atop the crease and quickly snapping a nice feed from Nick Johnson behind the net up and over the glove of Schneider.
Vancouver tied it again after Manny Malhotra pulled up at the blue line and sent a high shot on goal that Hansen, cutting into the slot, tipped down between the legs of Backstrom for his first goal of the season.
Backstrom made a couple of great saves -- and got help clearing loose pucks behind him -- during a wild scramble three minutes later. He also robbed Daniel Sedin on an overtime rebound, but he had little chance when Salo, playing his 700th NHL game, walked into a hard slap shot.
Notes: Minnesota LW Guillaume Latendresse, who led the team with five points, did not play because of a lower body injury. D Greg Zanon (groin) was also out, but captain Mikko Koivu played with stitches in his chin and a scary scrape along his neck after getting clipped by teammate Dany Heatley's skate Thursday in Edmonton, forcing him to miss the end of the game. ... Canucks LW Mikael Samuelsson missed a second straight game with stiffness after having abdominal surgery during last year's playoffs. LW Marco Sturm, who replaced him the previous game, was a surprise late scratch in favor of ex-Wild forward Andrew Ebbett.
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